E-invoice validation rules, in plain language
When an e-invoice is refused, the check names a rule number and nothing else. This is what the number means, why files fail it, and what to change.
These 20 are the rules real invoices break most often. That was measured rather than guessed: a valid invoice was broken in 28 different ways that invoices are genuinely wrong in practice, and every one was put through the official validator.
German additional rules (XRechnung)
- BR-DE-15Your customer's reference is missingYour invoice is missing the buyer reference (BT-10). For a German public body this is the Leitweg-ID.
- BR-DE-1The invoice does not say how to pay itThe invoice is missing the payment instructions block (BG-16), which states the means of payment.
- BR-DE-19The IBAN does not look like a real IBANWarningFor a SEPA credit transfer (code 58) the account field (BT-84) must hold a formally valid IBAN. This is a warning, not an error.
- BR-DE-8Your customer's town is missingYour customer's address has no town or city (BT-52). XRechnung requires one.
- BR-DE-9Your customer's postcode is missingYour customer's address has no postcode (BT-53). XRechnung requires one.
- BR-DE-17The document type code is not allowed in XRechnungWarningXRechnung permits only eight values for the document type code (BT-3), and yours is not one of them. This is a warning, not an error.
European norm EN 16931
- BR-CO-15The gross total is not net plus VATThe total with VAT (BT-112) does not equal the total without VAT (BT-109) plus the VAT amount (BT-110).
- BR-CO-16The amount due does not match the invoice totalThe amount due (BT-115) does not equal the gross total minus what has already been paid, plus rounding.
- BR-CO-25There is no due date and no payment termsIf something is still to be paid, the invoice must say when: either a due date (BT-9) or payment terms (BT-20).
- BR-06Your own company name is missingThe invoice does not name the seller (BT-27).
- BR-07Your customer's name is missingThe invoice does not name the buyer (BT-44).
- BR-02The invoice number is missingThe invoice carries no invoice number (BT-1).
- BR-04The document type is missingThe invoice does not say what kind of document it is (BT-3): an invoice, a credit note or a partial invoice.
- BR-09Your own country is missing from the addressYour own address does not carry a country code (BT-40).
- BR-61A transfer with no account to transfer toThe invoice states a credit transfer as the payment means (BT-81) but gives no account (BT-84).
- BR-CO-10The line items do not add up to the totalThe sum of line net amounts (BT-106) does not equal the individual line amounts (BT-131) added together.
- BR-CO-17The tax amount does not match the tax rateThe VAT amount (BT-117) does not equal the taxable amount (BT-116) times the rate (BT-119).
- BR-CO-18The VAT breakdown is missing entirelyThe invoice contains no VAT breakdown group (BG-23). At least one is always required.
- BR-S-01A standard-rated line with no matching tax groupAt least one line is standard-rated, but the VAT breakdown contains no standard-rated group.
- BR-S-05A standard rate of zero per centA line is marked standard-rated but carries a VAT rate of zero.
Your rule is not here? Run your file through the validator. It names every rule the file breaks, including the ones without a page yet.