CII-SR-399: Leave the settlement period out of the payment terms

What it means

The payment terms contain a SettlementPeriodMeasure element, the length of the payment period, for example 30 days. EN 16931 does not use it. It gives the due date (BT-9) as a date and the payment terms (BT-20) as text.

Why it matters

This is a warning, so the invoice is still accepted. The buyer's software does not read the period, so it cannot work out a due date from it. If the invoice has no due date of its own, the buyer may not know when to pay, and then it is worth fixing.

How to fix it

Remove the SettlementPeriodMeasure element. Fill in the due date (BT-9) with the actual date, and write the period in the payment terms text, for example payable within 30 days. Many invoicing programs work the due date out from the payment terms of the customer, so check that setting if the due date is empty.

The rule as published

SettlementPeriodMeasure should not be present

Where this rule applies