BR-DE – XRechnung

BR-DE-1: payment instructions (BG-16) missing in the XRechnung

ErrorXRechnung business rule (KoSIT)

Official message

[BR-DE-1] Eine Rechnung (INVOICE) muss Angaben zu "PAYMENT INSTRUCTIONS" (BG-16) enthalten.

Source: KoSIT XRechnung, version 3.0.2 (Schematron 2.6.0)

What the message means

The invoice says nothing about how it should be paid. The XRechnung standard requires payment instructions in every invoice: at least the payment means, and for a bank transfer the account to pay into. Recipients reject an XRechnung without this block because the payment cannot be triggered automatically. The invoice then counts as not properly submitted and is not paid.

How to fix it

Add the payment block with the payment means code from the UNTDID 4461 list: code 58 (SEPA credit transfer) with IBAN and account holder for a bank transfer, 59 for direct debit, 48 for card payment.

Before – invalid

<ubl:Invoice>
  <cbc:ID>RE-2026-0142</cbc:ID>
  <cac:LegalMonetaryTotal>
    <cbc:PayableAmount currencyID="EUR">1190.00</cbc:PayableAmount>
  </cac:LegalMonetaryTotal>
</ubl:Invoice>

After – corrected

<ubl:Invoice>
  <cbc:ID>RE-2026-0142</cbc:ID>
  <cac:PaymentMeans>
    <cbc:PaymentMeansCode>58</cbc:PaymentMeansCode>
    <cac:PayeeFinancialAccount>
      <cbc:ID>DE02120300000000202051</cbc:ID>
      <cbc:Name>Muster GmbH</cbc:Name>
    </cac:PayeeFinancialAccount>
  </cac:PaymentMeans>
  <cac:LegalMonetaryTotal>
    <cbc:PayableAmount currencyID="EUR">1190.00</cbc:PayableAmount>
  </cac:LegalMonetaryTotal>
</ubl:Invoice>

Frequently asked

Why does XRechnung require payment details when the bank account is printed on the PDF?

The receiving software processes only the XML data; a PDF or letterhead is never read. The payment means and the account must therefore be structured fields of the XRechnung.

Is a payment block without account details enough?

For BR-DE-1 yes: the rule only requires the group with the payment means. Whether account details (code 30 or 58), card details or a mandate (code 59) must go with it is checked by other rules.

Also seen when …

The invoicing software only fills the payment block when a bank account is stored in the master data.
The invoice was produced from a template without a payment means, such as a credit note template.
The PaymentMeans element was not mapped when exporting to UBL or CII.

Fields concerned

BG-16

Related rules

Check your invoice

The XRechnung validator reports this rule with the line number and location – right in your browser, without upload.

Open the XRechnung validator

Technical details

UBL · Context (XPath): /ubl:Invoice | /cn:CreditNote
UBL · Schematron test: cac:PaymentMeans
CII · Context (XPath): /rsm:CrossIndustryInvoice
CII · Schematron test: rsm:SupplyChainTradeTransaction/ram:ApplicableHeaderTradeSettlement/ram:SpecifiedTradeSettlementPaymentMeans

Explanation written on 14 September 2026