errorEN 16931

BR-50:A Payment account identifier (BT-84) shall be present if Credit transfer...

A Payment account identifier (BT-84) shall be present if Credit transfer (BG-17) information is provided.. This applies to the `cbc:ID` element in the 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: Quantity precision affects pricing accuracy and inventory counts. Rounding changes could cause discrepancies with order systems.

What is BR-50?

BR-50 is a fatal validation rule defined in the EN 16931 specification. It validates the InvoicedQuantity element 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: //cbc:InvoicedQuantity

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

Why This Error Matters

Invoice rejected. Buyer cannot make payment without knowing the destination account.

BR-50 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-50
  • ·Specification: EN 16931

How to Fix It

1.

Check precision

Up to 6 decimal places allowed

2.

Unit matters

KGM may need 3 decimals, C62 typically whole numbers

3.

Avoid excess

Dont use more precision than meaningful

Before / After

Failing XML
<cac:PayeeFinancialAccount>
  <cbc:ID><!-- invalid or missing value --></cbc:ID>
</cac:PayeeFinancialAccount>
Corrected XML
<cac:PayeeFinancialAccount>
  <cbc:ID>correct-value</cbc:ID>
</cac:PayeeFinancialAccount>

Technical Reference

XPathXPath: //cbc:InvoicedQuantity
SpecEN 16931
StrategyBLOCKED: This is sensitive banking information (IBAN/account number). We never auto-fill payment credentials - incorrect data could route payments to wrong account. Must come from verified source.

Code Example

<cbc:InvoicedQuantity unitCode="KGM">12.500</cbc:InvoicedQuantity>
<cbc:InvoicedQuantity unitCode="C62">10</cbc:InvoicedQuantity>

Common Causes

  • ·Credit transfer details without account identifier
  • ·PayeeFinancialAccount/ID not mapped
  • ·Bank details section missing IBAN field
  • ·Payment account number field empty
  • ·Account stored in wrong field in source system

Seeing this in production? The API handles BR-50 automatically. See the fix response →

Commonly Seen In

All invoicing software

Frequently Asked Questions

Quantity values should use appropriate decimal precision.

Use appropriate precision for quantities. You can also use Invoice Navigator's automatic Fixer tool to correct this instantly.

BR-50 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-50 can be automatically corrected using Invoice Navigator's Fixer tool. Upload your invoice and the tool will identify and fix common issues, including quantity decimal precision.

BR-50 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

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