# Backbone blog

Source: https://back-bone.io/en/blog

## Articles

- [Backbone vs. Harvest](https://back-bone.io/en/blog/backbone-vs-harvest) (08/10/2026, [.md](https://back-bone.io/en/blog/backbone-vs-harvest.md)): Harvest and Backbone both turn tracked hours into invoices. Differences: dunning levels with statutory interest under AT/DE law, receipts and language. As of 08/10/2026.
- [Backbone vs. sevDesk](https://back-bone.io/en/blog/backbone-vs-sevdesk) (08/10/2026, [.md](https://back-bone.io/en/blog/backbone-vs-sevdesk.md)): sevDesk is a bookkeeping suite; Backbone is a back office with time tracking, dunning, receipts and AI. Facts side by side, as of 08/10/2026.
- [Billy and Sort Invoices are now part of Backbone](https://back-bone.io/en/blog/billy-and-sort-invoices-are-now-part-of-backbone) (30/09/2026, [.md](https://back-bone.io/en/blog/billy-and-sort-invoices-are-now-part-of-backbone.md)): Sort Invoices and Billy are now part of Backbone, one all-in-one back-office app for invoicing and bookkeeping preparation that you can also use via MCP in ChatGPT, Claude, Grok and Gemini.
- [Electronic cash receipts in Austria from 1 October 2026: what actually changes](https://back-bone.io/en/blog/kassenbeleg-elektronisch-oesterreich) (06/09/2026, [.md](https://back-bone.io/en/blog/kassenbeleg-elektronisch-oesterreich.md)): From 1 October 2026 a receipt counts as issued when the customer can read it on a screen on the spot (§ 132a BAO). That is a relaxation, not a new obligation — and if you only invoice by bank transfer it does not apply to you at all.
- [§ 13b reverse-charge invoice: the required sentence and a subcontractor template](https://back-bone.io/en/blog/reverse-charge-rechnung-13b-muster) (03/09/2026, [.md](https://back-bone.io/en/blog/reverse-charge-rechnung-13b-muster.md)): A § 13b invoice shows no VAT and must carry the German sentence „Steuerschuldnerschaft des Leistungsempfängers“ verbatim (§ 14a Abs. 5 UStG). More important than the sentence is the question nearly every template skips: whether your client qualifies at all. Includes a copy-ready invoice template.
- [AI in dunning: what it takes over and what stays a rule](https://back-bone.io/en/blog/ki-mahnwesen) (03/09/2026, [.md](https://back-bone.io/en/blog/ki-mahnwesen.md)): AI can watch due dates, draft reminder text and send the stages on schedule. Whether your customer is in default it cannot judge better than a spreadsheet — that is § 286 BGB. Where automation helps, where it gets expensive, and what interest you may charge.
- [sevDesk vs Lexware Office (formerly lexoffice): the country question](https://back-bone.io/en/blog/sevdesk-vs-lexware-office) (03/09/2026, [.md](https://back-bone.io/en/blog/sevdesk-vs-lexware-office.md)): Both are bookkeeping suites, invoicing from about €12 a month, so price settles little. The real dividing line is country: Lexware Office is built for Germany, sevDesk also covers Austria. Plus: lexoffice is now Lexware Office.
- [sevDesk vs Papierkram: hours or books?](https://back-bone.io/en/blog/sevdesk-vs-papierkram) (03/09/2026, [.md](https://back-bone.io/en/blog/sevdesk-vs-papierkram.md)): Papierkram has time tracking and projects in every plan, even the free one; sevDesk is bookkeeping-first, has an Austrian edition and sells time tracking as an add-on. Prices and features side by side, as of October 2026.
- [§ 19 UStG: the correct small-business note on your invoice (2026)](https://back-bone.io/en/blog/kleinunternehmer-rechnung-formulierung) (28/08/2026, [.md](https://back-bone.io/en/blog/kleinunternehmer-rechnung-formulierung.md)): The sentence most people copy — "Gemäß § 19 UStG wird keine Umsatzsteuer berechnet" — no longer matches the law precisely: since the 2025 reform, small-business turnover is tax-exempt. Here is the wording § 34a UStDV asks for, plus the Austrian version.
- [Calculating default interest: formula, current rate and a reminder template](https://back-bone.io/en/blog/verzugszinsen-berechnen-mahnung-muster) (28/08/2026, [.md](https://back-bone.io/en/blog/verzugszinsen-berechnen-mahnung-muster.md)): Default interest is 9 percentage points above the base rate between businesses, 5 when a consumer is involved. With the base rate valid since 1 July 2026 that is 10.52 % and 6.52 %. Formula, a worked example and a reminder text to copy.
- [Mandatory invoice details in Austria (§ 11 UStG) — the checklist](https://back-bone.io/en/blog/pflichtangaben-rechnung-oesterreich) (28/08/2026, [.md](https://back-bone.io/en/blog/pflichtangaben-rechnung-oesterreich.md)): What must an Austrian invoice contain? The complete § 11 UStG list, when the customer VAT ID becomes mandatory, the 400 € small-amount threshold — and where Austria differs from Germany.
- [Payment reminders in English: templates for first, second and final notice](https://back-bone.io/en/blog/mahnung-auf-englisch) (28/08/2026, [.md](https://back-bone.io/en/blog/mahnung-auf-englisch.md)): German dunning has three escalating stages and English has no single word for it. Three templates to copy — payment reminder, second reminder, final notice — with the German equivalents and what changes when the client is abroad.