BR-13:Invoice total without VAT required
The invoice must state the amount due for payment (PayableAmount).
Engine Classification
Financial or legal field · Modification blocked by policy
Reason: Invoice totals require manual verification. Automatic changes could cause calculation cascades affecting tax amounts, line totals, and compliance. Please verify all amounts in your source system.
What is BR-13?
BR-13 is a fatal validation rule defined in the EN 16931 specification. It validates the PayableAmount element under Invoice > LegalMonetaryTotal in the UBL invoice XML.
When this rule fires, the invoice is non-compliant and will be rejected by Peppol access points and national validation services. The sending system receives a rejection response and the invoice does not reach the buyer.
Target path: XPath: /Invoice/cac:LegalMonetaryTotal/cbc:PayableAmount
Why This Error Matters
Invoice rejected. This amount is the basis for VAT calculation and payment processing.
BR-13 is a hard failure. Invoices that trigger this rule are rejected at the access point and never reach the recipient. In Peppol networks, this means your sending system receives an MLR (Message Level Response) with a rejection status. The invoice must be corrected and re-sent, adding delay to your payment cycle.
Validator Behavior
- ·Causes invoice rejection
- ·Error returned: BR-13
- ·Specification: EN 16931
How to Fix It
Start with tax inclusive
Use TaxInclusiveAmount as base
Subtract prepayments
Deduct any PrepaidAmount
Set payable
Result is the PayableAmount
Before / After
<cbc:TaxExclusiveAmount currencyID="EUR"></cbc:TaxExclusiveAmount>
<cbc:TaxExclusiveAmount currencyID="EUR">1000.00</cbc:TaxExclusiveAmount>
Technical Reference
XPath: /Invoice/cac:LegalMonetaryTotal/cbc:PayableAmountCode Example
<cbc:PayableAmount currencyID="EUR">1210.00</cbc:PayableAmount>Common Causes
- ·Tax exclusive amount not calculated by source system
- ·Export missing TaxExclusiveAmount in monetary totals
- ·ERP didn't compute subtotal before tax
- ·Amount fields not mapped correctly in export
- ·Discount/charges not factored into pre-tax total
Seeing this in production? The API handles BR-13 automatically. See the fix response →
Commonly Seen In
Frequently Asked Questions
The invoice must state the amount due for payment (PayableAmount).
Add PayableAmount = TaxInclusiveAmount - PrepaidAmount. You can also use Invoice Navigator's automatic Fixer tool to correct this instantly.
Yes, BR-13 is a critical error that will cause invoice rejection. It must be fixed before submission to ensure your invoice is accepted by the recipient's system.
Many instances of BR-13 can be automatically corrected using Invoice Navigator's Fixer tool. Upload your invoice and the tool will identify and fix common issues, including payable amount is required.
BR-13 is commonly seen in exports from All invoicing software. These software packages sometimes generate invoices that need adjustment to meet full compliance standards.
See Also
Related Errors
Last updated: 27 February 2026
Handle BR-13 Automatically in Your Pipeline
The compliance engine auto-remediates this error with controlled safety policies and evidence pack generation.