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Invoicing, reminders and tax: concrete answers for freelancers

Short, concrete answers to the questions freelancers in Germany and Austria actually ask when invoicing — with the statutes, the current figures, and text you can copy.

10 postsGermany & AustriaLast updated:

Invoicing

Electronic cash receipts in Austria from 1 October 2026: what actually changes

From 1 October 2026 a receipt counts as issued when the customer can read it on a screen on the spot (§ 132a BAO). That is a relaxation, not a new obligation — and if you only invoice by bank transfer it does not apply to you at all.

Austria6 min read
Tax

§ 13b reverse-charge invoice: the required sentence and a subcontractor template

A § 13b invoice shows no VAT and must carry the German sentence „Steuerschuldnerschaft des Leistungsempfängers“ verbatim (§ 14a Abs. 5 UStG). More important than the sentence is the question nearly every template skips: whether your client qualifies at all. Includes a copy-ready invoice template.

Germany7 min read
Payment reminders

AI in dunning: what it takes over — and what stays a rule

AI can watch due dates, draft reminder text and send the stages on schedule. Whether your customer is in default it cannot judge better than a spreadsheet — that is § 286 BGB. Where automation helps, where it gets expensive, and what interest you may charge.

Germany6 min read
Comparison

sevDesk vs Papierkram: hours or books?

Billed monthly both cost exactly €12.90, so price settles nothing. Papierkram has time tracking and projects in every plan, even the free one; sevDesk is bookkeeping-oriented and covers Austria. The facts side by side, as at September 2026.

Germany6 min read
Comparison

sevDesk vs Lexware Office (formerly lexoffice): the country question

Both start at €12.90 a month and both are bookkeeping suites, so price settles nothing. The hard dividing line is country: Lexware Office is built for Germany, sevDesk also covers Austria. Plus why lexoffice is now called Lexware Office.

Germany5 min read
Behind Backbone

Why I am building Billy

I am a designer and developer, and for years I built my invoices in Adobe Express because none of the tools produced one I actually wanted to send. Then I mixed up invoice numbers. The story behind Billy, now part of Backbone — and why my own mistakes are the feature list.

4 min read
Payment remindersNew

Calculating default interest: formula, current rate and a reminder template

Default interest is 9 percentage points above the base rate between businesses, 5 when a consumer is involved. With the base rate valid since 1 July 2026 that is 10.52 % and 6.52 %. Formula, a worked example and a reminder text to copy.

GermanyAustria7 min read
Tax

§ 19 UStG: the correct small-business note on your invoice (2026)

The sentence most people copy — "Gemäß § 19 UStG wird keine Umsatzsteuer berechnet" — no longer matches the law precisely: since the 2025 reform, small-business turnover is tax-exempt. Here is the wording § 34a UStDV asks for, plus the Austrian version.

GermanyAustria6 min read
Payment reminders

Payment reminders in English: templates for first, second and final notice

German dunning has three escalating stages and English has no single word for it. Three templates to copy — payment reminder, second reminder, final notice — with the German equivalents and what changes when the client is abroad.

GermanyAustria6 min read
Invoicing

Mandatory invoice details in Austria (§ 11 UStG) — the checklist

What must an Austrian invoice contain? The complete § 11 UStG list, when the customer VAT ID becomes mandatory, the 400 € small-amount threshold — and where Austria differs from Germany.

Austria6 min read

Looking for the full reference rather than a single question? The guides cover mandatory invoice fields, the small-business scheme, reverse charge and payment reminders from the ground up.

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