errorcountryDEUXRechnung (Germany)

BR-DE-18:Invalid Skonto (Cash Discount) Format

Fix: Invoice Navigator automatically fixes this Invoice compliance issue by updating the relevant XML elements (BR-DE-18). Upload your invoice to fix this automatically.

XRechnung Skonto (early payment discount) lines in PaymentTerms must follow the required format: #SKONTO#TAGE=n#PROZENT=n.nn#BASISBETRAG=n.nn#

Severity
Fatal
Rule set
XRechnung (Germany)
Country
DEU
Fix type
AUTO-FIX
Confidence
80%
Category
structural

Engine Classification

Ensure seller contact email is present for XRechnung compliance

Confidence: 80% · Applied automatically in pipeline

What is BR-DE-18?

BR-DE-18 is a fatal validation rule defined in the XRechnung (Germany) specification (DEU national rules). It validates the ElectronicMail element under Party > Contact 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:AccountingSupplierParty/cac:Party/cac:Contact/cbc:ElectronicMail

Fix this error

Why This Error Matters

Invoice rejected. German payment discount terms must follow the exact format specification.

BR-DE-18 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
  • ·Rejected by XRechnung endpoints
  • ·Error returned: BR-DE-18
  • ·Specification: XRechnung (Germany)

How to Fix It

1.

Identify Skonto line

Find #SKONTO# in PaymentTerms/Note

2.

Correct format

Use #SKONTO#TAGE=14#PROZENT=2.00#BASISBETRAG=100.00#

Before / After

Failing XML
<Invoice>
  <!-- Issue: XRechnung Skonto lines must match the required regex pattern -->
</Invoice>
Corrected XML
<Invoice>
  <!-- Issue resolved per XRechnung (Germany) -->
</Invoice>

Technical Reference

XPath//cac:AccountingSupplierParty/cac:Party/cac:Contact/cbc:ElectronicMail
SpecXRechnung (Germany)
Operationset_default
StrategyEnsure seller contact email is present for XRechnung compliance

Common Causes

  • ·Skonto (cash discount) format invalid
  • ·PaymentTerms/Note does not match required regex
  • ·German early payment discount incorrectly formatted
  • ·Skonto line missing required #TAGE#PROZENT# format
  • ·Cash discount terms not in XRechnung specification

Seeing this in production? The API handles BR-DE-18 automatically. See the fix response →

Frequently Asked Questions

XRechnung requires Skonto (cash discount) lines to follow a specific format: #SKONTO#TAGE=days#PROZENT=percentage#BASISBETRAG=amount# (BASISBETRAG is optional).

Reformat the Skonto line in PaymentTerms/Note to: #SKONTO#TAGE=14#PROZENT=2.00# (for 2% discount within 14 days).

Skonto is the German term for early payment discount. It specifies the discount percentage and number of days within which payment must be made to receive the discount.

Yes, Invoice Navigator can automatically reformat invalid Skonto lines to the correct pattern.

Related Errors

BR-DE-17Invalid XRechnung Invoice Type Code

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Answers
What are the differences between e-invoice formats?Which EU countries have e-invoicing mandates and what are the deadlines?

Last updated: 7 April 2026

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