errorEN 16931

BR-31:Each Document level allowance (BG-20) shall have a Document level allowance...

Each Document level allowance (BG-20) shall have a Document level allowance amount (BT-92).. Check the `cac:AllowanceCharge` element in your invoice XML.

Severity
Fatal
Rule set
EN 16931
Country
All EU
Fix type
BLOCKED

Engine Classification

Financial or legal field · Modification blocked by policy

Reason: Payment terms affect cash flow and contractual obligations. Due dates must be set according to your business agreements.

What is BR-31?

BR-31 is a fatal validation rule defined in the EN 16931 specification. It validates the Note element under Invoice > PaymentTerms 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/cbc:DueDate or /Invoice/cac:PaymentTerms/cbc:Note

This error requires manual correction — financial fields are protected by policy.Test This Error ↓

Why This Error Matters

Invoice rejected. Cannot calculate invoice totals without allowance amounts.

BR-31 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-31
  • ·Specification: EN 16931

How to Fix It

1.

Add DueDate

Specific date in YYYY-MM-DD format

2.

Or PaymentTerms

Describe terms like Net 30

3.

Calculate from issue

DueDate = IssueDate + payment terms

Before / After

Failing XML
<Invoice>
  <!-- cac:AllowanceCharge is missing -->
</Invoice>
Corrected XML
<Invoice>
  <cac:AllowanceCharge>valid-value</cac:AllowanceCharge>
</Invoice>

Technical Reference

XPathXPath: /Invoice/cbc:DueDate or /Invoice/cac:PaymentTerms/cbc:Note
SpecEN 16931
StrategyBLOCKED: This is a monetary amount. We cannot guess what the allowance should be - it could be a fixed amount, percentage, or negotiated discount. Source system must provide.

Code Example

<cbc:DueDate>2025-01-18</cbc:DueDate>
<cac:PaymentTerms>
  <cbc:Note>Payment due within 30 days</cbc:Note>
</cac:PaymentTerms>

Common Causes

  • ·Document allowance added without amount value
  • ·AllowanceCharge/Amount field not mapped in export
  • ·Percentage discount without base amount to calculate
  • ·Allowance template missing amount field
  • ·Zero-value allowance exported with null instead of 0

Seeing this in production? The API handles BR-31 automatically. See the fix response →

Commonly Seen In

All invoicing software

Frequently Asked Questions

The invoice should specify when payment is due.

Add DueDate or describe terms in PaymentTerms. You can also use Invoice Navigator's automatic Fixer tool to correct this instantly.

BR-31 is a warning that may not always cause rejection, but it indicates a potential compliance issue that should be addressed to ensure full compatibility.

Many instances of BR-31 can be automatically corrected using Invoice Navigator's Fixer tool. Upload your invoice and the tool will identify and fix common issues, including payment due date recommended.

BR-31 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

EN 16931 Validator

Check your invoice now

Related Errors

BR-03

Invoice must have an issue date

BR-30

Invoice line period end date before start date

Last updated: 27 February 2026

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