ZUGFeRD outgoing invoices for Business Central and Dynamics NAV users

The Business Central and NAV outgoing invoice gap, exactly what is missing

Business Central before version 26.3 was built to handle incoming structured e-invoices, processing ZUGFeRD and XRechnung documents received from suppliers. The outgoing invoice direction was not natively supported for structured EN 16931-compliant output in those versions. Business Central's native support before 26.3 covered Peppol for cross-border transmission but not ZUGFeRD or XRechnung outgoing invoice generation. AppSource extensions from Microsoft partners cover this gap for users who can complete an IT deployment project. This pattern, native receiving but no native sending, is a wider ERP outgoing invoice gap across the SME ERP market.

Business Central version 26.3, released July 2025, introduced native ZUGFeRD support. If your organisation is running this version or later and has completed the required configuration, your BC installation may be generating compliant ZUGFeRD output already. If you are on this version and have not yet configured the e-invoicing setup, or if you are on any earlier version, the gap remains open.

Dynamics NAV, the predecessor to Business Central running on premise, has no version that natively generates ZUGFeRD or XRechnung outgoing invoices. NAV users generating invoices for German or French business clients are currently sending PDF documents. These satisfy German law only under the transitional rules that expire in January 2027 for larger businesses and January 2028 for all businesses.

Why this gap exists in a widely used ERP

Business Central and Dynamics NAV were built around the accounting workflows most common when the software was developed: general ledger, accounts payable and receivable, inventory, purchase orders, and sales orders. The outgoing invoice output was a PDF generated from a report template and emailed to the customer. This worked perfectly well for decades. ZUGFeRD and XRechnung are requirements that postdate the core architecture of these systems. Adding compliant structured XML output to existing ERP systems requires either a new native module (which Microsoft added in BC 26.3 for Business Central) or a third-party AppSource extension for earlier versions and NAV.

The practical problem for organisations on BC 22 through 24 is that updating to BC 26.3 is not a one-day task. Business Central updates require testing, potential customisation review, and internal IT planning. Many organisations on stable older versions choose not to update on the schedule Microsoft releases new versions. They need a compliant outgoing invoice solution now, not at the point their BC update cycle reaches 26.3.

Which organisations are affected

Organisations running Business Central versions 22, 23, or 24 with German or French business clients. These versions have no native outgoing ZUGFeRD output. Your incoming invoice processing may already handle structured e-invoices correctly. Your outgoing invoices to clients are still PDF documents.

Organisations running any version of Dynamics NAV, including NAV 2016, NAV 2017, NAV 2018, and NAV for older installations, that invoice German or French business clients. NAV has no version with native ZUGFeRD or XRechnung outgoing invoice support.

Subsidiaries or divisions of larger organisations running Business Central or NAV whose IT team manages the ERP centrally. Requesting an AppSource extension deployment or a version update from the central IT team is a project with its own timeline. Facturwise operates independently of your BC or NAV installation and requires no IT department involvement.

UK businesses, Dutch businesses, Danish businesses, or Belgian businesses running Business Central or NAV who invoice German or French clients and need outgoing ZUGFeRD or Factur-X compliance without modifying their existing ERP installation.

The mandate timeline for Business Central and NAV users

Germany's B2B e-invoicing sending mandate applies from January 2027 for businesses with prior year turnover above 800,000 euros. All remaining German businesses must send structured e-invoices from January 2028. The receiving obligation has been active since January 2025, so your German clients are already required to process structured e-invoices from you. Many are already requesting ZUGFeRD invoices from their suppliers because their automated accounts payable systems cannot extract structured data from a standard PDF. The same pressure is hitting SAP users on legacy installations where DRC is not yet activated.

France's receiving obligation became active in September 2026. French business clients are now legally required to be able to receive Factur-X invoices. The sending obligation for all French businesses follows in September 2027.

For organisations on BC 22 through 24 or on NAV, January 2027 is the relevant German deadline and it is now approximately 8 months away. An AppSource extension deployment or a BC version update project takes time to plan and execute. Facturwise is operational in minutes as a parallel solution while the ERP project is planned or completed. For broader context, see outgoing e-invoicing for companies.

What Facturwise generates alongside Business Central or NAV

ZUGFeRD 2.4 at EN 16931 profile level: the compliant hybrid format required for German B2B invoicing. Your German clients' accounting systems extract the structured XML data automatically. The document remains readable as a standard PDF.

Factur-X 1.0.8 at EN 16931 profile level for invoicing French business clients under the French e-invoicing mandate.

XRechnung: the pure XML format required for German public sector and federal government clients.

Peppol BIS 3.0 for Belgian clients under Belgium's January 2026 B2B mandate and for cross-border EU trade via the Peppol network.

DATEV-compatible CSV export, available on all plans including the free trial for monthly handoff to your Steuerberater.

22 invoice output languages including German, French, English, Dutch, Danish, Polish and more from the same account without template changes.

How the workflow operates alongside your existing ERP

Your Business Central or NAV installation continues to manage everything it currently manages: general ledger, purchase orders, inventory, accounts payable and receivable, bank reconciliation, and financial reporting. When you need to send a compliant outgoing invoice to a German or French business client, you open Facturwise, select the client, enter or confirm the line items, and download the ZUGFeRD or Factur-X file. You send it directly to the client.

At month end you export a DATEV-compatible CSV from Facturwise and provide it to your Steuerberater. Your accounting team reconciles your BC or NAV records with your Facturwise invoice records as part of the standard period-end process. No integration between Facturwise and your Microsoft ERP is required.

Frequently asked questions