Accounting and invoicing for live shopping hosts
You sell in a livestream: present products, answer questions, host sales rounds. Your money comes as a fixed fee, as commission or a mix, plus products as payment in kind. Saldiqo writes the invoices to brands, matches commissions and lets you record products as payment in kind.
What comes up for live shopping hosts
Fixed fee plus commission
Brands often pay a base fee and a commission on the show’s sales. Both parts belong in the billing.
Products before and after the show
Samples for preparation, gifts for the community, sometimes part of the pay in goods.
Dates at short notice
A show is often booked at short notice and billed at once. Invoices should go out quickly.
How Saldiqo helps
- Invoice with fee and commissionFee and commission as separate lines, with period and shows.
- Record productsState product and value in the invoice, and for a pure exchange mark it paid with the payment method other.
- Match commissionsUpload the bank statement, and Saldiqo shows which payment fits which show.
- Capture expensesRecord travel, studio and props as expenses.
Typical invoice lines
Examples that often appear on invoices in this industry. You set the prices yourself.
- Live shopping hosting, 2 hours
- Commission on show sales as per statement
- Preparation and product test
- Payment in kind: products worth 90
- Travel to the studio as per receipt
- Cancellation fee when the show is called off
Tax and invoicing in Germany
What applies to invoices in Germany, in short. As of October 2026.
- VAT
- Standard rate 19 %, reduced rate 7 %. Which rate applies to which supply depends on the case. Saldiqo calculates each invoice line with the rate you pick.
- Small business scheme
- Under section 19 of the VAT Act (UStG) you charge no VAT as long as your turnover was at most €25,000 last year and is at most €100,000 this year. Saldiqo shows how much room is left and adds the note to your invoice.
- Mandatory details
- Under section 14 UStG every invoice shows a tax number or VAT ID, a consecutive invoice number, the date of supply and the recipient. Saldiqo checks this before you finalise an invoice. Small invoices up to €250 gross need fewer details.
- E-invoicing
- All businesses have had to be able to receive e-invoices since 1 January 2025. Issuing becomes mandatory from 2027 if last year’s turnover was above €800,000, and from 2028 for domestic business-to-business sales in all cases. Small businesses under section 19 are exempt. Saldiqo creates XRechnung and ZUGFeRD.
- VAT return
- The advance VAT return goes to the tax office through ELSTER, by the 10th after the end of the period. You file monthly if last year’s VAT was above €9,000 and quarterly above €2,000. Saldiqo provides the figures; you file in ELSTER or through your tax adviser.
- Record keeping
- Keep invoices and accounting vouchers for 8 years, books for 10 years and business letters for 6 years. The period starts at the end of the calendar year.
- Late payment
- In the second half of 2026 the default interest rate is 10.52 % between businesses and 6.52 % towards consumers, plus a €40 flat fee that applies to businesses only. Saldiqo has reminder levels with deadlines and fees.
- Getting paid
- Every invoice carries a GiroCode (EPC QR) that customers scan with their banking app. You match payments by uploading the bank statement as CSV or CAMT.
- Tax adviser
- Cash-basis profit calculation (EÜR), a DATEV export and a separate login for your tax adviser are built in.
Frequently asked questions
How do I bill a fee with commission?
You create fee and commission as separate lines. You enter the commission with the amount from the statement.
How do I handle products as payment in kind?
You name product and value in the invoice. How you treat them for tax you clear with your tax adviser.
Do live shopping hosts in Germany have to charge VAT?
Yes, unless they qualify as small businesses under section 19 UStG. That applies when turnover was at most €25,000 last year and is at most €100,000 this year. The limit is hard: VAT is due on the sale that takes you over it.
Do live shopping hosts in Germany need e-invoicing?
Every business must be able to receive e-invoices since 2025. Issuing is mandatory from 2027 if last year’s turnover was above €800,000, and from 2028 for domestic business-to-business sales in general. Small businesses, invoices up to €250 and tickets are exempt. Private customers still get a normal invoice.
How long do live shopping hosts have to keep invoices?
Invoices and vouchers for 8 years, books for 10 years and business letters for 6 years, counted from the end of the calendar year. You can store receipts digitally in Saldiqo. The legal duty to keep records and to document your procedures stays with you.
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As of October 2026. General information, not legal or tax advice, without guarantee. For your case ask your tax adviser.