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SmartFormular E-Rechnung lite

E-invoice viewer and validator: read XRechnung and ZUGFeRD, check them against the official rules, pay by GiroCode – in your browser, no upload

Version 4dca5c2 of 2 November 2026

An e-invoice has arrived and nobody can open it? Or you want to check your own e-invoice for errors before it goes out? Drag the XRechnung or ZUGFeRD invoice into the box: SmartFormular E-Rechnung lite tells you whether it is an e-invoice, shows it in readable form, checks it against the official rules and explains every finding in plain words. If there is something to pay, the GiroCode for your banking app is ready. Everything happens in this browser window; your invoices never leave your computer.

Download (1.4 MB)
File
E-Invoice-Viewer.html
Version
4dca5c2 of 2 November 2026
SHA-256
51377c7c27ba9e73aa89c922cdd8547b6ec532177d50be74b54f7961a1af6fe5

The same tool as a single file: it works without the internet, also as a local file – on computers without network access, for example.

The terms of use below apply to the download. On Windows, you can compare the checksum in PowerShell with Get-FileHash.

What it does

How it works

  1. Drag the XML file or the ZUGFeRD PDF into the box above, or choose it – or try an example.
  2. Read the answer: e-invoice or not, and in which format.
  3. Look at the findings. If you received the invoice, send the validation report to the issuer; for your own invoice, complete the details in your invoicing software.
  4. Print or save the validation report; pay by GiroCode or with the copied details.
  5. Keep the original file – the view does not replace it.

What is checked and what is not

In short: the tool checks whether all required details are there and fit together – the business rules of the standard. It does not check whether the details are correct, such as the VAT rate.

Each finding has a level: error – the invoice breaks a rule and the issuer should correct it; warning – please check, the invoice may still be in order; notice – for information only.

If the tool finds values in the wrong format, such as a date written the wrong way, it reports a format error. A file with format errors is not an e-invoice. Missing or inconsistent details (business rule breaches), by contrast, are not format errors.

The tool does not check the XML schema, the formal structure of the file in every detail; format errors that only show up there are not detected. A validation does not replace checking the invoice for completeness and accuracy (letter of the German Federal Ministry of Finance of 15 October 2025, para. 35a).

For specialists: the tool checks the EN 16931 business rules (CEN, rule set 1.3.16) and, for an XRechnung, the XRechnung 3.0.2 rules as well (KoSIT, Schematron 2.6.0), taken unchanged from the KoSIT validator configuration of 31 August 2026, with the severity levels set there. XRechnung includes some rules whose names start with PEPPOL. ZUGFeRD profiles without a KoSIT scenario of their own are checked against the EN 16931 rules. Specific rules of other implementations, such as the full Peppol BIS rules, are not checked.

Compared with the KoSIT validator

Before publication, the tool was compared with the validation the KoSIT validator uses – the same rule files, run outside the browser: 6,715 test invoices (the KoSIT test suite, examples and test cases from CEN and KoSIT and deliberately altered versions of them), 13,430 checks, 56,310 messages. Result: the same rule numbers for every test invoice. What was compared are the rules, not the whole validator: it also checks the XML schema, which the tool does not. Where the validation outside the browser fails on invalid values, the tool reports a format error too.

Privacy

Invoices are read and checked only in your browser window. The tool, and on the first check the validation rules, are loaded from robin.vision; no invoice data is transmitted or stored, and there is no tracking. A security policy on the page (Content Security Policy) allows connections to robin.vision only. From 1 January 2027 the downloadable file connects to robin.vision only to sign in and check the licence (email address and licence status, never invoices).

Legal classification

The tool classifies the format technically and names the source: section 14 of the German VAT Act (UStG), section 14.1 of the German VAT Application Decree (UStAE) as amended by the letter of the Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF) of 15 October 2025, and the BMF letter of 15 October 2026 on business rule errors. Legal information as of 23 October 2026. It is a technical classification, not tax or legal advice; whether an invoice meets the legal requirements in a particular case is a question for your tax adviser.

What's new

Version 4dca5c2, 2 November 2026

Licence checking set up: the file now contains the verification key for signing in from 1 January 2027. Nothing changes until then.

Version 53d733a, 2 November 2026

Prepared for 2027: From 1 January 2027 you sign in with a code sent by email – no password. The first four weeks are a free trial, after that there is a licence for one year. Without a connection the tool keeps working for up to 30 days. Nothing changes until 31 December 2026.

Version f44b34b, 1 November 2026

Free to try until 31 December 2026: from 1 January 2027 the page and the file show a note on how to get a licence for continued use instead of the drop zone. Nothing changes until then.

Version 9eeee63, 30 October 2026

First version. Read and print e-invoices as XRechnung (UBL or CII) and ZUGFeRD/Factur-X; the answer whether it is an e-invoice, with the legal source; validation against the CEN and KoSIT rules, every finding explained in plain words; pay by GiroCode. Runs right on this page and as an offline file.

Questions and answers

How do I open an XRechnung?

Drag the XML file into the box above. SmartFormular E-Rechnung lite shows the invoice in readable form straight away – issuer, recipient, lines, VAT, totals and payment details – and you can print it. You need no separate software; the file is not uploaded.

How can I tell whether an invoice is an e-invoice?

Under German VAT law an e-invoice is an invoice in a structured electronic format that allows electronic processing (section 14(1) sentence 3 UStG). Formats that follow the European standard EN 16931, such as XRechnung, are permitted. A PDF without embedded invoice data, or a photo, is not an e-invoice; German VAT law calls it an "other invoice" (section 14.1(2) German VAT Application Decree, UStAE). The tool tells you this for every file and names the source. As of 23 October 2026.

When does the e-invoicing obligation apply?

Since 1 January 2025, e-invoices have been mandatory between businesses in Germany (section 14(2) sentence 2 no. 1 UStG), and all of them must be able to receive them. Transitional rules apply to issuing (section 27(38) UStG): until the end of 2026 an "other invoice" may still be sent – on paper or, if the recipient agrees, as a PDF, for example. Until the end of 2027 this applies to businesses with a prior-year turnover of up to €800,000 and to EDI invoices. From 2028 the e-invoice is the rule between domestic businesses. Small-amount invoices up to €250, tickets and invoices from small businesses can always be other invoices (sections 33, 34 and 34a UStDV). As of 23 October 2026; not tax advice.

Is a ZUGFeRD invoice an e-invoice?

Yes, from ZUGFeRD 2.0.1 – except for the MINIMUM and BASIC WL profiles, which do not contain all invoice details (section 14.1(14) UStAE, as amended by the Federal Ministry of Finance letter of 15 October 2025). The tool reads the data embedded in the PDF, shows profile and version and checks it. The embedded data counts, not the visible PDF.

What is the difference between XRechnung and ZUGFeRD?

An XRechnung is a pure data file (XML) following the European standard EN 16931 with German additional rules; to read it you need software such as this tool. A ZUGFeRD invoice is a PDF that also contains the invoice data as an XML file: people see a familiar invoice image, software reads the data. Both are permitted e-invoices – ZUGFeRD from version 2.0.1 and not in the MINIMUM and BASIC WL profiles. The tool reads both.

The check reports errors – does that mean it is not an e-invoice?

Not necessarily. Missing or inconsistent details (business rule breaches) are not format errors: for VAT purposes, as a rule, the file remains an e-invoice (Federal Ministry of Finance letter of 15 October 2026, paras. 22 and 23). If a mandatory detail under section 14(4) UStG is missing or wrong, however, the invoice does not meet the legal requirements. For each finding the tool shows what is wrong and what the issuer needs to change – send them the validation report. If in doubt, check with your tax adviser.

What do error messages such as BR-DE-15 or BR-CO-26 mean?

They are validation rule numbers. Rules such as BR-CO-26 come from the European standard EN 16931, rules starting with BR-DE from XRechnung, and rules with UBL or CII concern the structure of the file. BR-DE-15, for example, reports a missing buyer reference (the Leitweg-ID for public authorities), BR-CO-26 a missing seller identifier such as the VAT number. Drag the invoice into the box above: the tool explains every message in plain words and says what the issuer needs to change.

How accurate is the check?

It uses the same rules as the KoSIT validator: the EN 16931 business rules from CEN and the XRechnung rules, taken unchanged from the KoSIT configuration. With every new version the results are compared on thousands of test invoices with the validation the KoSIT validator uses; the rule numbers must match. The tool does not check the XML schema, the formal structure of the file, or whether the details are correct, such as the VAT rate.

Are my invoices uploaded?

No. The files are read and checked only in your browser window. Only the tool and the validation rules are loaded from robin.vision; no invoice data goes anywhere. The downloadable file works without any internet connection.

What is a GiroCode?

A QR code for credit transfers following the European Payments Council standard. Many banking apps read it: payee, IBAN, amount and reference are filled in, and you check and send. The tool only shows it if the IBAN is valid, the amount is in euros and above zero, and credit transfer is given as the payment means – otherwise it says why not.

What does SmartFormular E-Rechnung lite cost?

Nothing. Use it on this page and as a file, without sign-up, in your firm or company too; the terms of use on this page apply. I am glad to receive comments and questions by email; the newsletter announces new versions. This does not create any entitlement (see the terms of use).

All validation rules explained: what messages such as BR-DE-15 mean

What's next

E-Rechnung lite reads and checks e-invoices. SmartFormular FiBu goes further: it reads invoices as PDF or e-invoice, matches them to the payments on the bank statement and turns them into the checked booking batch – for bank, payables and receivables. FiBu lite for bank statements is also free to try until 31 December 2026. Beta access to FiBu in the member area on request. Request beta access.

Terms of use

As of: 23 October 2026

Provider. Robin James Lewis, Höchststr. 32, 72336 Balingen, Germany (legal notice).

Use. Until 31 December 2026 you may try the tool free of charge, on this page and as a file, for yourself and in your company or practice, and pass on the unaltered file. You may not modify it, sell it or distribute it as your own offering. Continued use after that requires a licence; the terms will be posted on this page in good time.

No advice, check the result. The tool checks technically against formats and rules. It is not tax or legal advice and does not check the invoice for accuracy of content. The legal classification names sources and their date; the law and the original invoice file prevail, not the view. Before every transfer, check payee, IBAN and amount in your banking app.

Warranty and liability. The tool is provided free of charge. I am liable only for intent and gross negligence, and for defects only if I fraudulently concealed them. Liability for injury to life, body or health and under the German Product Liability Act remains unaffected.

Further development. There is no entitlement to updates, support or permanent availability.

Trademarks and standards. XRechnung is a standard of the German Coordination Office for IT Standards (KoSIT), ZUGFeRD a standard of the Forum elektronische Rechnung Deutschland (FeRD), and Factur-X its Franco-German counterpart; GiroCode denotes the QR code for credit transfers following the European Payments Council standard. The tool is not affiliated with these bodies and is neither reviewed nor endorsed by them. Other names mentioned are trademarks of their respective owners.

Licences. The tool contains the EN 16931 validation rules (CEN/TC 434, European Union Public Licence 1.2), the XRechnung rules and field labels (KoSIT, Apache License 2.0), fontoxpath, xspattern, whynot and prsc (MIT License) and the QR Code generator library by Project Nayuki (MIT License). These components are governed by their own licences; the restrictions under "Use" do not apply to them. The licence texts and sources are in the file under "Licences and sources" and in LIZENZEN.txt.

German law applies. These terms are a translation; in case of doubt, the German terms of use of SmartFormular E-Rechnung lite apply.

Auf Deutsch

Eine deutsche Fassung des Werkzeugs gibt es unter SmartFormular E-Rechnung lite auf Deutsch – gleiche Funktionen, deutsche Oberfläche.