{"id":159155,"date":"2025-03-27T14:00:50","date_gmt":"2025-03-27T13:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ommatic.de\/?p=159155"},"modified":"2025-03-31T08:42:49","modified_gmt":"2025-03-31T06:42:49","slug":"e-g-billing-obligations-of-law-firms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ommatic.de\/en\/blog\/e-rechnungspflicht-anwaltskanzleien\/","title":{"rendered":"E-invoicing obligation by 2025: What law firms need to prepare for now"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>For the <strong>January 1, 2025<\/strong> A new legal regulation is coming into force that will change the daily work of many law firms \u2013 consciously or unconsciously: the introduction and implementation of the <strong>electronic invoicing in the B2B sector<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The upcoming changes will affect not only large law firms with their own IT department, but also small and medium-sized law firms \u2013 <strong>regardless of the right to deduct input tax<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is an electronic invoice \u2013 and what will no longer be accepted in the future?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-medium is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"188\" src=\"https:\/\/ommatic.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/E-Rechnungspflicht-2025-Anwaelte-300x188.jpg\" alt=\"E-invoicing obligation 2025 for lawyers\" class=\"wp-image-159225\" style=\"width:auto;height:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ommatic.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/E-Rechnungspflicht-2025-Anwaelte-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ommatic.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/E-Rechnungspflicht-2025-Anwaelte-1024x640.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ommatic.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/E-Rechnungspflicht-2025-Anwaelte-768x480.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ommatic.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/E-Rechnungspflicht-2025-Anwaelte.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>E-invoicing is becoming mandatory:<\/strong><br>What law firms should know about the new legal situation \u2013 explained in an easy-to-understand way.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the new legal requirement, an electronic invoice is <strong>not<\/strong> to send a PDF via email, and also <strong>not<\/strong> Regarding scanned documents. The crucial point is that the invoice... <strong>possesses an electronic structure<\/strong>, the <strong>automatically processed<\/strong> can be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"no-mb-p\">That means:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>machine-readable format<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>digital transmission<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>standardized data structure<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"no-mb-p\">The following formats will apply from 2027 onwards. <strong>no longer<\/strong> as legally valid invoices: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Simple PDFs without structured data<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>scanned paper invoices<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Word documents or image files<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who is affected by the new regulation?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The obligation applies to <strong>all companies based in Germany<\/strong>, providing services to other companies \u2013 <strong>including law firms, notaries&#039; offices and professional partnerships<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Law firms that occasionally conclude contracts with companies or obtain services from commercial providers must also prepare for the new requirements \u2013 both for the <strong>Create<\/strong> as well as the <strong>Process<\/strong> of invoices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Schedule overview<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-stretch has-background is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"background-color:#f2f2f2;padding-top:20px;padding-right:20px;padding-bottom:20px;padding-left:20px;flex-basis:33.34%\">\n<p>? <strong>From January 1, 2025<\/strong><br>All businesses, including law firms, must be able to issue electronic invoices. <strong>to receive and process<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-stretch has-background is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"background-color:#f2f2f2;padding-top:20px;padding-right:20px;padding-bottom:20px;padding-left:20px;flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<p>? <strong>Until the end of 2026 \u2013 transition period<\/strong><br>Invoices may still be sent in paper form or as a PDF \u2013 however <strong>only with the express consent of the recipient<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-stretch has-background is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"background-color:#f2f2f2;padding-top:20px;padding-right:20px;padding-bottom:20px;padding-left:20px;flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<p>? <strong>From January 1, 2027<\/strong><br>Invoices to businesses must be sent on a mandatory basis. <strong>electronically created and transmitted<\/strong> become.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:2em\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Special case:<\/strong> Companies with an annual turnover of over <strong>\u20ac800,000<\/strong> They are likely to be subject to <strong>from 2026<\/strong> the obligation to issue electronic invoices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What does this mean for everyday law firm life?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Many law firms already work digitally \u2013 be it via beA, DATEV export, or cloud-based law firm software. The introduction of e-invoicing, however, brings new challenges:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Invoicing:<\/strong> In the future, invoices must be transmitted electronically in a structured manner.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Accounting:<\/strong> Incoming invoices \u2013 e.g. from external service providers \u2013 must be processed digitally and archived in an audit-proof manner.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Communication:<\/strong> Collaboration with accounting and tax advisors will become even more crucial.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The change therefore affects not only the accounting, but also the <strong>Office management, assistance and administrative processes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What steps should law firms take now?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-grid wp-container-core-group-is-layout-e2bd5cb0 wp-block-group-is-layout-grid\">\n<p class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#f2f2f2\"><strong>Review processes<\/strong>: <br>How are invoices currently created, sent, received, and processed?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#f2f2f2\"><strong>Prepare technical equipment<\/strong>: <br>Is the law firm software suitable for structured invoices? Are there interfaces to tax advisors?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#f2f2f2\"><strong>Set up billing address<\/strong>: <br>A central email address for receiving invoices simplifies organization \u2013 e.g. <em><a>rechnungen@kanzleiname.de<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#f2f2f2\"><strong>Inform employees<\/strong>: <br>Anyone who works with invoices in a law firm should be familiar with the new requirements \u2013 including archiving obligations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:2em\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Easy implementation \u2013 with a solution that fits law firms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The good news: Implementation doesn&#039;t require complex IT systems or expensive software solutions. There are now providers who have specifically tailored their services to the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises \u2013 and also law firms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One example is <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uriot.eu\/loesungen\/digitales-rechnungsmanagement-idx\/\"><strong>Uriot<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 a platform that digitizes the entire invoicing process while remaining easy to use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2714\ufe0f Send and receive structured invoices in a legally compliant manner<br>\u2714\ufe0f Automatic archiving and forwarding to tax advisors<br>\u2714\ufe0f No technical knowledge required<br>\u2714\ufe0f Data protection compliant and easily integrated into everyday law firm operations<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For many law firms looking for a <strong>pragmatic solution<\/strong> If you&#039;re looking for something, this could be a sensible next step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-e5c0cd5e wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"background-color:#f2f2f2;padding-top:30px;padding-right:30px;padding-bottom:30px;padding-left:30px\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading no-mt\">Conclusion: Get informed now, benefit later<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Electronic invoicing is coming \u2013 whether you&#039;re ready or not. Those who address the legal requirements and organizational changes now can avoid unnecessary stress and modernize internal processes at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is worthwhile to gain clarity early on, to analyze your own law firm \u2013 and, if necessary, to take initial steps towards implementation.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Zum 1. Januar 2025 tritt eine neue gesetzliche Regelung in Kraft, die den Berufsalltag vieler Kanzleien \u2013 bewusst oder unbewusst \u2013 ver\u00e4ndern wird: die Einf\u00fchrung und Umsetzung der elektronischen Rechnung im B2B-Bereich. Die bevorstehenden \u00c4nderungen betreffen nicht nur gro\u00dfe Kanzleien mit eigener IT-Abteilung, sondern auch kleine und mittelst\u00e4ndische Kanzleien \u2013 unabh\u00e4ngig vom Vorsteuerabzugsrecht. Was ist [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":159225,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-159155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-allgemein"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ommatic.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ommatic.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ommatic.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ommatic.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ommatic.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=159155"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/ommatic.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159155\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":159230,"href":"https:\/\/ommatic.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159155\/revisions\/159230"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ommatic.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/159225"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ommatic.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=159155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ommatic.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=159155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ommatic.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=159155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}