Kofax’s recent update indicated that Germany’s B2B e-invoicing mandate had been set for January 2026. While January 2026 is still (currently) the confirmed date for which Germany’s e-invoicing obligations come into effect in their entirety, closer inspection of the Germany’s draft Growth Opportunities Act reveals that e-invoicing obligations, at least partially, come into effect earlier, from January 2025. This more clearly came to light because of further documentation that the German Federal Ministry of Finance’s (MoF) intends to present to Parliament, to clarify some outstanding questions concerning the mandate.

Amongst the most critical clarifications is the requirement for all domestic businesses to receive e-invoices from 1 January 2025.

This means that while the 1 January 2026 date has been touted widely as the inception date for Germany’s mandate, based on current timelines, preparations for invoice receipt need to commence much earlier, to accommodate a 1 January 2025 initiation date.

In other points, the letter also comments on:

• The admissibility of certain invoice formats, such as XRechnung and ZUGFeRD;
• Phased implementation is advocated, with further detail on this still expected;
• The retention of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), which has a significant following in Germany.

Germany’s obligations for companies to receive invoices from 1 January 2025 raises as many questions as it answers, as there is no corresponding obligation to issue invoices at this stage. Kofax is analysing the implications of this and how this obligation could be translated to a practical, working solution. 

Germany is a critical compliant market for Kofax. We have analysed the Growth Opportunities Act and are awaiting further direction from the German government concerning the B2B e-invoicing mandate.

Kofax firmly intends to support our German market with their e-invoicing obligations, being mindful that we are yet to see final technical specifications for the market. Once available, we will assess these and confirm our capability to support the mandate.