Write and issue an invoice

Write an e-invoice in the editor, save it as a draft, check it before issuing and issue it with a fixed number.

The editor

1. Open Invoices and choose New invoice.
2. Under Use a saved customer, choose a saved customer or enter the customer directly.
3. Add lines, by hand or with Add a saved item.
4. Check the invoice date, the service period and the Payment terms.
5. Choose the Format. Which one fits is explained under Send and download.

On the right you see the Summary with the net total, VAT and gross total, and the number the invoice gets when it is issued.

Drafts

Save draft saves your work. Drafts are listed under Invoices above the list; you can edit or delete them at any time. A draft has no number yet; a deleted draft leaves no gap in the number series.

Preview (PDF) saves the draft and downloads it as a PDF. Every page says "ENTWURF" (draft), and there is no number yet. The preview is not a valid invoice.

Check before issuing

The list Before issuing shows what is still missing: a customer, a complete address, an e-mail address when sending by e-mail, at least one line with a price, and a due date or payment terms.

When you choose Issue, Fakturnaut checks the invoice against the official rules for XRechnung and EN 16931. Only once the check has passed does the invoice get its fixed number.

When the check reports an error

If the check finds an error, nothing is issued and no number is used. Each error is then listed with its rule right above the buttons.

An example: the message "The buyer post code (BT-53) is missing." with the rule BR-DE-9. To fix it:

1. Enter the customer's post code, in the editor or for a saved customer under Customers.
2. Choose Issue again.

The code in brackets, for example BT-53, is the number of the field in the standard EN 16931.

Issue

Once issued, the invoice is fixed: it gets the next number and can no longer be changed. With App Plus and App Europe it is kept in your account. With App Free the browser downloads the file at once; keep it yourself.

To correct a wrong invoice, issue a cancellation invoice or a corrective invoice, see Cancel or correct an invoice.