Background
In many business models (e.g. platforms, agencies, agriculture, energy, logistics), self-billing is a common and legally accepted process. In this scenario, the recipient of the service issues the invoice in the form of a credit note (“Gutschrift”) in accordance with § 14 para. 2 sentence 2 of the German VAT Act (UStG).
With the increasing adoption and mandatory use of electronic invoices (EN 16931 / XRechnung / ZUGFeRD), there is a growing need to generate legally compliant self-billed e-invoices.
Currently, the ERPNext plugin eu_einvoice primarily supports generating e-invoices from Sales Invoices. However, it is not possible to create a compliant self-billed e-invoice (credit note) from a Purchase Invoice.
Requested Feature
Implementation of Self-Billed Invoice support (EN 16931 Invoice Type Code 389) in accordance with EU e-invoicing standards and German VAT law (§ 14 para. 2 sentence 2 UStG).
Specifically:
- Creation of a Purchase Invoice in ERPNext
- Explicit marking as Self-Billing / Credit Note
- Export of a valid EN 16931–compliant e-invoice (XRechnung / ZUGFeRD) with:
- InvoiceTypeCode = 389
- Correct designation as credit note (self-billed invoice)
- Supplier = service provider
- Invoice issuer = service recipient
- Full EN 16931 compliance
- Ideally configurable via UI (e.g. checkbox “Self-Billed Invoice”)
Estimated Effort:
Based on initial discussions with the maintainers, an initial implementation is estimated at approximately 2–3 engineering days.
This would likely cover:
- Mapping Purchase Invoice → EN 16931 credit note
- Invoice type handling (389)
- Basic validation and export via eu_einvoice
Value for the Community
- Legally compliant support for self-billing processes
- Compliance with current and upcoming e-invoicing mandates
- Significantly broader applicability of ERPNext in EU B2B scenarios
- Especially relevant for platform operators, agencies, agricultural businesses, energy providers, and logistics companies
Current Status
I have already discussed this with the maintainers. They are open to implementing this feature, provided that enough interested parties come together to co-fund the development.
Call to Action 🚀
👉 Who else needs Self-Billing / Credit Notes as EN 16931 e-invoices in ERPNext?
Please comment if you:
- Require this feature
- Are willing to contribute to funding
- Represent a company or project affected by self-billing
Optional but helpful:
- Estimated volume of self-billed invoices per year
- Preferred e-invoice format (XRechnung / ZUGFeRD)
- Interest in co-sponsoring or implementation partnership
The more feedback and commitments we gather, the sooner this feature can be implemented.
Background
In many business models (e.g. platforms, agencies, agriculture, energy, logistics), self-billing is a common and legally accepted process. In this scenario, the recipient of the service issues the invoice in the form of a credit note (“Gutschrift”) in accordance with § 14 para. 2 sentence 2 of the German VAT Act (UStG).
With the increasing adoption and mandatory use of electronic invoices (EN 16931 / XRechnung / ZUGFeRD), there is a growing need to generate legally compliant self-billed e-invoices.
Currently, the ERPNext plugin eu_einvoice primarily supports generating e-invoices from Sales Invoices. However, it is not possible to create a compliant self-billed e-invoice (credit note) from a Purchase Invoice.
Requested Feature
Implementation of Self-Billed Invoice support (EN 16931 Invoice Type Code 389) in accordance with EU e-invoicing standards and German VAT law (§ 14 para. 2 sentence 2 UStG).
Specifically:
Estimated Effort:
Based on initial discussions with the maintainers, an initial implementation is estimated at approximately 2–3 engineering days.
This would likely cover:
Value for the Community
Current Status
I have already discussed this with the maintainers. They are open to implementing this feature, provided that enough interested parties come together to co-fund the development.
Call to Action 🚀
👉 Who else needs Self-Billing / Credit Notes as EN 16931 e-invoices in ERPNext?
Please comment if you:
Optional but helpful:
The more feedback and commitments we gather, the sooner this feature can be implemented.