E-invoicing with ZUGFeRD, XRechnung and Peppol files
Sumhour turns any sent invoice, built from your tracked time, into a ZUGFeRD PDF or an XRechnung XML file, the e-invoice formats German businesses and public bodies ask agencies and freelancers for, and works out the VAT treatment from your country and the client’s. For Belgian clients it also creates Peppol BIS 3.0 files; sending them over the Peppol network is not live yet.
In every plan. 30 days free, no card.
| Description | Hours | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| October design work | 24:00 | 125.00 | 3,000.00 |
| October development work | 12:00 | 125.00 | 1,500.00 |
Not subject to VAT here (client abroad)
E-invoice for your accounting software: ZUGFeRD PDF · XRechnung XML
INV-1042 as an e-invoice for a client in Berlin
Fieldwork is a business in Berlin. Birch & Row, a UK agency, has set Fieldwork’s VAT treatment to “Not subject to VAT here (client abroad)”. The sent invoice offers both files once the e-invoice details are filled in.
For Belgian clients the same invoice also gives a Peppol BIS 3.0 file. You upload it in your Peppol provider’s portal; Sumhour does not send it over the network yet.
| Lines36:00 × 125.00 | 4,500.00 |
|---|---|
| VATnot subject to VAT here (client abroad) | 0.00 |
| ZUGFeRD PDF and XRechnung XML | 4,500.00 |
Demo workspace: Birch & Row Studio, USD
E-invoicing in Sumhour, step by step
- 01
Add your details
Open Invoice settings, then “E-invoices”. Add your street, postcode, city and country, your VAT id or tax number (Steuernummer), a contact name and phone, and your IBAN.
- 02
Add the client’s
Open the client and expand “E-invoice details”: their address and country, their VAT id for an EU business, and the Leitweg-ID under “Buyer reference” for a German public body.
- 03
Check the VAT
On a sent invoice, the “E-invoice” panel shows how VAT is treated. If it does not fit, set it for that client under “VAT treatment”.
- 04
Download or attach
“ZUGFeRD PDF” and “XRechnung XML” download the files. The client’s invoice page offers both, and the invoice email can carry one.
ZUGFeRD and XRechnung from the invoice you already sent
Some clients need invoices their software can read. ZUGFeRD is the PDF with the invoice data inside it, so a person can read it and the client’s software can import it. XRechnung is the XML file alone, and German public bodies ask for it.
In Germany every business must be able to receive e-invoices since 2025. Larger businesses must send them from 2027 and everyone from 2028. Who has to send them, and when
- Both files come from the same invoice, with the same totals
- The client can download both from the invoice page
Invoice settings · E-invoices
A list of exactly what is missing, with a link to each
An e-invoice needs more than a normal invoice: your full address, a VAT id or tax number, a contact name and phone, your IBAN, and the client’s address and country. If anything is missing, the invoice’s “E-invoice” panel lists it and links to the place you add it.
It also names problems on the invoice itself before they turn into a rejected file, such as standard VAT with no tax percent, or a second tax, which an e-invoice cannot carry.
To make the ZUGFeRD and XRechnung files, add:
- Cedar Works: street address (client details).
- Cedar Works: postcode.
- Standard VAT needs a tax percent on the invoice, or a different VAT treatment for this client.
VAT treatment worked out from the two countries
Sumhour picks the treatment from your country and the client’s: standard VAT inside one country, reverse charge for an EU business with a VAT id, and “not subject to VAT here” for clients outside the EU. Tick “Small business, no VAT charged” if you invoice under § 19 UStG.
That automatic choice is made for sellers inside the EU. Birch & Row, the studio in these pictures, is in Bristol, so it set Fieldwork’s treatment by hand under “VAT treatment” to “Not subject to VAT here (client abroad)”. You can do the same for any client. When you are unsure, ask your tax adviser.
How the VAT treatment is chosenPeppol files for Belgium, checked against the official rules
Belgium has required Peppol between businesses since 2026. Add your Peppol ID and the client’s, and their invoices also offer a “Peppol UBL” file in Peppol BIS 3.0. Sending it over the Peppol network from inside Sumhour is coming; until then, upload the file in your Peppol provider’s portal.
Our build checks the files against the official German validator (KoSIT, XRechnung 3.0.2), the Mustang ZUGFeRD validator, and the CEN and Peppol BIS 3.0.21 rules.
Belgium’s Peppol rules for agenciesE-invoicing: limits to know about
- Sending over the Peppol network from inside Sumhour is not live yet. Sumhour creates the Peppol BIS 3.0 file, and you upload it in your Peppol provider’s portal.
- An e-invoice carries one VAT rate and no second tax. An invoice with a second tax, or a mix of taxable and untaxed lines, has to be changed first.
- Drafts have no e-invoice. The ZUGFeRD and XRechnung files appear once the invoice is sent.
Missing something you need? Write to [email protected]. The person who builds Sumhour reads every message.
E-invoicing: Sumhour and other tools
Checked against each tool’s own pricing and help pages on November 5, 2026; the sources are under the table. Plans change, so check before you rely on a line.
| Feature | Sumhour | Clockify | Productive | Kimai | Invoice Ninja |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XRechnung and ZUGFeRD files | Every plan, both formats | No XRechnung or ZUGFeRD | XRechnung on all plans; no ZUGFeRD | Add-on: E-Invoice Plus plugin, 99 € | Enterprise plan (from $18) |
| Peppol | Files created and validated; sending not live yet | Peppol add-on (price not listed) | Peppol, 10 / 50 / 100 a month by plan | Not documented | Enterprise plan: Peppol with 250 credits |
Sources: Clockify add-ons; Productive e-invoicing FAQ; Productive pricing; Kimai store; Invoice Ninja e-invoicing; Invoice Ninja pricing.
Full comparison: open-source options compared.
E-invoicing: common questions
What is the difference between ZUGFeRD and XRechnung?
ZUGFeRD is a PDF with the invoice data inside it: people read it and software imports it. XRechnung is the XML file alone, and it is the format German public bodies ask for. Sumhour makes both from any sent invoice.
Can freelancers send ZUGFeRD invoices from their time tracking?
Yes. Track your hours in Sumhour, turn them into an invoice and send it. The invoice’s “E-invoice” panel then offers the ZUGFeRD PDF and the XRechnung XML. If you invoice under the small business rule (§ 19 UStG), tick “Small business, no VAT charged” in Invoice settings and the e-invoice carries no VAT.
E-invoices in the guideWhen do businesses in Germany have to send e-invoices?
Every business in Germany must be able to receive e-invoices since 2025. Larger businesses must send them from 2027 and everyone from 2028. Ask your tax adviser which rule applies to you.
How do I send an XRechnung to a German public body?
Add the public body’s Leitweg-ID under “Buyer reference” in the client’s “E-invoice details”. On the sent invoice, press “XRechnung XML” to download the file, or choose the XRechnung XML under “Attach to the invoice email” so it goes next to the PDF.
Can Sumhour send invoices over Peppol in Belgium?
Not yet. Add your Peppol ID under Invoice settings, “E-invoices” (for a Belgian company, 0208 and your enterprise number) and the client’s under “E-invoice details”. Their invoices then also offer a “Peppol UBL” file in Peppol BIS 3.0. Sending it over the Peppol network from inside Sumhour is coming; until then, upload the file in your Peppol provider’s portal.
Is e-invoicing included in every Sumhour plan?
Yes. ZUGFeRD, XRechnung and Peppol files come with every plan, Solo included, and there is no charge per file.
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