Germany VAT Guide

VAT Filing Frequency and Deadlines

Like all EU member states, the German VAT reporting calendar is on an annual basis. Therefore an annual VAT return must always be filed for each calendar year. The company has to report its VAT position by filing preliminary VAT returns on a monthly basis where VAT due in previous calendar year exceeds the amount of €7,500.

Preliminary VAT return has to be filed quarterly if VAT due in previous calendar year is lower than €7,500. If the net VAT due in the previous calendar year did not exceed €1,000, no preliminary VAT returns have to be filed but only the annual VAT return. The exception is newly registered companies, which must submit each month for two years.

Invoicing Requirements

An invoice must contain the following information:

• The full name and address of the supplier and the recipient of the service,
• The tax number issued to the supplier by the tax office or the VAT identification number issued to him by the Federal Central Tax Office,
• The date of issue
• A consecutive number with one or more series of numbers, which is assigned once by the issuer of the invoice to identify the invoice (invoice number),
• The quantity and type (customary commercial description) of the goods supplied or the scope and type of other service,
• The date of the supply or other service; in the cases of paragraph 5, first sentence, the date of receipt of the consideration or part of the consideration, provided that the date of receipt is issue of the invoice,
• The consideration for the supply or other service (section 10), broken down according to tax rates and individual tax exemptions, as well as any reduction of the consideration agreed in a consideration,
• The applicable tax rate as well as the amount of tax due on the consideration or, in the case of a tax exemption, an indication that a tax exemption applies to the supply or other service,
• In the cases of section 14b (1) sentence 5, a reference to the duty of the recipient of the supply to keep records; and
• In cases where the invoice is issued by the recipient of the supply or by a third party appointed by him in accordance with paragraph 2, sentence 2, the indication “credit note”.

Please refer to §14 and §14a UStG for special requirements. In case of reverse charge, intra-community transactions etc, the invoice should contain a respective notice.

Further Requirements
The following additional requirements are also to be taken into consideration along with the above mentioned invoicing requirements:

• Invoicing deadline
• Reference on the invoice

It is allowed to issue an invoice in foreign currency under the German VAT law.

IOSS (Import One Stop Shop)

The Import One Stop Shop was introduced on 1 July 2021. The main goal of IOSS is that a taxable person can register in only one EU Member State to declare and pay all EU VAT due on the goods imported within the scope of IOSS.

It can be used for goods that are located outside the EU at the time of being sold, they are dispatched in consignments of an intristic value not exceeding EUR 150, and they are not subject to excise duties. If the supplier is registered for IOSS, all import VAT due under IOSS through the EU can be remitted an reported in one return.

Businesses established in Germany can register for IOSS in their BOP account.