🇩🇪 The standard VAT rate in Germany for digital services is 19%. Here's everything SaaS founders, freelancers, and indie hackers need to know about charging VAT when selling to customers in Germany.
If you sell SaaS, digital downloads, apps, e-books, or any electronically supplied service to customers in Germany, EU VAT rules apply. The rate you charge depends on who your customer is and where your business is based.
| Scenario | VAT Rate | Who Pays |
|---|---|---|
| B2C to Germany consumer | 19% | You charge & remit |
| B2B to Germany business | 0% (reverse charge) | Customer self-assesses |
| Domestic sale within Germany | 19% | You charge & remit |
When selling digital services to individual consumers (B2C) in Germany, you must charge VAT at 19%. The key question is whether you need to use the One-Stop Shop (OSS) scheme:
Below €10,000/year in EU cross-border B2C sales: You can charge your home country's VAT rate instead of 19%. This threshold applies to your combined B2C sales across ALL EU countries, not just Germany.
Above €10,000/year: You must charge 19% (Germany's rate). Register for the OSS scheme in your home EU country to file a single quarterly return covering all EU countries.
For B2B sales to VAT-registered businesses in Germany, the reverse charge mechanism applies. You invoice at 0% VAT and your customer accounts for the VAT themselves. You must:
1. Verify your customer's VAT number using the EU VIES system
2. Include both VAT numbers on the invoice
3. Add the wording: "Reverse charge — VAT to be accounted for by the recipient under Article 196 of Council Directive 2006/112/EC"
If your business is outside the EU (e.g., US, UK, or other non-EU country) and you sell B2C digital services to consumers in Germany, you must register for the Non-Union OSS scheme in any EU member state. You'll charge 19% VAT on sales to Germany consumers and file quarterly returns through your chosen EU country.
For B2B sales from outside the EU, the reverse charge still applies — your Germany business customer handles the VAT.
Your invoice to a Germany customer must include: your business name and address, your VAT number (or OSS number), the customer's details (and VAT number for B2B), a clear description of services, the VAT rate applied (19% for B2C, 0% with reverse charge note for B2B), and the total amount including VAT.
Use our free invoice generator to create compliant invoices with the correct legal wording automatically.
The standard VAT rate in Germany for digital services including SaaS, apps, and e-books is 19%. This applies to B2C sales to consumers located in Germany.
If you sell B2C digital services to consumers in Germany and your total EU cross-border B2C sales exceed €10,000/year, you must either register for VAT in Germany directly or use the EU One-Stop Shop (OSS) scheme to report and pay VAT through a single EU country.
If you sell to a VAT-registered business in Germany (B2B), the reverse charge applies. You charge 0% VAT and your Germany customer self-assesses VAT at 19%. You must include "Reverse charge — VAT to be accounted for by the recipient" on your invoice.
The EU One-Stop Shop (OSS) threshold is €10,000 in combined cross-border B2C sales across ALL EU countries (not per country). Below this threshold, you can charge your home country's VAT rate. Above it, you must charge the destination country rate.
For B2C sales, include 19% VAT on your invoice. For B2B sales (reverse charge), invoice at 0% with the note: "Reverse charge — VAT to be accounted for by the recipient under Article 196 of Council Directive 2006/112/EC." Use our free invoice generator at paytaxfa.st/invoice.html to get the wording right automatically.
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