CII-SR-179: Invoice lines should not give an invoice issuer reference

What it means

The settlement details of an invoice line (SpecifiedLineTradeSettlement in the XML) should not contain an InvoiceIssuerReference. That element holds a reference chosen by the party that issues the invoice. EN 16931 has no such field on a line.

Why it matters

The check is a warning, so nothing is rejected. Software that reads only the EN 16931 fields does not look for this reference on a line, so it is usually ignored and the buyer may never see it. It is worth fixing if the buyer needs the reference, or if your recipient wants a file without warnings.

How to fix it

Clear the issuer 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 text, put it in the line note (BT-127), or use a reference for the whole invoice such as the sales order reference (BT-14). If you build the XML yourself, delete the InvoiceIssuerReference element from the line's SpecifiedLineTradeSettlement.

The rule as published

InvoiceIssuerReference should not be present

Where this rule applies