How to invoice a client in the United States from Germany

German freelancers usually bill US clients in US dollars or euros and are paid by international bank transfer (often through services like Wise) or PayPal. German invoices commonly show your Steuernummer or USt-IdNr., and services to US businesses are often not subject to German VAT.

Invoice

Invoice no.: INV-0042
Issue date: 01/10/2026
Due date: 15/10/2026

From

Lena Weber Design

Torstraße 12, 10119 Berlin

Germany

VAT number: Shown on your invoice

lena@example.com

Bill to

Example Client (United States)

United States

accounts@example.com

Description	Qty	Unit price	Tax	Amount
Product design, milestone 2	1	US$3,200.00		US$3,200.00
Design system documentation (hours)	8	US$70.00		US$560.00

Subtotal: US$3,760.00
Total: US$3,760.00

Payment details

Bank transfer. Account details are shown here on your real invoices.

Sample invoice from Germany to the United States

What to include

Commonly included

Agree the currency up front: US dollars are familiar to your client, while euros leave the exchange-rate risk with them.
Show your name and address, your tax number (Steuernummer) or VAT ID (USt-IdNr.), a sequential invoice number and the date of service, plus the client’s company name and address.

May be relevant

For services to business clients outside the EU, the place of supply is often the client’s country, so no German VAT is charged. A note such as “Not taxable in Germany (nicht im Inland steuerbare Leistung)” is wording businesses commonly use.
If you use the small-business scheme (Kleinunternehmerregelung), a note that no VAT is charged under § 19 UStG is wording businesses commonly use.
US clients often ask overseas contractors for Form W-8BEN (or W-8BEN-E for a company) to document the contractor’s foreign status for US tax purposes. It goes to the client, not on the invoice.

Create your first invoice to the United States free.

Start free