Often still on paper

Invoices become more digital

For example, almost three quarters (71 percent) of companies say that digital invoice data is highly relevant to them, but only 44 percent say the same for electronic document data. This is the result of a survey of 1102 companies with 20 or more employees commissioned by the digital association Bitkom. The joint paper "Electronic receipt and invoice data in 2022" by Bitkom and the Forum elektronischer Rechnung Deutschland (FeRD), which has now been published, also points out that, from the buyer's point of view, media-interruption-free and integrated provision of quotation information simplifies and accelerates the ordering or procurement process and thus increases sales with the vendor.

The fast and efficient delivery, processing and associated faster payment of an invoice also ultimately provides liquidity and cost benefits. With a view to neighboring European countries, where clearance systems for sales tax are currently becoming a driver in the digitization of the financial supply chain, Bitkom is therefore calling on the German government to make rapid progress with the electronic sales tax reporting system announced in the coalition agreement.

However, digital invoices are being used much more frequently. 72 percent of companies in Germany create at least half of their invoices in digital form. In 2020, this figure was only 65 percent, and only 41 percent six years ago. In addition to digital invoices in unstructured PDF format, which is difficult to integrate into digital processes, companies are also increasingly using structured formats. 45 percent of companies use e-invoices in accordance with standards such as EDI, ZUGFeRD or XRechnung. Two years ago, the share was only 30 percent; in 2018, it was only 19 percent.