CII-SR-497: The direct debit mandate reference may appear only once

What it means

The mandate reference (BT-89) identifies the direct debit mandate the buyer has agreed with you, for example a SEPA mandate. The rule counts DirectDebitMandateID in the payment terms (SpecifiedTradePaymentTerms) of the invoice and finds more than one. That can be the same reference twice in one payment terms entry, or one in each of several payment terms entries.

Why it matters

The mandate reference tells the buyer which direct debit agreement the payment is collected under. With more than one, it is not clear which agreement applies, so the check fails and the invoice is rejected.

How to fix it

Find the direct debit or mandate field in the payment section of your invoicing software and make sure the reference is entered once. If the same reference appears under more than one payment terms entry, delete the repeats. If the references differ, keep the one for the mandate you are collecting under.

The rule as published

Mandate reference identifier (BT-89) shall occur maximum once.

Business terms: BT-89

Where this rule applies