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Fatal

BR-FR-DEC-04_BT-96_BT-103: Invalid VAT rate on an invoice discount or charge

In short

Fatal: fails the selected checks.

BR-FR-DEC-04_BT-96_BT-103 means the VAT rate on your discount or charge fails the required number check. Use zero or a positive value, without a minus sign or percent sign, with at most two decimal places, a dot for decimals and at most four characters excluding the dot.

On this page

What it means

In UBL, the checked field is cac:AllowanceCharge/cac:TaxCategory/cbc:Percent for any discount or charge, including line discounts or charges. CII checks the corresponding document-level rates. The check requires a non-negative value with at most two decimal places and four characters excluding the decimal point. It allows zero but does not determine which VAT treatment applies.

Why it matters

Software needs a readable VAT rate for the discount or charge. This rule imposes a format and sign requirement; it does not establish the appropriate VAT category or rate.

How to fix it

Correct BT-96 or BT-103 on the affected document-level discount or charge, or cbc:Percent under cac:AllowanceCharge/cac:TaxCategory for a UBL line discount or charge. Remove percent signs and grouping separators, and use a dot within the decimal and length limits. Zero is allowed. Do not invent a positive rate to remove the error. Recheck the corrected file.

Once the file is corrected, check it again for free: Check an e-invoice

The rule as published

Le taux de TVA « … » est invalide. Il doit : - être un nombre strictement positif (sans signe « - »), - comporter au plus 2 décimales (séparateur « . »), - contenir au maximum 4 caractères (hors séparateur). Veuillez corriger ce taux pour respecter le format requis.

Where France CTC (CII) run it, the rule reads:

BR-FR-DEC-04/BT-96 ou BT-103 : Le taux de TVA « … » est invalide. Il doit : - être un nombre strictement positif (sans signe « - »), - comporter au plus 2 décimales (séparateur « . »), - contenir au maximum 4 caractères (hors séparateur). Veuillez corriger ce taux pour respecter le format requis.

Where this rule applies

Rule set Version
France CTC (UBL invoice) 1.4.0-04
France CTC (UBL credit note) 1.4.0-04
France CTC (CII) 1.4.0-04
Rule text from phive-rules 4.6.4.

Check your file

Drop your e-invoice to see whether BR-FR-DEC-04_BT-96_BT-103 still fails, and which other rules do.

Updated 8 November 2026