CII-SR-389: Do not number invoice-level discounts or charges

What it means

A discount or charge on the whole invoice (SpecifiedTradeAllowanceCharge in the settlement section) contains a SequenceNumeric element, a number that puts the discounts and charges in order. EN 16931 has no field for a position number on an invoice-level discount (BG-20) or charge (BG-21). This rule looks only at the whole invoice, not at a single line.

Why it matters

This is a warning, so the file is still accepted. The order of the discounts and charges does not change the totals, and the buyer's software does not read the number. It is worth fixing to keep the file clean.

How to fix it

Delete the SequenceNumeric element from each SpecifiedTradeAllowanceCharge in the settlement section. Invoicing software often adds it automatically when it numbers the rows of a list, so look for an option to leave out row numbers or sequence numbers in the export, or ask your supplier. The discounts and charges themselves stay as they are.

The rule as published

SequenceNumeric should not be present

Where this rule applies