Solution
Sending e-invoices from your ERP
We generate e-invoices from the ERP you already have: XRechnung or ZUGFeRD for customers in Germany and the EU, QR-bill and eBill at home, each invoice in the format the customer asks for. Often an update or add-on module from your ERP vendor is all it takes, and we will tell you so. A custom interface pays off when invoices are also created outside the ERP or customers have special requirements.
Who it is for: For SMEs in Switzerland and Liechtenstein with customers in Germany or the EU that invoice with Abacus, bexio, Sage, Odoo, Business Central or an industry solution.
Starting point
How the process runs today
As an SME in Switzerland or Liechtenstein without an establishment in Germany, you have no legal obligation. Your German customers, however, are moving their accounts payable to e-invoices by 2028 and are likely to ask for XRechnung or ZUGFeRD more and more, including in their contracts. German federal authorities already require e-invoices today, and the Swiss Federal Administration does so above a contract value of CHF 5,000. Today the invoice goes out as a PDF, or someone keys it in a second time in the customer's portal. At home, QR-bill and eBill run alongside. Every customer wants something different.
What it costs
- Invoices are keyed in a second time, by hand, in the customer's supplier portal.
- Every customer wants a different format: XRechnung, ZUGFeRD, eBill or PDF with QR-bill.
- A rejected invoice only comes to light at the reminder stage, and the money arrives later.
- Invoices are created in several systems, for example the ERP, the shop and an industry solution.
Process
What the process looks like afterwards
01
Invoice as usual
You keep invoicing in the ERP, the shop or your industry solution. Nobody enters an invoice twice.
02
Format per customer
The customer record states what the customer requires: XRechnung, ZUGFeRD, eBill or PDF with QR-bill, plus mandatory details such as their order number.
03
Structured data
The invoice data becomes a data set according to the European standard EN 16931, with line items, VAT and payment details.
04
Check before sending
Every e-invoice is checked against the standard and the customer's requirements. If a detail is missing, your accounts team sees why before the invoice goes out.
05
Delivery
The invoice goes out by the agreed route: by email, via the Peppol network, into the customer's portal or as an eBill into online banking.
06
Log and archive
Every delivery is logged, and errors trigger an alert. The XML file is kept unchanged, not just a view of it.
Can your ERP already handle e-invoicing? An honest checklist
Ask your ERP vendor first. Many programs offer e-invoicing as a feature or add-on module. Microsoft documents XRechnung, ZUGFeRD and Peppol BIS 3.0 for the German version of Business Central, and Abacus sends ZUGFeRD invoices through its E-Business module.
If an update or a module is enough, that is a configuration job for your ERP partner, not a project for us. If you can answer yes to all five questions, you do not need a custom interface.
- Are all invoices created in the ERP, and not also in the shop, an industry solution or Excel?
- Does your version produce XRechnung or ZUGFeRD in the EN 16931 profile? Your ERP partner knows the module, version and cost.
- Does the ERP supply every detail your customers require, such as the order number in the designated field?
- Can it deliver the invoice by the required route, by email, via Peppol or into the customer's portal?
- Do you notice when a customer rejects an e-invoice?
XRechnung, ZUGFeRD, Peppol, eBill and QR-bill at a glance
| Format | What it is | What you need it for |
|---|---|---|
| XRechnung | Pure XML according to EN 16931, developed in Germany | Customers in Germany, German federal authorities |
| ZUGFeRD | PDF with embedded XML data, permitted from version 2.0.1 | Customers in Germany: the customer sees a PDF, their system reads the data |
| Peppol | European format Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 based on EN 16931, above all a delivery route | Delivery via a service provider with an access point, also from Switzerland |
| eBill | Swiss solution, the invoice appears in the recipient's online banking | Customers in Switzerland, usually not an option for customers in Germany |
| QR-bill | Swiss payment part with payee, amount and reference, without line items | Payments in Switzerland, not an e-invoice under EN 16931 |
What does e-invoicing from your ERP cost? A worked example
Time savings alone only justify an interface at higher volumes. Often the deciding factor is the important customer who requires the format.
Assumptions: invoices that are keyed into a customer portal or reworked by hand today, 5 minutes per invoice, 85 percent then without manual work, CHF 70 per hour internally, maintenance at 15 percent of project costs per year. Use the calculator on this page to enter your own figures.
100 invoices a month add up to 100 hours a year, of which 85 hours or CHF 5,950 are saved. With a connection for CHF 8,000, CHF 4,750 a year remains after CHF 1,200 maintenance, and the project pays for itself after just over a year and a half. At CHF 15,000, CHF 3,700 remains and it takes around four years.
300 invoices from several source systems save CHF 17,850 a year. After CHF 3,750 maintenance, CHF 14,100 remains, and a CHF 25,000 project pays for itself in just under two years.
Project costs and annual savings compared
+Show values as a table
| Value | Project costs | Savings per year after maintenance |
|---|---|---|
| 100 invoices, CHF 8,000 connection | CHF 8'000 | CHF 4'750 |
| 100 invoices, CHF 15,000 connection | CHF 15'000 | CHF 3'700 |
| 300 invoices, several systems | CHF 25'000 | CHF 14'100 |
Price ranges by option
| Option | Price range | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Add-on module or update from the ERP vendor | depends on vendor and licence | Configuration by your ERP partner, not a project |
| Custom interface for one system | CHF 3,000 to 15,000 | per connection, depending on the system |
| With additional logic, such as several source systems | CHF 8,000 to 25,000 | one automation |
| Preliminary study with cost ceiling | CHF 4,000 to 9,000 | fixed price, 2 to 3 weeks |
| Maintenance and operation per year | 15 to 20 % | of project costs |
How to introduce e-invoicing from your ERP
Week 1
Initial meeting and ERP check
Which customers require which format, and can your ERP already do it? If a module is enough, we will tell you.
Weeks 1 to 3
Record customer requirements
Format, mandatory details and delivery route per customer. With several source systems, in a fixed-price preliminary study.
from week 2
Implementation
Data set according to EN 16931, check before sending, delivery routes and log.
before go-live
Test invoice with the customer
An important customer checks a test invoice before you switch over.
Weeks 2 to 8
Switch over customer by customer
First the customers who require the format. Everyone else keeps receiving their invoice as before.
afterwards
Operation and maintenance
The ERP and customer requirements change, and the interface keeps pace.
Integrations
Which systems are connected
The invoice is still created in your ERP. We read the invoice data through the existing interface, generate the format the customer requires and log the delivery. We also connect Business Central and SAP Business One. For Peppol we work with a service provider that runs an access point.
- ERP and accounting
- Abacus
- bexio
- Sage
- Odoo
- Banking and payments
- QR-bill
- eBill
Make or buy
Off-the-shelf or custom?
Off-the-shelf software is enough if
- All your invoices are created in the ERP.
- Your ERP vendor supplies the required format, such as XRechnung or ZUGFeRD in the EN 16931 profile.
- Only a few customers have special requirements for details or delivery route.
Finished products for this case: Features and add-on modules from ERP vendors, such as e-invoicing in Business Central or the Abacus E-Business module, as well as Peppol service providers with an access point.
Custom is worth it if
- Invoices are also created in the shop, an industry solution or a FileMaker application.
- Your ERP cannot produce a structured format, and switching is not an option.
- Customers require their own details, such as order numbers per line, or delivery via their portal.
- You want to monitor sending and delivery instead of noticing rejections only at the reminder stage.
Effort
Price range and duration
- Price range
- CHF 3'000 to 25'000
- Duration
- 2 to 8 weeks
Non-binding estimate, excl. VAT.
What drives the effort
If an add-on module from your ERP vendor is enough, that is a configuration job for your ERP partner, not a project. A custom connection costs CHF 3,000 to 15,000 depending on the system, and CHF 8,000 to 25,000 with additional logic such as several source systems.
The price becomes binding after the fixed-price discovery phase.
Your case in numbers
- Hours per year tied up
- 100
- Cost per year today
- CHF 7'000
- Possible saving per year
- CHF 6'000
85 hours freed up for other work
Rough calculation based on your figures. Not a quote.
Sending e-invoices from your ERP
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to send e-invoices to German customers as a Swiss company?
Legally, no, as long as you have no registered office in Germany and no German permanent establishment involved in the sale. The German mandate only applies when both the supplier and the customer are established in Germany. Your customer can still require e-invoices in the contract, and that is likely to become more common. A German subsidiary, on the other hand, is fully subject to the mandate.
Is a PDF sent by email an e-invoice?
No. Under German law, an e-invoice is a structured data set based on the European standard EN 16931, such as XRechnung or ZUGFeRD. A regular PDF counts as an "other invoice", even when it arrives by email. A ZUGFeRD file looks like a normal PDF but also contains all invoice data as embedded XML.
Do we need a new ERP system for e-invoicing?
Not necessarily. Many ERP and accounting systems offer e-invoicing as a feature or add-on module, and your ERP partner will know what your version supports. If the feature is missing or invoices are created outside the ERP, an interface can generate the data from your existing system. Connecting one system costs CHF 3,000 to 15,000, depending on the system.
Let us talk about your case.
20 minutes are enough to find out whether a custom solution is worth it for you.