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Warning

UBL-CR-523: A line period should not carry a description code

In short

Warning: worth checking.

UBL-CR-523 means the period of an invoice or credit note line contains a description code (cbc:DescriptionCode), which EN 16931 does not use there. It is a warning; remove the code from the line period and recheck the file.

On this page

What it means

This rule looks at every invoice or credit note line and warns if its line period (BG-26), cac:InvoicePeriod, contains cbc:DescriptionCode. It does not check the start date (BT-134), end date (BT-135) or the VAT date code (BT-8), which uses cbc:DescriptionCode at invoice level.

Why it matters

The standard has no field for this code on a line. It is worth fixing when you want a file that passes without warnings, or when the code carries something the buyer needs to read.

How to fix it

Remove only cbc:DescriptionCode from the line period, keeping any start and end dates. If your invoicing software adds the code by itself, ask its maker to omit it from the UBL export. In the XML, delete cbc:DescriptionCode from cac:InvoicePeriod inside cac:InvoiceLine (cac:CreditNoteLine in a credit note). Recheck the file.

Once the file is corrected, check it again for free: Validate an invoice against EN 16931

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

The rule as published

A UBL invoice should not include the InvoiceLine InvoicePeriod DescriptionCode

Where this rule applies

Rule set Version
EN 16931 (UBL) 1.3.17
EN 16931 (UBL credit note) 1.3.17
XRechnung 3.0 (UBL) 3.0.2
XRechnung 3.0 (UBL credit note) 3.0.2
Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 (invoice) 2026.5
Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 (credit note) 2026.5
SI-UBL 2.0 / NLCIUS (invoice) 2.0.3.13
SI-UBL 2.0 / NLCIUS (credit note) 2.0.3.13
France CTC (UBL invoice) 1.4.0-04
France CTC (UBL credit note) 1.4.0-04
CIUS-RO UBL Invoice 1.0.9 1.0.9
CIUS-RO UBL Credit Note 1.0.9 1.0.9
Rule text from phive-rules 4.6.4.

Check your file

Drop your e-invoice to see whether UBL-CR-523 still fails, and which other rules do.

Updated 6 November 2026