The correctness of an invoice for services rendered or supplies made is of great importance when calculating value added tax (VAT). For the recipient of goods or services, the incoming invoice is the basis for reclaiming the paid VAT (Vorsteuer) from the tax authorities. If at least one of the legally prescribed requirements for invoice preparation is not met, it will be impossible to reclaim the paid VAT on that invoice. The exemption of certain services or supplies from VAT depends on the correct preparation of the invoice. To avoid financial losses, it is very important for both the seller and the buyer to carefully check the data in each invoice and the compliance of that data with tax legislation.

In accordance with VAT law, an invoice must contain the following information:
• Full name and address of the recipient of the goods or services, as well as the full name and address of the recipient of the payment;
• In the context of reclaiming input VAT, the recipient of the goods or services is responsible for the accuracy of the payment recipient’s data. At a minimum, at the time the obligation specified in the invoice is fulfilled, this data must correspond to the facts;
• Tax number of the payment recipient or the federal tax identification number issued to them (USt-IdNr);
• Date of issuance of the invoice;
• Current invoice number from one or more sequences of numbers or letters, or a combination thereof;
• Quantity and type of goods delivered or the volume and nature of work performed;
• Name of the goods or nature of the services ...