Glossary Term
BT-10

BT-10 Buyer Reference

BT-10 is a text identifier assigned by the buyer that the seller must include on the invoice for routing or reference purposes.

Quick Facts

data type
Text
cardinality
0..1
german requirement
Leitweg-ID mandatory for B2G

Definition

What is BT-10?

The Buyer Reference (BT-10) is an identifier that the buyer provides to the seller. The seller must include it on the invoice so the buyer can:

  • Route the invoice to the correct department

  • Match the invoice to a purchase order

  • Automate processing in their accounts payable system

    • When is it Mandatory?

    While EN16931 marks BT-10 as optional (0..1), many buyers and countries require it:

  • Germany (XRechnung): Mandatory — must contain the Leitweg-ID

  • Netherlands B2G: Often required for internal routing

  • Many corporate buyers: Required for purchase order matching

    • Common Examples

  • Purchase order numbers

  • Cost center codes

  • Project codes

  • Leitweg-ID (German government)

    • German B2G Requirement

    For XRechnung invoices to German government, BT-10 MUST contain a valid Leitweg-ID in the format: [Grobstruktur]-[Feinstruktur]-[Prüfziffer]

    XML Examples

    UBL (Peppol, XRechnung)

    <cbc:BuyerReference>PO-2024-00123</cbc:BuyerReference>

    CII (ZUGFeRD, Factur-X)

    <ram:BuyerReference>PO-2024-00123</ram:BuyerReference>