What it means
In a Peppol credit note document, the type code (BT-3, cbc:CreditNoteTypeCode) must be 381, 396, 81, 83 or 532. The normal one is 381 (credit note). The others are 396 (factored credit note), 81 (credit note related to goods or services), 83 (credit note related to financial adjustments) and 532 (forwarder's credit note). An invoice code such as 380 in a credit note fails. The check applies when the profile is 01 or 02, as selected by the business process type (BT-23).
Why it matters
The type code tells the recipient that the document reduces what the buyer owes.
How to fix it
In your invoicing software, check the document type of the credit note and choose 381 for a normal credit note or another allowed code that matches the document. If the document is not a credit note but an invoice, create it as an invoice instead. If you build the XML yourself, the code is cbc:CreditNoteTypeCode.
Once the file is corrected, check it again for free: Validate a Peppol BIS invoice
Or fix the invoice in a form and download the corrected file, for 1 credit: Fix a rejected e-invoice
The rule as published
Read the rule on the publisher's site
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 PEPPOL-EN16931-P0101 still fails, and which other rules do.
Related rules
- PEPPOL-EN16931-P0104 Export reason VATEX-EU-G needs VAT category G
- PEPPOL-EN16931-P0105 Reason VATEX-EU-O needs VAT category O
- PEPPOL-EN16931-P0106 Reason VATEX-EU-IC needs VAT category K
- PEPPOL-EN16931-P0107 Reason VATEX-EU-AE needs VAT category AE
- PEPPOL-EN16931-P0108 Reason VATEX-EU-D needs VAT category E
- PEPPOL-EN16931-P0109 Reason VATEX-EU-F needs VAT category E