What it means
In Peppol BIS the item price may contain a price discount (BT-147) but never a charge: the allowance or charge inside cac:Price must have ChargeIndicator false.
Why it matters
Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 adds this rule to EN 16931 so that every access point and receiver can process the invoice the same way. The sending or receiving access point rejects an invoice that fails it, so it never reaches the buyer.
How to fix it
Raise the item price to include the surcharge, or add the charge as a line charge (BG-28) instead of inside the price. If you build the XML yourself, keep cac:Price/cac:AllowanceCharge for discounts only, with cbc:ChargeIndicator false.
The rule as published
Charge on price level is NOT allowed. Only value 'false' allowed. Where this rule applies
| Rule set | Version |
|---|---|
| XRechnung 3.0 (UBL) | 3.0.2 |
| XRechnung 3.0 (UBL credit note) | 3.0.2 |
| XRechnung 3.0 (CII) | 3.0.2 |
| 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-R044 still fails, and which other rules do.
Related rules
- PEPPOL-EN16931-R046 The net price must equal gross price minus price discount
- PEPPOL-EN16931-R051 All amounts must be in the invoice currency
- PEPPOL-EN16931-R053 Only one tax total with a VAT breakdown
- PEPPOL-EN16931-R054 One tax total in accounting currency when a tax currency is given
- PEPPOL-EN16931-R055 Both VAT totals must have the same sign
- PEPPOL-EN16931-R061 A direct debit needs a mandate reference