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.Get API Access

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

Add DueDate

Specific date in YYYY-MM-DD format

Or PaymentTerms

Describe terms like Net 30

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 the required `cac:AllowanceCharge` element to your Invoice. Ensure it contains a valid value per EN 16931. This error involves a protected field — Invoice Navigator flags it in your pipeline so your team can correct it at the source.

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.

BR-31 involves a financial or legal field that cannot be auto-modified by policy. Invoice Navigator detects and flags this error immediately, but the correction must be made manually in your ERP or invoicing software.

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.

Detect BR-31 Before Submission

This error involves a financial or legal field that cannot be auto-modified. The compliance engine flags it immediately with a clear diagnosis so your team can fix it at the source.

Get API Access View API Documentation

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