E-Invoicing in Austria: ebInterface, Peppol BIS, and What to Use When
Austria has two e-invoicing formats: ebInterface for government invoices and Peppol BIS for B2B. Here is how they fit together.
Austria was one of the first EU countries to mandate electronic invoicing for government suppliers, back in 2014. The landscape has two formats: ebInterface, Austria's national XML format used by the federal government, and Peppol BIS 3.0, the pan-European standard gaining ground for B2B. There is no B2B mandate, but businesses invoicing Austrian clients should understand both formats.
Two formats, one country
The Austrian federal government built its own e-invoicing infrastructure before Peppol became widespread in Central Europe. The result is ebInterface, a national XML format maintained by the Austrian Federal Computing Centre (BRZ) and standardized by Austrian Standards (ONORM A 2200). All invoices to federal government agencies go through the e-Rechnung.gv.at portal.
In 2019, Austria also started accepting Peppol BIS 3.0 invoices for B2G, and Peppol is now the standard choice for B2B e-invoicing in Austria. NormaForm generates Peppol BIS 3.0, which covers the B2B use case and is accepted for federal B2G alongside ebInterface.
| Property | ebInterface | Peppol BIS 3.0 |
|---|---|---|
| XML format | ebInterface 6.1 | UBL 2.1 |
| Standard | ONORM A 2200 | EN 16931 |
| File type | .xml | .xml |
| Maintained by | BRZ / Austrian Standards | OpenPeppol AISBL |
| Primary use | Austrian B2G (federal agencies) | B2B + B2G (via Peppol network) |
Austrian e-invoicing timeline
Austria's e-invoicing requirements focus on government suppliers. There is no B2B mandate:
| Date | Milestone | Who is affected |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1, 2014 | B2G e-invoicing mandatory (ebInterface via e-Rechnung.gv.at) | All federal government suppliers |
| 2019 | Peppol BIS accepted as additional B2G channel | Federal government suppliers (alternative to ebInterface) |
State and municipal governments may have their own requirements, but the federal mandate is the most relevant. For B2B, there is no legal requirement to use e-invoicing. Businesses can choose to exchange Peppol BIS invoices voluntarily, and many larger Austrian companies already do.
Austrian VAT rates
Austria applies four VAT rates. Select the correct rate for each line item:
| Rate | Name | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| 20% | Normalsteuersatz | Most goods and services (default rate) |
| 13% | Ermaessigter Steuersatz | Live cultural events, cinema, flowers, wine from the producer |
| 10% | Ermaessigter Steuersatz | Food, books, newspapers, passenger transport, accommodation, pharmaceuticals |
| 0% | Befreit | Exports, intra-EU supplies, medical services, financial services, education |
ebInterface or Peppol BIS: when to use which
The choice depends on who you are invoicing:
- Federal government agencies (B2G) — Upload via e-Rechnung.gv.at. The portal accepts both ebInterface and Peppol BIS. If your client specifically requires ebInterface, you will need a tool that generates that format. For Peppol BIS, NormaForm has you covered.
- Businesses (B2B) — Use Peppol BIS 3.0. There is no mandate, but Peppol is the standard for structured B2B e-invoicing in Austria. Submit via a Peppol access point.
NormaForm generates Peppol BIS 3.0 invoices for Austria. This covers B2B invoicing and the Peppol path for B2G. For ebInterface-only B2G requirements, a dedicated ebInterface generator is needed.
Peppol participant IDs for Austria
Austrian businesses on the Peppol network use these identification schemes:
- Austrian business register (scheme 9915) — The Firmenbuchnummer (company register number) from the Austrian Firmenbuch. Format: 9915:xxxxxx.
- Austrian VAT number (scheme 9914) — The USt-IdNr (Umsatzsteuer-Identifikationsnummer), formatted as ATUxxxxxxxx. Format: 9914:ATUxxxxxxxx.
Austria vs. Germany: neighboring countries, different systems
Austria and Germany share a language, but their e-invoicing systems differ:
- B2G format — Germany uses XRechnung (UBL 2.1 CIUS). Austria uses ebInterface (national format) or Peppol BIS. Both XRechnung and Peppol BIS are UBL 2.1-based and EN 16931-compliant.
- B2B mandate — Germany mandated B2B e-invoicing from January 2025 (with transition periods). Austria has no B2B mandate.
- Tax identifiers — German businesses use USt-IdNr (DExxxxxxxxx) with EAS scheme 9930. Austrian businesses use USt-IdNr (ATUxxxxxxxx) with EAS scheme 9914.
For details on German e-invoicing, see our complete XRechnung guide.
Getting started with Austrian Peppol invoices
To create a Peppol BIS invoice for an Austrian client:
- Enter your business details, including your company name, address, and VAT number
- Add your Austrian client with their company name, address, USt-IdNr (ATUxxxxxxxx), and Peppol ID (Firmenbuchnummer with scheme 9915, or USt-IdNr with scheme 9914)
- Add line items with descriptions, quantities, unit prices, and the correct Austrian VAT rate (20%, 13%, 10%, or 0%)
- NormaForm auto-selects Peppol BIS 3.0 as the format. Download the .xml file and submit it through your Peppol access point or upload to e-Rechnung.gv.at for government invoices
NormaForm generates Peppol BIS 3.0 XML with correct UBL 2.1 structure, EN 16931 compliance, Austrian Peppol endpoint identifiers, and Austrian VAT handling.