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Warning

UBL-CR-678: The VAT category code must have no scheme

In short

Warning: worth checking.

UBL-CR-678 means a VAT category code in a cac:TaxCategory element has a scheme attribute (schemeID), which EN 16931 does not use. It is a warning; remove the schemeID from the VAT category code.

On this page

What it means

The VAT category code, such as S for the standard rate or Z for zero rate, appears in the VAT breakdown (BT-118) and in discounts and charges on the whole invoice (BT-95, BT-102). In UBL it is cbc:ID inside cac:TaxCategory. The code list is fixed by the standard, so the code is written with no scheme. This rule checks that no cac:TaxCategory/cbc:ID has a schemeID attribute.

Why it matters

This is a warning. It is worth fixing when you can.

How to fix it

Export again in the standard EN 16931, XRechnung or Peppol BIS format, and update the software if the attribute is still there. If you build the XML yourself, delete the schemeID attribute from cbc:ID in every cac:TaxCategory, for example schemeID="UNCL5305".

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 TaxCategory/ID schemeID

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-678 still fails, and which other rules do.

Updated 6 November 2026