E-invoice rule EN 16931 schematron
BR-29: The end of the period (2026-08-31) is earlier
The end of the period (2026-08-31) is earlier than its start (2026-09-30). Correct cbc:StartDate or cbc:EndDate.
Original wording of the rule
[BR-29]-If both Invoicing period start date (BT-73) and Invoicing period end date (BT-74) are given then the Invoicing period end date (BT-74) shall be later or equal to the Invoicing period start date (BT-73).
Source of the quotation: EN 16931 schematron (ConnectingEurope/eInvoicing-EN16931, licence EUPL 1.2)
How to fix it
- Open the XML file and find the element
cac:InvoicePeriod/cbc:StartDate. - Add or correct the element the way the wording of the rule above asks for.
- Save the file and check it again with our checker. It runs in your browser, the file is never uploaded.
A correct UBL 2.1 snippet
<cac:InvoicePeriod
xmlns:cac="urn:oasis:names:specification:ubl:schema:xsd:CommonAggregateComponents-2"
xmlns:cbc="urn:oasis:names:specification:ubl:schema:xsd:CommonBasicComponents-2">
<cbc:StartDate>2026-08-01</cbc:StartDate>
</cac:InvoicePeriod>
The snippet is only the part of the document the rule is about. Put it in the right place inside your invoice; the namespaces are written here only so that the snippet reads on its own.
When it is reported
Profile: EN 16931, Peppol BIS Billing 3.0, XRechnung 3.x
How we rate it: error
UBL elements: cbc:StartDate, cbc:EndDate
Where we point in the file: /Invoice/cac:InvoicePeriod
Related rules
- BR-27 Line 1: the item net price (BT-146) must not be negative
- BR-28 Line 1: the item gross price (BT-148) must not be negative
- BR-30 The end of the period (2026-08-31) is earlier than its start
- BR-31 The allowance on document level has no amount
- BR-32 The allowance on document level has no VAT category code
Our check is not complete: we do not check the XSD schema and we do not implement every rule, and a file that passes says nothing about whether the buyer or the Peppol network will accept it. Licences for the quoted wordings are listed in our sources.