Austrian invoice law shares most requirements with Germany but uses different legal references and thresholds. The Kleinunternehmer exemption is under §6 Abs. 1 Z 27 UStG (not Germany’s §19 UStG), the threshold is €35,000 net annual turnover, and VAT numbers follow the ATU format. The tool landscape is also thinner — there are fewer Austria-dedicated products, so international tools play a bigger role here than in Germany.
What Austrian law requires from an invoicing tool
Every invoice must include your name and address, your client’s name and address, your Steuernummer or UID-Nummer (if VAT-registered), a sequential invoice number, the date the service was performed, a description of the service, the net amount, VAT rate and amount separately, and the gross total.
If your net annual turnover is below €35,000, you qualify as a Kleinunternehmer under §6 Abs. 1 Z 27 UStG. You don’t charge VAT, but every invoice must include an exemption note — typically: “Gemäß § 6 Abs. 1 Z 27 UStG wird keine Umsatzsteuer verrechnet.” A tool that doesn’t add this automatically means typing it on every invoice.
VAT returns (UVA) are filed through FinanzOnline. Most tools that advertise Austrian VAT support will prepare the numbers; the actual submission to the Finanzamt is a separate step.
The tools
sevDesk
The most established option with a dedicated Austrian site (sevdesk.at). Covers invoicing, receipt management, bank synchronisation, and UVA preparation, with compliance built around Austrian tax law. Pricing starts around €12.90/month with a 14-day free trial.
Best for: Freelancers who want an Austrian-specific tool with local compliance built in.
Zoho Invoice
Permanently free invoicing tool that works in Austria. No bookkeeping features — invoicing only. You can set custom tax rates, add your UID-Nummer, and generate PDF invoices. The §6 Kleinunternehmer exemption note needs to be added manually as custom invoice text.
Best for: Freelancers who want a free tool and don’t mind a bit of manual setup.
Invoice Ninja
Free and open source. Available as a hosted service or self-hosted. Covers invoicing, expense tracking, and time tracking. Fully configurable — you can set Austrian VAT rates and add custom text for the §6 exemption note. More initial setup than other tools, but no recurring cost.
Best for: Freelancers who want maximum flexibility and a free tool, and are comfortable with setup.
Billino
Mobile app (iOS and Android) built for freelancers who invoice on the go. Add your tax details to your sender profile and they appear on every invoice automatically. Generates correctly formatted PDFs. No bookkeeping features — invoicing only.
Best for: Freelancers who want to send a clean, professional invoice from their phone in under two minutes.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Paid from | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| sevDesk | ~€12.90/month | Austrian-specific compliance |
| Zoho Invoice | Free | Free invoicing |
| Invoice Ninja | Free | Free + fully flexible |
| Billino | — | Mobile-first freelancers |
How to choose
If you want a tool that handles Austrian tax requirements out of the box — UVA, UID-Nummer, §6 exemption support — sevDesk is the clearest option. If you want free and can handle some manual configuration for the exemption note, Zoho Invoice or Invoice Ninja cover the basics without a monthly fee.
The one thing all these tools have in common: none of them submit your UVA directly to FinanzOnline. They prepare the numbers; you file them yourself.
In Billino
Add your Steuernummer or UID-Nummer to your sender profile and it appears on every invoice automatically. Billino generates correctly formatted PDFs with all the required fields — add your §6 exemption text to your invoice template once and it’s there on every invoice going forward.
