What does BR-61 mean?
The rule applies conditionally: only if the Payment means type code (BT-81, ram:TypeCode) means a credit transfer, that is SEPA credit transfer, local credit transfer or non-SEPA international credit transfer (UNTDID 4461 codes 30, 42 and 58). Then the Payment account identifier (BT-84) must be present. In CII it sits in ram:PayeePartyCreditorFinancialAccount/ram:IBANID. Without an account the buyer cannot make the transfer. For direct debit or cash payment the rule does not apply.
Common causes of BR-61
- ram:IBANID is missing although ram:TypeCode is a credit transfer (code 30, 42 or 58).
- ram:PayeePartyCreditorFinancialAccount holds only the account holder (ram:AccountName), not the IBAN.
- The IBAN appears only in the free-text payment note, not in the structured field.
- Wrong TypeCode set: it is in fact a direct debit, in which case BT-84 would not be mandatory here.
How to fix BR-61
- Find the faulty spot in the XML. Open the XML of the invoice and go to field BT-84 along this XPath:
//rsm:CrossIndustryInvoice/rsm:SupplyChainTradeTransaction/ram:ApplicableHeaderTradeSettlement/ram:SpecifiedTradeSettlementPaymentMeans/ram:PayeePartyCreditorFinancialAccount/ram:IBANID - Apply the fix. Add the element ram:IBANID with the payee's IBAN (e.g. "DE89370400440532013000") to ram:SpecifiedTradeSettlementPaymentMeans/ram:PayeePartyCreditorFinancialAccount.
- Validate again. Save the file and validate it again to check that BR-61 is no longer reported.
Add the element ram:IBANID with the payee's IBAN (e.g. "DE89370400440532013000") to ram:SpecifiedTradeSettlementPaymentMeans/ram:PayeePartyCreditorFinancialAccount.
//rsm:CrossIndustryInvoice/rsm:SupplyChainTradeTransaction/ram:ApplicableHeaderTradeSettlement/ram:SpecifiedTradeSettlementPaymentMeans/ram:PayeePartyCreditorFinancialAccount/ram:IBANIDBefore / after: the XML example
This is the spot in question before and after the fix (Cross Industry Invoice, ZUGFeRD/Factur-X).
<ram:SpecifiedTradeSettlementPaymentMeans>
<ram:TypeCode>58</ram:TypeCode>
<ram:PayeePartyCreditorFinancialAccount>
<ram:AccountName>Musterfirma GmbH</ram:AccountName>
</ram:PayeePartyCreditorFinancialAccount>
</ram:SpecifiedTradeSettlementPaymentMeans>
<ram:SpecifiedTradeSettlementPaymentMeans>
<ram:TypeCode>58</ram:TypeCode>
<ram:PayeePartyCreditorFinancialAccount>
<ram:IBANID>DE89370400440532013000</ram:IBANID>
<ram:AccountName>Musterfirma GmbH</ram:AccountName>
</ram:PayeePartyCreditorFinancialAccount>
</ram:SpecifiedTradeSettlementPaymentMeans>
Frequent questions about BR-61
Which payment means codes does the rule cover?
Does the rule also apply to direct debit?
Is the IBAN the right identifier?
Related error codes
Check BR-61 automatically
Instead of digging through the XML by hand you can validate your ZUGFeRD or XRechnung file online – upload the PDF or the XML and you get every error with rule ID, affected field, fix and XPath, as a readable report or as JSON through the API.