BR-DE-19: IBAN for SEPA credit transfer is invalid

A rule from XRechnung, the German national specification (CIUS) of EN 16931. What the message means and how to fix it.

What the message means

If the payment means code is 58 (SEPA credit transfer, BT-81 “Payment means type code”), BT-84 “Payment account identifier” should contain a valid IBAN, including its check digits. The rule is a warning, but many receivers do not process an invoice with a wrong IBAN automatically.

How to fix it

Enter the IBAN without spaces, for example DE02120300000000202051 instead of “DE02 1203 0000 …”. Transposed digits fail the check digits; compare the IBAN with your bank statement.

Where the field is in the file

UBL: cac:PaymentMeans/cac:PayeeFinancialAccount/cbc:ID
CII: ram:SpecifiedTradeSettlementPaymentMeans/ram:PayeePartyCreditorFinancialAccount/ram:IBANID

The rule applies only to invoices that declare XRechnung in the specification identifier (BT-24), for example invoices to German public authorities. For Peppol BIS, ZUGFeRD or a plain EN 16931 invoice it does not apply. The original rule text in the KoSIT files is German.

Check the invoice again: The free validator runs the official KoSIT rule files (EN 16931 rules for UBL and CII, plus the German XRechnung rules) in your browser. Your invoice never leaves your computer, and the report links to the English explanations.

All error codes

Technical notes on the data format, not tax or legal advice. Whether VAT rate, supply and amounts are correct in substance is a question for your tax adviser.