E-invoicing for Shopify · DACH
Real e-invoices for Shopify. Not just a PDF.
A plain PDF is not a legal e-invoice. Rechna turns your paid orders into ZUGFeRD and XRechnung documents — validated against the official validators — with gapless numbering and an unchangeable GoBD archive. Set it up once; every invoice after that is automatic.
EU-hosted · EN 16931 · KoSIT + veraPDF validated · 8-year GoBD archive
- KoSIT validator
- veraPDF
- EN 16931
- GoBD
- Swiss QR-bill
The deadline is law. Here's the timeline.
Receiving e-invoices became mandatory for every German business.
Transition year: PDFs still allowed with buyer consent. This year's turnover decides your 2027 obligation.
Issuing becomes mandatory above €800k prior-year turnover.
Issuing becomes mandatory for all B2B. (§19 small businesses stay exempt from issuing.)
Merchants who set this up in 2026 never think about it again.
ZUGFeRD or XRechnung? Both. Automatically.
ZUGFeRD 2.x
A normal-looking PDF with machine-readable XML embedded inside (PDF/A-3). Your customer sees a familiar invoice; their software reads the data. The right default for e-commerce.
XRechnung 3.0
Pure structured XML, required by public-sector buyers and requested by large companies. Rechna generates it automatically for every EU B2B invoice on any paid plan; the XML sits next to the PDF for download. We track KoSIT validator releases.
Rechna picks the right format per invoice based on the buyer — you don't choose per order.
Two promises most invoice tools won't make.
Refuse before wrong.
If order data is incomplete, Rechna refuses to issue and tells you exactly what's missing — it never emits a best-guess tax document.
Billing never blocks a legal document.
Over your plan's quota? Invoices are still issued and archived. Only extras like downloads wait for an upgrade.
From paid order to legal invoice in seconds.
Order paid
A paid (or fulfilled) order triggers Rechna automatically.
Assemble & check
Rechna reads the order, mirrors the VAT Shopify charged, and refuses rather than issue anything non-compliant.
Generate
Classic PDF, ZUGFeRD, or XRechnung — per invoice, based on the buyer and your plan.
Deliver & archive
Optionally emailed to the customer, always stored unchangeably for the legal period.
Issue + archive, done right. Nothing you don't need.
ZUGFeRD & XRechnung
EN 16931 formats that actually ship: ZUGFeRD 2.x (PDF/A-3 with embedded XML; the customer still sees a normal PDF) and XRechnung 3.0 XML, generated automatically for EU business buyers.
Validated, not hopeful
Our fixture matrix — multi-rate baskets, discounts, reverse charge, §19, Storno, Gutschrift, multi-page invoices — passes the official KoSIT validator (XRechnung) and veraPDF (PDF/A-3) before every release. Merchants get the engine that passed.
GoBD-correct numbering
Gapless per-shop invoice numbers, never reused. Corrections only via Storno or Gutschrift — issued invoices are never edited.
Immutable 8-year archive
Every invoice stored write-once (Object Lock), retained 8 years per §147 AO / §14b UStG. No delete path, ever. Period exports as ZIP + CSV.
Swiss QR-bill
CHF orders get a scannable Swiss QR-bill payment part on the invoice — QR-IBAN and reference supported.
B2B & §19 aware
Detects B2B orders and reverse charge, renders the correct notes, and never pressures §19 small businesses who are exempt from issuing.
Validated before every release.
Every fixture in the release matrix passes the official KoSIT validator (XRechnung), veraPDF (PDF/A-3) and an independent differential check before a release ships. Merchants get the engine that passed. EU-hosted, GDPR-native.
See a real one
Four screens from a real installation, and the actual output — not a mockup. Download the same multirate ZUGFeRD invoice, its XRechnung XML, and the validator reports our release gate produces, and check them yourself.
The sample pack
Open the XML in the KoSIT validator yourself.
Where your invoices live
Everything runs in AWS Frankfurt (eu-central-1) — hosting, database, backups, and the write-once invoice archive (S3 Object Lock). There is no delete code path: once written, an invoice stays for the statutory retention period, even for us. Rechna only reads your orders, customers and products through Shopify's APIs — it never writes back to your store. The only other sub-processor is Resend, and it's off by default: the only data that can ever leave the EU is an invoice email, and only if you switch delivery on. Built by Gigliotti Software, Breganzona.
What Rechna deliberately does not do
Every competitor in this category lists DATEV. Rechna doesn't — narrow and reliable beats broad and shaky.
- No bookkeeping or DATEV export
- No payment reconciliation or dunning
- No Peppol transmission or B2G portal upload
- No quotes or packing slips
- One invoice language per shop, not per order
- Sidekick tools are read-only — they look up invoices, never issue or void one
Pricing
Simple per-invoice tiers. Every plan issues legally correct documents — higher tiers add formats and volume.
Every plan includes
- Automatic issuance (paid / fulfilled / manual)
- Gapless GoBD numbering
- Immutable 8-year archive
- Taxes exactly as Shopify charged (multi-rate, discounts, reverse charge, non-EU export)
- §19 support with the mandatory note
- Invoice languages DE / EN / FR / IT
- Automatic B2B detection with VAT-ID on the invoice
- Logo & accent color
- Refuse-before-wrong
- Issuance never blocked by billing
Free
Free forever
- 50 invoices / month
- Classic PDF
- Storno & Gutschrift corrections
- Branded email delivery
- Archive export (current + previous month)
- No card required
Standard
$182 / yr · −20%
- 250 invoices / month
- ZUGFeRD 2.x e-invoices
- XRechnung 3.0
- Any-period exports (ZIP + CSV)
- 14-day trial
14-day trial on paid plans · annual −20% · billed through Shopify in USD. Billing never blocks a legal document: over-quota invoices are still issued and archived. Email support on every plan: hello@gigliotti.software.
Questions
Is a PDF invoice enough for the German mandate?
No. From 2025 a plain PDF is not a legal e-invoice — only EN 16931 formats (XRechnung or ZUGFeRD) qualify. Rechna produces those.
When does issuing become mandatory?
Receiving has been mandatory since 1 Jan 2025. Issuing is mandatory from 1 Jan 2027 for businesses above €800k prior-year turnover, and for all B2B from 1 Jan 2028.
What about my archive and GoBD?
Every invoice is stored unchangeably (Object Lock) for 8 years, with a Verfahrensdokumentation starter template you can hand your tax advisor.
Do you do bookkeeping or DATEV export?
No — Rechna issues and archives, deliberately. It stays narrow and reliable rather than becoming an accounting tool.
What if order data is incomplete?
Rechna refuses to issue and shows exactly what's missing (for example a seller VAT ID) with a link to fix it. No best-guess documents, ever.
Does this apply in Austria and Switzerland?
The 2027/2028 issuing mandate is German law. Austria currently mandates e-invoices mainly toward public-sector buyers; Switzerland has no general B2B e-invoice mandate — but Swiss merchants get the QR-bill, and structured invoices are increasingly expected everywhere.
I'm a §19 small business — do I need this?
You're exempt from issuing e-invoices (you must only be able to receive them). Rechna still gives you correct invoices, gapless numbering and a proper archive — without mandate pressure.
Can I change my invoice number format later?
Yes — future invoices only; issued numbers never change. Discuss mid-year format changes with your tax advisor; Rechna will warn you in settings. Want the year in the number? Set the prefix to RE-2026- in Settings; the counter itself never resets, so the sequence stays gapless across years.
Does Rechna work with Shopify Sidekick?
Yes. Rechna ships a Sidekick app extension: ask Sidekick to find an invoice by order, number or customer, check which e-invoice formats exist, list generations Rechna refused, or confirm the numbering is gapless — all answered from Rechna's records. Issuing, Storno and Gutschrift stay in the app.
What exactly is locked when I exceed my monthly quota?
Only the extras — downloads, ZUGFeRD/XRechnung XML, delivery. The invoice itself is still issued, numbered and archived, on every plan. Upgrade any time and every past locked invoice unlocks immediately.
What currency am I billed in?
Shopify bills every Rechna plan in USD, regardless of your shop's currency or the currency on your invoices. Your invoices themselves are issued in whatever currency the order was paid in.
What happens to my invoices if I uninstall?
Nothing is deleted — GoBD requires us to keep every invoice for the statutory retention period whether or not you're still installed. Before you go, Archive → "Take your archive with you" downloads your complete history — every PDF and XML plus a CSV index — in one ZIP, on every plan including Free. Month-by-month export is there too: any period on a paid plan, the current and previous month on Free.
Can I cancel any time?
Yes. Cancel from your Shopify billing settings whenever you like — no lock-in, no minimum term, no cancellation fee.
Do Storno and Gutschrift count against my monthly quota?
No. Only invoices count. Corrections are never metered and never download-locked: a Storno after a refund is a legal document and must always be issuable, on every plan.
I'm switching from another invoice app — what happens to my numbering?
Set your starting number in Settings and Rechna continues your existing series — if your last invoice was 417, start at 418. From there it is one gapless sequence with the prefix you choose. It doesn't import your old documents, so leave them in your previous tool's archive. The starting number can only be set before Rechna issues its first invoice, so a number already on a document is never changed.
Set it up in ten minutes. Never think about e-invoices again.
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