CII-SR-176: Invoice lines should not give a consumption report reference

What it means

The delivery details of an invoice line (SpecifiedLineTradeDelivery in the XML) should not contain a ConsumptionReportReferencedDocument. That element refers to a report of what was consumed, such as metered usage. EN 16931 has no consumption report reference.

Why it matters

The check is a warning, so the invoice is not rejected. A consumption report reference on a line is outside what EN 16931 software reads, so it is usually ignored and the buyer may never see it. It is worth fixing if the buyer needs the report to check the quantities, or if your recipient wants a file without warnings.

How to fix it

Clear the report reference from the lines in your invoicing software, or switch the export to the EN 16931 profile instead of an extended one. If the buyer needs the report, attach it to the whole invoice as an attachment (BG-24), or name it in a note. If you build the XML yourself, delete the ConsumptionReportReferencedDocument block from the line's SpecifiedLineTradeDelivery.

The rule as published

ConsumptionReportReferencedDocument should not be present

Where this rule applies