BR-CO-24:Invoice Line Charge Reason Required
Each Invoice line charge (BG-28) shall contain an Invoice line charge reason (BT-144) or an Invoice line charge reason code (BT-145), or both.
Engine Classification
Add default line charge reason code AAA when both reason text and code are missing
Confidence: 85% · Applied automatically in pipeline
What is BR-CO-24?
BR-CO-24 is a fatal validation rule defined in the EN 16931 specification. It validates the AllowanceChargeReasonCode element under AllowanceCharge 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: //cac:InvoiceLine/cac:AllowanceCharge[cbc:ChargeIndicator='true' and not(cbc:AllowanceChargeReason) and not(cbc:AllowanceChargeReasonCode)]/cbc:AllowanceChargeReasonCode
Why This Error Matters
Invoice rejected. Line-level charges must be explained for verification.
BR-CO-24 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.
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-CO-24
- ·Specification: EN 16931
How to Fix It
Locate the line charge
Find the InvoiceLine/AllowanceCharge element with ChargeIndicator=true that is missing a reason
Add reason code
Add AllowanceChargeReasonCode with a valid UNTDID 7161 code (e.g., ABK=Miscellaneous, FC=Freight, AAA=Advertising)
Optionally add reason text
Add AllowanceChargeReason with a description like 'Miscellaneous charge' or 'Handling fee'
Before / After
<cac:InvoiceLine> <cac:AllowanceCharge>INVALID_CODE</cac:AllowanceCharge> </cac:InvoiceLine>
<cac:InvoiceLine> <cac:AllowanceCharge>VALID_CODE</cac:AllowanceCharge> </cac:InvoiceLine>
Technical Reference
//cac:InvoiceLine/cac:AllowanceCharge[cbc:ChargeIndicator='true' and not(cbc:AllowanceChargeReason) and not(cbc:AllowanceChargeReasonCode)]/cbc:AllowanceChargeReasonCodeCommon Causes
- ·Line charge has no reason text or code
- ·Line AllowanceCharge (charge) missing reason fields
- ·Line surcharge added without explanation
- ·Template missing line charge reason fields
- ·Generic line charge without categorization
Seeing this in production? The API handles BR-CO-24 automatically. See the fix response →
Frequently Asked Questions
BR-CO-24 occurs when an invoice line has a charge (surcharge) in BG-28 but neither the reason text (BT-144) nor reason code (BT-145) is provided. EN16931 requires at least one of these fields.
Add either an AllowanceChargeReasonCode (BT-145) like ABK for Miscellaneous, or an AllowanceChargeReason (BT-144) text description, or both. Invoice Navigator can auto-fix this by adding the default code ABK.
Yes, BR-CO-24 is an error that will cause invoice rejection. EN16931 requires every line charge to have either a reason code or reason text to explain the surcharge.
Yes. Invoice Navigator can automatically add the default reason code ABK (Miscellaneous) to line charges missing a reason. This is a safe, non-financial fix that simply adds explanatory metadata.
See Also
Related Errors
Last updated: 27 February 2026
Handle BR-CO-24 Automatically in Your Pipeline
The compliance engine auto-remediates this error with controlled safety policies and evidence pack generation.