Error Guide

🇩🇪 BR-DE-26: A credit note or corrective invoice must reference the original invoice it... in Germany

ErrorMandatoryNeeds Input

A credit note or corrective invoice must reference the original invoice it is correcting. The preceding invoice reference field is required when the invoice type indicates a correction. This creates the audit trail needed for proper accounting.

Quick Facts

Severity

Error (rejection)

Ruleset

XRechnung (Germany)

Mandate

B2B Mandatory

Fix Type

Needs input

Why This Matters in Germany

Germany requires e-invoicing using XRechnung (UBL), XRechnung (CII), ZUGFeRD 2.x. Invoices with this error will be rejected. They cannot be processed for Germany compliance.

Invoice Navigator covers 147 XRechnung 3.0.2 rules for Germany.

How to Fix BR-DE-26

1
Identify the missing data
A credit note or corrective invoice must reference the original invoice it is correcting. The preceding invoice reference field is required when the invoice type indicates a correction. This creates the audit trail needed for proper accounting.
2
Provide the required value
This requires user input to resolve. Provide the correct value for `cac:BillingReference` (BG-3).
3
Re-validate your invoice
Upload the corrected invoice to confirm BR-DE-26 is resolved.

Example: Before & After

Before (invalid)

<Invoice>
  <cac:BillingReference>INVALID_CODE</cac:BillingReference>
</Invoice>

After (fixed)

<Invoice>
  <cac:BillingReference>VALID_CODE</cac:BillingReference>
</Invoice>

Germany E-Invoicing Requirements

Phase

Status

Scope

B2G

Live (Nov 2020)

All federal suppliers

B2B receiving

Live (Jan 2025)

All German businesses

B2B sending

Jan 2027

>€800K annual revenue

B2B sending

Jan 2028

All businesses

Common Causes

•Credit note created without linking to original invoice
•ERP system does not auto-populate reference when creating corrections
•Original invoice number unknown or lost
•Manual correction process bypasses reference requirement
•Invoice type code changed but reference not added

Fix BR-DE-26 automatically

Upload your invoice and let Invoice Navigator auto-remediate this error.

Try the Validator Germany Guide →