Skip to content
Rechnungskit
Guide · E-invoicing
Analysis

Shopify invoices in Germany: what Shopify does, what is missing, what applies from 2027

By · Published · Updated

Out of the box, Shopify does not create invoices in the sense of German law. The order confirmation Shopify sends to customers is not an invoice: it lacks mandatory details under § 14(4) UStG, including a sequential invoice number that is used only once. Keeping invoices for eight years (§ 14b UStG) is also your job. If you sell through Shopify in Germany, you have to sort out invoicing yourself.

The three common routes and their limits

Route 1: do nothing. Many shops only send the Shopify order confirmation. For consumers you usually don't have to issue an invoice. It becomes a problem as soon as a business customer orders: you owe them an invoice (§ 14(2) sentence 2 no. 1 UStG, the German VAT Act), and without one they cannot deduct input VAT (§ 15(1) sentence 1 no. 1 UStG). A tax audit (Betriebsprüfung) will also ask about the invoice numbers sooner or later.

Route 2: a PDF invoice app. Apps from the Shopify App Store generate a PDF invoice per order. That handles the look, but rarely the substance: the date of supply (Leistungsdatum) is usually set to the order date, the archive is rarely GoBD compliant, and from 2027 a plain PDF no longer meets the e-invoicing mandate for B2B, first for businesses with more than 800,000 euros prior-year revenue and from 2028 for everyone (§ 27(38) UStG). Shops that think they are pure B2C are affected too, because business customers order through the normal checkout. Hidden B2B happens in almost every shop.

Route 3: export orders to an accounting tool. CSV exports or connectors into a classic invoicing program work, but they create a second set of data: payments, fees and refunds from Stripe, Mollie or PayPal bypass it and have to be reconciled separately. That reconciliation is where the hours come from that your tax advisor (Steuerkanzlei) bills you for every month.

Quick check · Invoices from Shopify
Which route still works from 2027?
Order confirmation onlyNo mandatory details under § 14 UStG and no sequential number range
Not an invoice
PDF invoice appDate of supply usually equals order date, archive rarely GoBD compliant, a plain PDF is no longer enough for B2B from 2027
Incomplete
Payment and order togetherZUGFeRD e-invoice with the correct date of supply, GoBD archive and DATEV export
Holds up
Even a pure B2C shop gets orders from companies through the normal checkout. The e-invoicing mandate applies to those invoices.

The fourth route: payment and order together, automatically

Rechnungskit starts from the payment rather than the order, and pulls in the order data from Shopify: line items, tax rates, discounts, shipping date. From that, every payment automatically produces a validated ZUGFeRD e-invoice with the correct date of supply, a sequential invoice number without gaps you would have to explain, a GoBD archive and a ready-made DATEV export. The Shopify integration page explains how the connection works in detail, and e-invoicing software gives an overview of all features. You connect your shop directly in Rechnungskit; the app is also available in the Shopify App Store. Prepayment orders, gift cards and Shopify Store Credit have their own guides: Shopify prepayment (Vorkasse), Shopify gift cards and booking Shopify Store Credit.

FAQ

No. It does not contain the mandatory details under § 14(4) UStG (German VAT Act) and does not come from an invoice number sequence. For consumers you usually do not have to issue an invoice at all. For business customers you are required to (§ 14(2) sentence 2 no. 1 UStG), and the order confirmation does not meet that requirement.
Read more
Guide E-invoicing for B2C in Germany: does the mandate apply to online shops? Guide E-invoicing in Germany: the mandate explained for founders Guide Invoicing in a foreign currency in Germany: which exchange rate applies? (ECB, DATEV, OSS) Guide GoBD explained: principles, retention and what they mean for your invoices Guide Small-amount invoices in Germany (§ 33 UStDV): when the buyer's address can be left out Guide E-invoicing for small businesses in Germany (Kleinunternehmer): duties, exemptions, thresholds 2026 Guide The German cancellation button (§ 312k BGB): who needs it and how it works Guide The date of supply on German invoices: shipping date or payment date? Guide Leitweg-ID: what it is, how it is structured and how it gets onto the invoice Guide The OSS scheme explained: the €10,000 threshold, registration and an example Guide Deferred revenue for SaaS and online courses in Germany: when a pRAP is required Guide Proforma invoices in Germany: what they are for and why they are not invoices Guide Deferred revenue in German accounting (pRAP): definition, bookings and an example Guide Changing the billing address on a German invoice afterward: is it possible? (without a cancellation) Guide Correcting an invoice in Germany: which route for which error? Guide Server-side tracking for Meta: Conversions API with a lean consent bar Guide Shopify gift cards in Germany: gift card, discount code and store credit for VAT Guide Shopware invoices: what Shopware 6 does on its own and what is missing Guide Stripe DATEV export: getting Stripe payments into DATEV as a booking batch Guide Booking Stripe fees in Germany: clearing account, reverse charge and Stripe Technology Europe Ltd Guide Stripe Invoicing in Germany: creating invoices, pricing and e-invoicing Guide Stripe invoices with payment terms as e-invoices: bank transfer to the Stripe IBAN Guide Stripe invoices in Germany: what Stripe Invoicing and Billing do, what is missing, and what applies from 2027 Guide Shipping costs and VAT in Germany: 7%, 19% or tax-exempt? Guide The German withdrawal button (§ 356a BGB): mandatory since June 19, 2026 Guide WooCommerce DATEV export: options, file format and account mapping Guide WooCommerce invoices in Germany: plugins, mandatory details, e-invoicing Guide XRechnung vs ZUGFeRD: the XRechnung format explained Guide Payment terms on invoices in Germany: rules, due date calculation and wording Guide ZUGFeRD explained

Rechnungskit is not a tax advisory or law firm. This article explains general principles and does not replace advice from a tax advisor (Steuerberater, § 5 StBerG) or a lawyer (§ 3 RDG). Rechnungskit is built for businesses based in Germany and prepares documents, tax rates and bookings automatically. How your specific case is treated remains your decision, ideally together with your tax advisor or a lawyer.

Every invoice automatically as a valid e-invoice.

Connect your payment provider and we take care of format, validation and archive. Start for free in test mode.

Try it now
de en