errorbusinessEN 16931

BR-47:Line allowance amount required

Fix: Add Amount to line allowances/charges. Upload your invoice to fix this automatically.

Line-level AllowanceCharge must include the Amount element.

Severity
Fatal
Rule set
EN 16931
Country
All EU
Fix type
AUTO-FIX
Confidence
80%
Category
tax

Engine Classification

Add default VAT category code S to tax breakdown when missing

Confidence: 80% · Applied automatically in pipeline

What is BR-47?

BR-47 is a fatal validation rule defined in the EN 16931 specification. It validates the ID element under TaxSubtotal > TaxCategory in the UBL invoice XML.

When this rule fires, the invoice is rejected by Peppol access points and never reaches the buyer.

Target path: //cac:TaxTotal/cac:TaxSubtotal/cac:TaxCategory/cbc:ID

Why This Error Matters

Invoice rejected. Tax authorities require proper VAT categorization.

BR-47 is a hard failure — the invoice must be corrected and re-sent before it can reach the recipient.

Invoice Navigator can automatically correct this error in your pipeline. The fix is applied with full audit evidence, so your compliance trail remains intact.

Validator Behavior

  • ·Causes invoice rejection
  • ·Error returned: BR-47
  • ·Specification: EN 16931

How to Fix It

1.

Add amount

The discount or surcharge value

2.

Include currency

currencyID attribute required

3.

Calculate base

Optional BaseAmount for percentage calculation

Before / After

Failing XML
<cac:TaxSubtotal>
  <!-- cbc:TaxableAmount is missing -->
</cac:TaxSubtotal>
Corrected XML
<cac:TaxSubtotal>
  <cbc:TaxableAmount>valid-value</cbc:TaxableAmount>
</cac:TaxSubtotal>

Technical Reference

XPath//cac:TaxTotal/cac:TaxSubtotal/cac:TaxCategory/cbc:ID
SpecEN 16931
Operationset_default
StrategyAdd default VAT category code S to tax breakdown when missing

Code Example

<cac:AllowanceCharge>
  <cbc:ChargeIndicator>false</cbc:ChargeIndicator>
  <cbc:Amount currencyID="EUR">10.00</cbc:Amount>
  <cbc:BaseAmount currencyID="EUR">100.00</cbc:BaseAmount>
</cac:AllowanceCharge>

Common Causes

  • ·VAT breakdown missing category code (ID)
  • ·TaxCategory/ID not mapped in tax subtotal
  • ·Tax calculation without category assignment
  • ·Export template missing VAT category code field
  • ·Category code stored as description not code

Seeing this in production? The API handles BR-47 automatically. See the fix response →

Commonly Seen In

All invoicing software

Frequently Asked Questions

Line-level AllowanceCharge must include the Amount element.

Add Amount to line allowances/charges. You can also use Invoice Navigator's automatic Fixer tool to correct this instantly.

Yes, BR-47 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-47 can be automatically corrected using Invoice Navigator's Fixer tool. Upload your invoice and the tool will identify and fix common issues, including line allowance amount required.

BR-47 is commonly seen in exports from All invoicing software. These software packages sometimes generate invoices that need adjustment to meet full compliance standards.

Related Errors

Related Content

Last updated: 27 February 2026

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