Fix BR-17: Payee name missing | e-Invoice Validator

BR-17 in your own invoice? Upload the file and find every error in seconds.

What does BR-17 mean?

A Payee (BG-10) is the party that receives the payment when it differs from the Seller (BG-4). As soon as the invoice names such a differing party, it must also carry that party's name (BT-59). The rule applies only if a Payee is stated that differs from the Seller.

Common causes of BR-17

The element ram:PayeeTradeParty is present, but ram:Name is missing or empty.
Only the account or ID data of the Payee were set, the name was forgotten.
The Payee is the same as the Seller but was still created as a separate, incomplete party.

How to fix BR-17

Find the faulty spot in the XML. Open the XML of the invoice and go to field BT-59 along this XPath://rsm:SupplyChainTradeTransaction/ram:ApplicableHeaderTradeSettlement/ram:PayeeTradeParty/ram:Name
Apply the fix. Add the element ram:Name with the full name of the Payee inside ram:PayeeTradeParty, for example Factoring Nord GmbH. If you have no differing Payee, leave out ram:PayeeTradeParty entirely.
Validate again. Save the file and validate it again to check that BR-17 is no longer reported.

Concrete fix

Add the element ram:Name with the full name of the Payee inside ram:PayeeTradeParty, for example <ram:Name>Factoring Nord GmbH</ram:Name>. If you have no differing Payee, leave out ram:PayeeTradeParty entirely.

XPath//rsm:SupplyChainTradeTransaction/ram:ApplicableHeaderTradeSettlement/ram:PayeeTradeParty/ram:Name

Before / after: the XML example

This is the spot in question before and after the fix (Cross Industry Invoice, ZUGFeRD/Factur-X).

Wrong

<ram:ApplicableHeaderTradeSettlement>
  <ram:PayeeTradeParty>
    <ram:ID>DE75512108001245126199</ram:ID>
  </ram:PayeeTradeParty>
</ram:ApplicableHeaderTradeSettlement>

Correct

<ram:ApplicableHeaderTradeSettlement>
  <ram:PayeeTradeParty>
    <ram:ID>DE75512108001245126199</ram:ID>
    <ram:Name>Factoring Nord GmbH</ram:Name>
  </ram:PayeeTradeParty>
</ram:ApplicableHeaderTradeSettlement>

Frequent questions about BR-17

Must I set BT-59 if the Seller receives the money?

No. The rule applies only if the Payee differs from the Seller. If the customer pays the Seller, leave out ram:PayeeTradeParty entirely.

Which name do I enter?

The full name of the party that receives the payment, for example a factoring company. It goes in ram:Name.

Is the account number enough as an identifier?

No. The account data do not replace the name. BT-59 (ram:Name) is mandatory when the Payee differs.

Related error codes

Check BR-17 automatically

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