At a glance
You can submit receipts in the Circula mobile or web app to receive the Circula Lunch benefit.
Receipts can only be submitted within the month in which they are issued; the receipt date is the basis for calculating the meal allowance.
A number of legal requirements must be followed when submitting.
After successful approval by Circula, we will automatically calculate the maximum reimbursement amount from all correct submissions.
To ensure that your receipts can be reviewed and approved, all relevant items on the receipt must be marked — regardless of how many items are listed on the receipt or the total receipt amount. Receipts that are not marked correctly will be rejected.
Only receipts with the same invoice date may be uploaded in one submission.
Requirements
According to the German Federal Ministry of Finance letter dated 18 January 2019, the following requirements apply:
The digital meal voucher may only be used for the purchase of meals consumed on working days. The allowance may only be used for lunch and dinner meals that the employee has paid for themselves.
The time at which the meal is consumed is decisive for determining whether it is breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Meals paid for with digital meal vouchers are intended to be consumed during statutory rest breaks. If the employee works from home or has a daily working time of no more than six hours, they may also be consumed before or after working hours. See the German Federal Ministry of Finance letter dated 18 January 2019, section 3.
Food only qualifies as a meal if it is suitable for immediate consumption or intended to be consumed during meal breaks. This includes drinks if they are consumed in connection with a meal.
❗️Important
Non-food items are explicitly not reimbursable. Examples include dish soap, household items, alcohol, and tobacco products.
You can find further non-permitted items and examples in the section “Non-permitted items”.
Requirements for the receipt
All submitted receipts must meet the requirements of § 146a AO in conjunction with § 6 KassenSichV and § 33 UStDV.
If a receipt includes meals for several people, the meals consumed by you should be marked on the receipt.
If the receipt shows items that are not part of the meal submitted, this should be marked on the receipt.
All receipts must be prepared and marked — regardless of the number of items on the receipt and regardless of the receipt amount. Otherwise, the submission will be rejected.
If a receipt contains several items, please clearly mark the items that were part of your meal. Alternatively, you can cross out all non-permitted items or stock-up purchases.
Please note that any discounts must also be visible on the receipt.
Note
For more context on the legal background of the meal allowance, please visit our article "Meal Allowance | Legal Background".
❗️Important
Circula reviews every single submission. Only receipts that meet the requirements listed above can be accepted and included in the calculation.
Only receipts with the same invoice date may be uploaded in one submission.
Non-permitted items
To help ensure that receipts can be approved without delay, please note which items are not reimbursable. The following list is an example list. In individual cases, additional items not listed here may also be classified as non-reimbursable and rejected.
Category | Not reimbursable | Reimbursable |
Non-food items | Dish soap, household items, pet food, cosmetics, magazines | - |
Drinks | Alcoholic drinks such as beer, wine, and spirits, as well as drink-only purchases without food. Drinks purchased for later use, such as coffee or tea. | Non-alcoholic drinks, provided they are directly connected to a meal. |
Stimulants | Tobacco products, cigarettes, e-cigarettes | - |
Stock-up purchases | Large quantities of raw ingredients intended for storage for later days | Food that is suitable for immediate consumption or intended for the meal break. |
Examples of non-reimbursable stock-up purchases
In particular, large quantities of raw ingredients or products intended for storage for later days are not reimbursable, for example:
Oils, fats, and basic ingredients | Spices and additives |
|
|
📝 Note
Food items may be reimbursable if it is suitable for immediate consumption or intended for the meal break.
Correctly marking receipts
To support correct reimbursement, you must prepare your receipts properly before submitting them.
Example A: Supermarket receipt
If you submit a supermarket receipt, clearly mark the items that were part of your meal, for example salad, a ready-to-eat dish, or water. Alternatively, you can cross out all non-permitted items or stock-up purchases on the receipt.
Example B: Restaurant receipt or delivery service
All receipts must be marked regardless of the number of meals listed on them. Either clearly highlight or circle the dish you consumed on the restaurant receipt, or cross out any items you did not consume.
❗️Important
Receipts that are not marked correctly will be rejected.
🛠️ Submitting receipts
You can submit receipts within the month in which they were issued in the mobile app or web app so they can be considered for your meal allowance.
💡 Tip
For each day on which you submit meal receipts, you can receive a maximum of €7.67 per day. Per month, receipts can be reimbursed for up to 15 days. This corresponds to a tax-free meal allowance of up to €115.05 per month.
Submitting receipts in the mobile app
The easiest way to submit receipts is in the mobile app. Follow these steps:
Go to "Benefits" in your mobile app.
Click the Plus Button and choose "Lunch".
Choosing the right benefit
Scan your receipt. (Alternatively: Select a receipt from the tray or from your internal device memory.)
Scan your receipt
Mark all relevant items on the receipt — regardless of how many items are listed on the receipt or the total receipt amount. If the receipt contains non-permitted items or stock-up purchases, clearly mark your meal or cross out the non-permitted items.
Click "Submit".
You can check your submissions in the "Benefits" tab. (Each submission has a status, approved receipts show the calculated reimbursement amount).
Checking the status of the submitted Benefits
❗️Important
Only receipts with the same invoice date may be uploaded in one submission.
Submitting receipts in the web app
You can also submit meal allowances in the Circula web app. To do so, follow these steps:
Click on "Benefits" in the Web App and click on the yellow Plus Button.
Benefits in the web app
Submitting a new Benefit
Select the option "Lunch".
Choosing the right benefit
Upload a receipt or select a receipt from the Receipt storage.
Uploading receipts
Before submitting, check whether all relevant items on the receipt are marked correctly. If the receipt includes several meals, non-permitted items, or stock-up purchases, clearly mark your meal or cross out the non-permitted items.
Click on "Submit".
You can check your submissions in the "Benefits" tab. (Each submission has a status, approved receipts show the calculated reimbursement amount).
Submitted benefits in the web app
❗️Important
Only receipts with the same invoice date may be uploaded in one submission.
Lunch Benefit is not activated?
If Circula Lunch has not yet been activated for your account, please contact your HR department.
❓Frequently asked questions
By when do I need to submit my receipts?
Receipts to be subsidized for a given month must always be submitted within the month in which they were issued in order to be included in the allowance calculation.
Please note:
For corrections, we extend this time window until the 3rd day of the following month. Benefits submitted during this period must be complete and compliant with the rules, as no further submissions or corrections are possible from the 4th day of the following month onward.
If a submission is rejected after the 3rd day of the following month, it is unfortunately no longer possible to resubmit or correct it for that month. Please therefore always follow the requirements listed in this article to ensure smooth and successful reimbursement.
❗️Important
Please submit all receipts promptly and correctly to make the best possible use of your budget.
Can I submit more than 15 receipts?
Yes, of course. If you submit more than 15 receipts, we will make sure that the highest possible amount is calculated for you.
How do I submit multiple receipts in one day?
Receipts from several places of purchase may be submitted for one day if they are combined into one meal. The receipts can be collected and submitted together. Up to 3 receipts can be added to one submission.
If another receipt is added later, this receipt can also be submitted individually. Circula combines the receipts for one day at the end of the month and calculates the daily reimbursement amount.
Please note: Only receipts with the same invoice date may be uploaded in one submission.
Do I need to mark all items on the receipt?
Yes. All relevant items on the receipt must be marked — regardless of how many items are listed on the receipt or the total receipt amount.
If the receipt also contains non-permitted items or stock-up purchases, clearly mark your meal or cross out the non-permitted items.
❗️Important
Receipts that are not marked correctly will be rejected.
What happens if my receipt is not marked correctly?
Receipts that are not marked correctly will be rejected. Before submitting, please make sure it is clearly visible which items or dishes were part of your meal.
Can I also submit drinks?
Drinks may also be submitted if they are usually consumed in connection with a meal. Alcoholic drinks are excluded.
To help us understand that a drink was consumed in connection with a meal, drinks should always be submitted together with other food items. The items may, of course, be listed on several receipts.
Drink-only purchases without food, as well as drinks purchased for later use, such as coffee or tea, are not reimbursable.
Can I buy supplies for more than one meal?
No. Only one allowance with the official non-cash benefit value can be applied per working day and per subsidized meal. If the employee purchases additional meals for other days in advance on the same day, the allowances granted for these must be recorded as cash salary.
Large quantities of raw ingredients or products intended for storage for later days are not reimbursable. Examples include oils, fats, basic ingredients, spices, bottled sauces, or syrups.
Why was my receipt approved with “€0”?
In certain cases, a submitted receipt may be accepted but reimbursed with €0. This is not an error, but follows the legal and employer-specific requirements for the meal allowance.
This happens in the following situations:
If you submit more than two invoices for the same day and the maximum daily allowance of €7.67 has already been fully used with the first invoice, the second invoice may still be approved but will be valued at €0.
If you submit more days than your employer has allocated for the meal allowance, the additional days will be accepted but also reimbursed with €0.
👉 In these cases, the receipts have been submitted correctly and are not rejected. They simply do not lead to an additional payout because the maximum budget has already been reached or exceeded.
Do I need to keep my receipts?
Circula stores receipts in an audit-proof manner. Unless your company has other requirements, you do not need to keep the receipts. However, we recommend keeping them until the review in Circula has been completed.
Can I use the meal allowance when working from home?
Yes. When working from home, Circula Lunch can be used under the same conditions.
Can I use the meal allowance while on short-time work?
Yes. The allowance only does not apply in the case of “Kurzarbeit 0”, meaning 100% loss of working hours.
Can I use Circula Lunch when I am on a business trip?
No! On a business trip, per diems can be paid out, the subsidy through meal vouchers is therefore not possible here.
Can I use Circula Lunch on days with short external appointments?
If the employee has both worked away from their regular place of work and worked at their regular place of work on the same day, they can use Circula Lunch on that day if they have not claimed a tax-free meal allowance and the external work activity lasted less than 8 hours.
Can I submit receipts from abroad?
The submitting employee’s first place of work must be in Germany, and the employee must be subject to tax and social security contributions in Germany. In addition, the employee must not be on a business trip.
If these requirements are met, the employee can submit receipts from abroad.
How do I receive the reimbursement from my employer?
The reimbursement is paid in the following month together with your salary. You therefore receive the allowance directly into your bank account.
Are there any costs for me as an employee?
No. The usage costs for Circula are covered by your employer. For you as an employee, your net salary simply increases.
Will my data be saved when I change my smartphone?
Yes, your data will be saved in the Circula app. You can log in with your new smartphone.
Can I withdraw from this agreement at a later date?
If you decide in the future that you no longer want to use Circula Lunch, simply contact your company’s HR department.
Will my data be treated confidentially?
Yes. Circula ensures that your data is secure. You can find all information about data protection at Circula here.
📝 Note
You can find further information about the legal background and details in our article "Meal Allowance | Legal Background"
Do you still have questions?
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