A Leitweg-ID is the routing address of a German public body for e-invoices. It tells the receiving portal which authority, and which office within it, the invoice is for. You put it in the buyer reference (BT-10) of an XRechnung. Your public customer gives it to you, usually in the order. Use a Leitweg-ID when that recipient requires one.
How is a Leitweg-ID built?
It has three parts, joined by hyphens (KoSIT specification):
| Part | Required | Length | What |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coarse address (Grobadressierung) | yes | 2 to 12 digits | federal state or federal government, then district and municipality codes |
| Fine address (Feinadressierung) | no | up to 30 letters or digits | the office within the body |
| Check number (Prüfziffer) | yes | 2 digits | catches typing errors |
A Leitweg-ID is between 5 and 46 characters long. The specification's own example is 04011000-1234512345-06: coarse address 04011000, fine address 1234512345 and check number 06. The check number is calculated from the other two parts with the ISO/IEC 7064 modulo 97-10 method, the same as an IBAN's. Do not put the example on an invoice; use the ID your customer gives you.
Since 2019 the Leitweg-ID is registered as an identification scheme under ISO/IEC 6523 with the code 0204, so it can also serve as a Peppol participant ID.
Where does it go?
In an XRechnung, in the buyer reference, business term BT-10. A missing buyer reference can fail XRechnung checks; a reference that passes the syntax checks may still name the wrong recipient. See why e-invoices are rejected.
What can Klarbon do here?
Validate an XRechnung to see whether the buyer reference is there, and create an XRechnung with a field for it. Klarbon cannot tell whether a Leitweg-ID belongs to your customer; only they can.
Related
Frequently asked questions
Where do I find the Leitweg-ID?
Your public customer gives it to you, usually in the order or contract. It is not public in general, so ask the body you invoice if it is missing.
Where does the Leitweg-ID go in an XRechnung?
In the buyer reference, business term BT-10.
Do businesses need a Leitweg-ID?
Not for invoices to other businesses. The Leitweg-ID addresses German public bodies. Between businesses, the buyer reference holds whatever reference your customer asks for.
How long is a Leitweg-ID?
Between 5 and 46 characters. It has a coarse address of 2 to 12 digits, an optional fine address of up to 30 characters, and a two-digit check number, joined by hyphens.
Sources
- KoSIT, Leitweg-ID format specification 2.0.2 (PDF, in German) xeinkauf.de
- XStandards Einkauf, documents xeinkauf.de