Rules for e-invoicing in Austria

In Austria, the responsibility of developing the country's e-invoicing system and determining the data structures to be used in the process lies with the Federal Ministry of Finance. It's important to note that the federal government only accepts correctly structured e-invoices; PDFs are not accepted.

Although e-invoicing is not mandatory in Austria for business-to-business transactions, any business can utilize e-invoicing for their business transactions, either through the Austrian national Interface format or the PEPPOL network. More and more organizations are using this method, especially when they frequently exchange documents with trading partners in another country, as it is faster, more secure, and more cost-effective compared to traditional paper document exchange.
On the other hand, business-to-government e-invoicing is mandatory in Austria, as of January 2014, for any business that exchanges documents with a government entity. All public authorities must be able to receive e-invoices, and all public authority suppliers are required to send their invoices in the specified electronic format. Public authorities and their suppliers may choose their own e-invoicing solution provider, given that the provider meets Austrian e-invoicing requirements.
In Austria, companies have the option to use any available e-invoicing service provider, as long as the service provider utilizes a platform that is connected to the Federal Service Portal. E-invoices must be submitted via the online portal, and the government has established the ebInterface to enable businesses to exchange e-invoices with the government.
Regardless of whether it is B2B or B2G, all companies operating in Austria are subject to a 7-year archiving period for all invoices, both paper and electronic.