For Freelancers & Self-Employed

E-invoicing as a freelancer — no new software, no learning curve.

TaxLayer converts your existing PDF invoice in seconds to ZUGFeRD or XRechnung — ready for B2B clients and public-sector clients.

Create your invoice as usual — in Word, Excel, or sevDesk. TaxLayer handles the conversion to the legally compliant format per EN 16931. 2 free conversions daily, permanently.

Start free — no credit card

✓EN 16931 compliant✓GDPR · Hosted in Germany✓No installation

Your workflow with TaxLayer

Create invoice

Word, Excel, sevDesk, Lexware — business as usual

✓

Upload PDF to TaxLayer

Drag & drop or file picker — under 5 seconds

✓

Download e-invoice

ZUGFeRD 2.3 + XRechnung 3.0 · KoSIT-validated

✓

Send to client

B2B clients and authorities receive the correct format

● Average conversion time: 0.8 seconds

The Problem

The e-invoicing mandate hits freelancers especially hard.

Large companies have IT departments. Freelancers don't — yet the same legal requirements apply.

Every hour of admin is an hour less revenue.

As a freelancer, you sell time. Spending hours reading ZUGFeRD specifications costs real money — and the obligation remains.

PDF alone hasn't been enough since 2025.

Since January 1, 2025, B2B recipients can reject plain PDFs per §14 UStG. Those who continue sending only PDFs risk payment delays and tax disadvantages.

"XRechnung" sounds technical — and intimidating.

ZUGFeRD, XRechnung, UBL 2.1, EN 16931 — the acronym maze keeps many self-employed from tackling the transition. But you don't actually need to understand any of it.

Errors can be expensive.

Missing mandatory fields, wrong VAT ID, or the wrong profile (ZUGFeRD instead of XRechnung) for a public-sector client lead to rejection and potentially tax risks.

In three steps

From PDF invoice to finished e-invoice.

No setup. No learning curve. Just upload and done.

Upload PDF

Upload your finished invoice as PDF — whether from Word, Excel, sevDesk, or any other tool. TaxLayer recognizes all common layouts automatically.

rechnung_mai_2026.pdf✓

Layout recognized · fields extracted

Review data

TaxLayer displays all recognized values clearly. You can review and correct in seconds — no XML knowledge needed. AI recognition rate: over 99%.

Rechnungsnr.2026-0042Nettobetrag2.400,00 €USt. 19 %456,00 €Gesamt2.856,00 €

Download & send

You receive ZUGFeRD 2.3 (PDF/A-3 with embedded XML) and XRechnung 3.0 — both validated per KoSIT. Simply send to your client.

↓ ZUGFeRD.pdf↓ XRechnung.xml

• KoSIT-validated · EN 16931 compliant

Exactly what freelancers need

No overhead. Just the essentials.

TaxLayer is built for people who want to focus on their actual business — not on tax law.

Works with your existing invoice

Word document, custom PDF, export from Excel or sevDesk — TaxLayer reads everything. You don't need to change anything.

–No template required
–OCR for scanned PDFs
–Multi-page invoices

Permanently free for occasional users

2 conversions per month — no credit card, no contract. For most freelancers, that's more than enough.

–€0 / month permanently
–ZUGFeRD 2.3 & XRechnung 3.0
–KoSIT validation included

Legally compliant from the browser

No installation, no certificate, no IT effort. TaxLayer validates every file per EN 16931 — you just upload it to your client.

–EN 16931 validation
–GDPR-compliant
–Hosted in Germany (Frankfurt)

FAQ

Common questions from freelancers about e-invoicing.

Direct answers to what self-employed people really want to know.

Must I issue e-invoices as a freelancer from 2025?

Yes. Since January 1, 2025, e-invoicing is mandatory in German B2B per §14 UStG. If you issue invoices to other companies, they must be transmittable as structured XML documents (ZUGFeRD or XRechnung). Your clients are entitled to reject plain PDFs.

Do I need ZUGFeRD or XRechnung as a freelancer?

That depends on your client. For public-sector clients (federal, state, municipal), XRechnung is mandatory. For private companies, ZUGFeRD is recommended — the hybrid format that exists as both a readable PDF and machine-readable XML. TaxLayer creates both formats from the same PDF at the click of a button.

Do I need to switch my invoicing software?

No. TaxLayer is a complement, not a replacement. You continue creating invoices in Word, Excel, sevDesk, or any other tool — upload the finished PDF to TaxLayer and instantly receive the finished ZUGFeRD or XRechnung file.

What does TaxLayer cost for freelancers with few invoices?

For freelancers who issue few invoices per month, TaxLayer is permanently free: 2 conversions per month, no credit card, no subscription. Those who need more volume or batch processing switch to the Pro plan at €15/month (125 conversions).

How accurately does TaxLayer recognize my invoice data from the PDF?

TaxLayer uses AI (Gemini 2.5 Flash on Google Cloud Frankfurt) to automatically extract all relevant fields — invoice number, date, tax number, line items, amounts, VAT. The recognition rate is over 99%. Unrecognized fields can be added manually before download.

Are my invoice contents stored?

No. TaxLayer processes your PDF exclusively in memory — invoice contents are not permanently stored. Only metadata (timestamps, invoice numbers) are retained for 90 days for billing purposes. Hosting exclusively in Germany (Frankfurt am Main), GDPR-compliant.