The ZUGFeRD standard for human- and machine-readable electronic invoices supports manual and fully automated processing and long-term archiving. PDF Tools AG offers various products that make it possible to create and verify documents that comply with the ZUGFeRD standard.
Optimal Readability
Paper invoices are a thing of the past. Many other companies now issue their invoices electronically, reducing their printing and postage costs. The recipient can print the electronic invoices if necessary and treat them as a traditional paper invoice or integrate them directly into automated processes within their business software. Like traditional invoices, electronic invoices are subject to certain retention obligations. However, by using a computer archiving solution, they can be kept in a space-saving way. If the invoices already exist in the form of files, you do not need to go through the unreliable process of scanning paper documents.
The best of both worlds
A file format that supports manual and automated processing and long-term archiving must represent the invoice as it would be on paper and contain machine-readable data. In addition, the archiving process must ensure that the data cannot be modified retroactively. FeRD (Forum for electronic invoicing in Germany), in collaboration with ministries, associations and companies, has developed such a standard: ZUGFeRD (central user guidelines of the forum for electronic invoicing in Germany). It is based on the international PDF/A standard, specially designed for long-term archiving. PDF/A guarantees that the archived document is displayed correctly in the long term.
ZUGFeRD is based on PDF/A-3, Part 3 of the standard. This extension makes it possible to integrate structured data in XML format into the PDF/A file.
A ZUGFeRD invoice therefore always consists of a PDF file with integrated XML data. The PDF can be easily read by one person, while XML ensures optimal machine readability.
The PDF specialist PDF Tools AG offers with its 3d product range the perfect development tools for ZUGFeRD-compliant software solutions. The document converter converts files of various formats into standards-compliant PDF and PDF/A documents. The PDF to PDF/a converter can be used to convert traditional PDF files into valid PDF/A documents.
Electronic invoice for all
The specification of the XML schema and file integration was published at the end of June 2014 in the form of the ZUGFeRD 1.0 standard. PDF/A has been an ISO standard since 2005 and PDF/A-3 since 2012. ZUGFeRD also takes into account the European CII and MUG standards. In principle, ZUGFeRD as a file format does not oppose anything. The lawful bases also exist, at least in Germany: according to the Tax Simplification Act, electronic invoices are now assimilated to paper invoices. ZUGFeRD is suitable not only for large companies, SMEs and the public sector, but also for small businesses. ZUGFeRD compliant invoices can be created and shared much more easily than existing e-invoicing procedures. ZUGFeRD does not dictate how to send invoices. Documents can be sent and received by e-Mail, FTP or other.
