Validate an invoice against EN 16931
Check supported UBL or CII e-invoices against EN 16931, with guidance on returned findings. Free within the daily limit.
In short
Check an invoice against its applicable EN 16931 and national rule set. Read each finding and guidance on what to correct. Free, 5 a day without an account.
Klarbon's EN 16931 validator checks a UBL or CII e-invoice against the business rules of the European standard EN 16931, the shared core of XRechnung, Peppol BIS, ZUGFeRD, Factur-X and other national formats. Returned findings include rule codes and guidance where available. When the file declares a supported national or network specification, Klarbon selects that rule set. Checking is in beta. Free for five checks a day.
What is EN 16931?
EN 16931 is the European standard for the content of an electronic invoice: which business terms an invoice has, such as BT-1 invoice number, and the rules between them. The European Commission provides access to the standard. The Commission lists bindings for UBL 2.1, CII D16B and UN/EDIFACT INVOIC D16B. Klarbon supports the first two, not EDIFACT. More in what is EN 16931.
Which rules are checked?
Klarbon uses the pinned EN 16931 1.3.17 artefacts for supported UBL 2.1 and CII D16B files (published artefacts). It does not claim validation against every revision of the standard. The rule groups include:
| Group | Checks | Example |
|---|---|---|
| BR- | required fields and structure | BR-02: an invoice must have an invoice number |
| BR-CO- | calculations and consistency | BR-CO-10: line net amounts add up to the sum of lines |
| BR-CL- | values from official code lists | currency, country and unit codes |
| BR-S-, BR-E-, BR-AE- and others | rules per VAT category | standard rate, exempt, reverse charge |
| BR-DEC- | decimal places of amounts | at most two decimals on totals |
How do I validate a file?
- Upload the UBL or CII file, or a ZUGFeRD or Factur-X PDF.
- Read the report. Returned findings show rule codes, with business terms and correction guidance where available.
- Correct and check again, or use Fix for one credit.
Is EN 16931 enough?
An EN 16931 pass does not guarantee that a public body will accept the invoice. The recipient may require a national or network specification and a particular delivery route, such as XRechnung or Peppol BIS. Klarbon selects supported rule sets from the file's declaration. It does not check every national specification; French national rules require selecting France.
What happens to my file?
It is sent to Klarbon's servers, validated in memory and deleted after the request. See what happens to my files.
What does it cost?
Free: five checks a day without an account, twenty with a free account, up to 2,000 a day on Pro and Bookkeeper. See prices.
Related
Frequently asked questions
How do I check an invoice against EN 16931?
Upload the UBL or CII file to Klarbon's EN 16931 validator. It applies the standard's business rules and reports returned findings with guidance where available.
Is EN 16931 validation enough?
A recipient can require additional national or network rules, such as XRechnung or Peppol BIS. Klarbon selects supported rule sets from the file's declaration; French national rules require selecting France.
What do BR, BR-CO and BR-CL mean?
They are groups of EN 16931 rules. BR rules require fields, BR-CO rules check calculations and consistency, BR-CL rules check codes against official code lists.
Which syntaxes does EN 16931 cover?
The Commission lists syntax bindings for UBL 2.1, UN/CEFACT CII D16B and UN/EDIFACT INVOIC D16B. Klarbon checks supported UBL and CII files, not EDIFACT.