Error Guide

🇩🇪 BR-DE-31: SEPA debtor account required in Germany

ErrorMandatoryManual Fix

SEPA direct debit requires debtor IBAN.

Quick Facts

Severity

Error (rejection)

Ruleset

XRechnung (Germany)

Mandate

B2B Mandatory

Fix Type

Manual

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. Auto-remediates 89% of top rejection errors.

How to Fix BR-DE-31

1
Add debtor account
PayerFinancialAccount/ID
2
Use IBAN
Valid IBAN of the debtor

Example: Before & After

Before (invalid)

<Invoice>
  <!-- Issue: German SEPA direct debit requires buyer bank account. -->
</Invoice>

After (fixed)

<Invoice>
  <!-- Issue resolved per XRechnung (Germany) -->
</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

•Direct debit selected but buyer IBAN not provided
•IBAN stored in customer master data not linked to invoice
•Buyer has not provided their bank details for direct debit
•ERP system does not populate IBAN on invoice automatically
•Privacy settings prevent IBAN from being included

Fix BR-DE-31 automatically

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

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