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Error

FX-SCH-A-000172: The invoice can have at most one payment reference

In short

Error: fails the selected checks.

FX-SCH-A-000172 means your invoice's settlement section contains more than one payment reference (BT-83, ram:PaymentReference). Keep the intended reference once, remove repeated elements, then export and recheck the file.

On this page

What it means

The settlement section (ram:ApplicableHeaderTradeSettlement) may contain at most one ram:PaymentReference for the payment reference (BT-83). This rule does not require a reference or check its content. It applies to the Basic WL, Basic, EN 16931 and Extended profiles of Factur-X 1.09 and ZUGFeRD 2.5.

Why it matters

A single payment reference gives you one value for the buyer to quote and for matching the payment to the invoice.

How to fix it

Confirm which payment reference you intend the buyer to use. Keep that value unchanged in one ram:PaymentReference directly inside ram:ApplicableHeaderTradeSettlement and remove repeated elements. Do not change an agreed reference by joining it to other numbers merely to resolve the duplication. Export again and recheck.

Once the file is corrected, check it again for free: Validate a ZUGFeRD invoice

Or fix the invoice in a form and download the corrected file, for 1 credit: Fix a rejected e-invoice Beta

The rule as published

Element 'ram:PaymentReference' may occur at maximum 1 times.

Where this rule applies

Rule set Version
Factur-X 1.09 BASIC WL 1.0.9-2
Factur-X 1.09 BASIC 1.0.9-2
Factur-X 1.09 EN 16931 1.0.9-2
Factur-X 1.09 EXTENDED 1.0.9-2
ZUGFeRD 2.5 BASIC WL 2.5.2
ZUGFeRD 2.5 BASIC 2.5.2
ZUGFeRD 2.5 EN 16931 2.5.2
ZUGFeRD 2.5 EXTENDED 2.5.2
Rule text from phive-rules 4.6.4.

Check your file

Drop your e-invoice to see whether FX-SCH-A-000172 still fails, and which other rules do.

Updated 6 November 2026