BT-81Payment means type codeBT-91Debited account identifier
Official rule text
[BR-DE-20] "Debited account identifier" (BT-91) shall contain a valid IBAN if "Payment means type code" (BT-81) requests SEPA as the means of payment with code 59.
Official text (German): "Debited account identifier" (BT-91) soll eine korrekte IBAN enthalten, wenn in "Payment means type code" (BT-81) mit dem Code 59 SEPA als Zahlungsmittel gefordert wird.
Why this error occurs
The value is present but does not match the required pattern: wrong date format, an IBAN with a wrong check digit, an e-mail address without a valid structure, a URL without scheme, or a text with forbidden characters.
How to fix it
Correct the value so it matches the format named in the rule: dates as YYYY-MM-DD in UBL and YYYYMMDD with format="102" in CII, IBANs without spaces and with a valid checksum, e-mail addresses with exactly one @, URLs starting with http:// or https://.
What the validator checks
Checked element (context):
UBL
/ubl:Invoice/cac:PaymentMeans[normalize-space(cbc:PaymentMeansCode) = '59'] | /cn:CreditNote/cac:PaymentMeans[normalize-space(cbc:PaymentMeansCode) = '59']Test (XPath):
not(normalize-space(cbc:PaymentMeansCode) = '59') or xr:checkIBAN(string(cac:PaymentMandate/cac:PayerFinancialAccount/cbc:ID))CII
/rsm:CrossIndustryInvoice/rsm:SupplyChainTradeTransaction/ram:ApplicableHeaderTradeSettlement/ram:SpecifiedTradeSettlementPaymentMeans[normalize-space(ram:TypeCode) = '59']Test (XPath):
not(normalize-space(ram:TypeCode) = '59') or xr:checkIBAN(string(ram:PayerPartyDebtorFinancialAccount/ram:IBANID))Check your invoice
Drop your XML or PDF on the validator and every failed rule is linked to its page here. Free, no account, the file is not stored.
Same check via API:
curl -F file=@invoice.xml https://einvoicechecker.com/v1/validateRelated rules
BR-DE-19Payment account identifier (BT-84) is not a valid IBANBR-DE-23-aCredit transfer selected but no payee account (BG-17)BR-DE-23-bIf BT-81 "Payment means type code" contains a code for credit transfers (30, 58),…BR-DE-24-aIf BT-81 "Payment means type code" contains a code for card payments (48, 54, 55),…BR-DE-24-bIf BT-81 "Payment means type code" contains a code for card payments (48, 54, 55),…BR-DE-25-aIf BT-81 "Payment means type code" contains a code for direct debits (59), exactly…BR-DE-25-bIf BT-81 "Payment means type code" contains a code for direct debits (59), BG-17 and…BR-DE-30If "DIRECT DEBIT" BG-19 is present, "Bank assigned creditor identifier" BT-90 must be…
Frequently asked questions
What does BR-DE-20 mean?
BR-DE-20 is a xrechnung rule: "Debited account identifier" (BT-91) shall contain a valid IBAN if "Payment means type code" (BT-81) requests SEPA as the means of payment with code 59.
Will my invoice be rejected because of BR-DE-20?
No. BR-DE-20 is a warning: the invoice is accepted but the recipient sees the notice. Fix it anyway, warnings often become errors in later rule versions.
Which formats does BR-DE-20 apply to?
XRechnung in UBL or CII syntax, including ZUGFeRD / Factur-X PDFs with the XRECHNUNG profile. Invoices to German public authorities (federal, state and municipal) must pass it. Syntax: UBL and CII.
Source: XRechnung 3.0.2, schematron 2.6.0 (KoSIT, September 2026). Catalogue generated from the official schematron on 2026-10-14.