What it means
When the seller and the buyer are both in Germany and the payment means type code (BT-81) is 59 (SEPA direct debit), the debited account identifier (BT-91) should be a valid IBAN. This is the buyer's account that you collect the payment from. Spaces are ignored. The value needs two capital letters for the country, two check digits and then letters or digits, and the check digits must add up correctly.
Why it matters
This is a warning, so the invoice is still accepted. A direct debit is collected from the buyer's account, so with an invalid IBAN your bank cannot collect the payment and you have to chase it by hand. It is worth fixing before you send the invoice.
How to fix it
Open the direct debit details on the invoice or on the customer's record and check the IBAN of the account to debit. Ask the buyer to confirm it, or copy it from the signed direct debit mandate. A German IBAN starts with DE and has 22 characters in all. If the buyer pays by bank transfer instead, change the payment method to match.
The rule as published
Read the rule on the publisher's site
Business terms: BT-81, BT-91
Where this rule applies
| Rule set | Version |
|---|---|
| Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 (invoice) | 2026.5 |
| Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 (credit note) | 2026.5 |
Check your file
Drop your e-invoice to see whether DE-R-020 still fails, and which other rules do.
Related rules
- BR-DE-20 A SEPA direct debit needs a valid IBAN
- BR-49 Payment means code is required
- BR-61 Payment by transfer needs an account number
- BR-DE-19 A SEPA credit transfer needs a valid IBAN
- BR-DE-23-A Bank transfer payments need the seller's bank account
- BR-DE-23-B Bank transfer payments must not carry card or debit details