E-invoicing software · made in Germany

Shopware prepayment: automatic invoice after payment

Q: Why does it take up to 15 minutes?

Shopware 6 core has no freely configurable webhooks. Rechnungskit therefore checks for changed orders every 15 minutes. That is enough for the invoice, which only follows payment or shipping anyway. If you want it instantly, use the Flow Builder (Shopware Evolve plan or higher, via the Commercial extension, Shopware docs) to add a “Call webhook” action pointing to the address Rechnungskit shows you; that triggers an immediate sync.

Q: Why is the invoice for physical goods created only on “Shipped”?

Because Rechnungskit uses the delivery status as the shipping signal. That way the actual shipping day appears on the invoice as the date of supply; a shipped delivery counts as made when shipping begins (§ 14(4) sentence 1 no. 6 UStG, section 13.1(2) UStAE, the German VAT Act and its administrative guidelines). The payment status “Paid” only confirms that the prepayment has arrived.

Q: Does Rechnungskit book the payment twice?

No. Rechnungskit links the prepayment to the order and the invoice, but does not export a separate payment booking to DATEV for it. Your tax advisor books the actual bank transaction from the bank statement.

Q: What happens if the customer does not pay?

The payment status stays “Open”, and Rechnungskit creates neither a payment nor an invoice. If you cancel the order in Shopware, no unnecessary correction document is left behind.

Q: Do I need a plugin or Shopware's own invoice feature?

No. Rechnungskit reads orders, payment status and delivery status through the Admin API, and nothing is installed in the shop. You should not also use Shopware's own invoice feature for these orders, otherwise two number ranges run side by side.

With prepayment (Vorkasse), the customer transfers money to your bank account, without Stripe, Mollie or PayPal. Shopware therefore leaves the order's payment status at “Open” until you check the incoming payment and set it to “Paid”. Rechnungskit picks up that status change on its next sync as the incoming payment. For physical goods, the already paid invoice is created as soon as the delivery status is “Shipped”.

Two status changes in the Shopware admin, and the rest runs on its own. You keep working in Shopware, and Rechnungskit handles payment, invoice, archive and DATEV.

Try it now View live demo

No credit card · set up in under an hour · personal onboarding

The gap

Writing invoices is easy. Writing compliant ones is not.

The difference between a PDF and a compliant e-invoice matters at the next tax audit. Rechnungskit closes exactly this gap.

Without Rechnungskit	With Rechnungskit
Prepayment orders invoiced by hand or forgotten in day-to-day business	The payment status “Paid” serves as a verified payment signal
Invoice written before any money has come in	The invoice for physical goods is created on “Shipped”, with the shipping date
Payment entered a second time in the invoicing tool	No extra DATEV payment booking; your tax advisor (Steuerkanzlei) books the bank receipt
Prepayment and pay by invoice treated the same, though their order of events is opposite	Every Shopware payment method is clearly assigned to prepayment or pay by invoice

How it works

Four steps to a compliant e-invoice.

01

Map the payment method

Under Connections → Document rules, you assign the Shopware payment method “Prepayment” to the prepayment list. Rechnungskit knows the payment methods from your orders; on first connection it loads the last 7 days for this. Each payment method sits on exactly one list: prepayment or pay by invoice.
02

The order waits

After the order is placed, its payment status in Shopware is “Open”. As long as it stays that way, Rechnungskit creates neither a payment nor a premature invoice.
03

Confirm the payment

You check your bank statement and set the payment status to “Paid” in the Shopware admin. On the next sync, after about 15 minutes at most, Rechnungskit records it as a prepayment receipt. You need neither a payment provider nor access to your bank account for this.
04

Invoiced on shipping

Once the delivery status is “Shipped”, Rechnungskit creates the already paid ZUGFeRD invoice with the shipping date as the date of supply (Leistungsdatum), archives it to GoBD standards and includes it in the DATEV export.

Prepayment in Shopware has no automatic payment confirmation

The payment method “Prepayment” is part of Shopware 6 core. The customer gets your bank details and transfers the money themselves; no payment provider is involved. That is why Shopware cannot confirm the incoming payment: the order's payment status stays at “Open” until you change it in the admin.

Rechnungskit builds on exactly that step. You check your bank statement and set the payment status to “Paid”. On the next sync, Rechnungskit sees that a payment method classified as prepayment has been paid and records the payment for the order. You do not need a banking connection for this.

Why the invoice is not created when the order comes in

With prepayment, the order of events is clear: money first, then the goods, then the invoice with the shipping date. If a tool writes the invoice as soon as the order arrives, you end up with documents for purchases that are never paid, and every abandoned order needs a cancellation invoice (Storno). Rechnungskit therefore waits for both signals from Shopware: “Paid” in the payment status and “Shipped” in the delivery status.

Pay by invoice works the other way around. There, the invoice is created on shipping without a payment, with payment terms and an open receivable. That is why you assign every Shopware payment method to exactly one of the two lists.

What else Rechnungskit takes care of

The invoice is created as a ZUGFeRD file, kept in an audit-proof archive and lands in the DATEV export with revenue account and VAT rate. Refunds and cancellations that you record in Shopware through the payment status are processed by Rechnungskit as well. How the shop is connected and what arrives in the DATEV export is shown on the Shopware integration page. What Shopware's own invoice feature can do and where it stops is covered in the article Creating invoices in Shopware. Why you should send at most a payment request, not a real invoice, before payment is explained in the article on the pro forma invoice.

FAQ

Which Shopware status confirms the payment?

The payment status “Paid”. For a payment method you have classified as prepayment, Rechnungskit then records a payment for the order. Other states such as “Open”, “In progress” or “Partially paid” do not count as payment; Rechnungskit shows a partially paid order as a notice so you can sort it out in the shop.

Why does it take up to 15 minutes?

Why is the invoice for physical goods created only on “Shipped”?

Does Rechnungskit book the payment twice?

What happens if the customer does not pay?

Do I need a plugin or Shopware's own invoice feature?

Last reviewed: October 2026

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.

Ready for the e-invoicing mandate?

Create an account, connect your payment provider, check everything in free test mode. Billing starts when you go live.

Try it now