E-FACTURATIE ONTCIJFERD

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Peppol error codes

BR-61: account number missing for credit transfer

By Philippe Kimpe and Jelle Heyvaert, authors of E-facturatie Ontcijferd · Updated on 11 October 2026

Error code BR-61 means: the invoice asks for a credit transfer but does not state an account number.

Rule set: EN 16931 · Severity: error (fatal): an Access Point rejects the invoice · Checked against the official rules of May 2026

What does BR-61 mean?

The validator shows this message (as worded in the official rules):

[BR-61]-If the Payment means type code (BT-81) means SEPA credit transfer, Local credit transfer or Non-SEPA international credit transfer, the Payment account identifier (BT-84) shall be present.

The payment method is stated as a code (BT-81, cac:PaymentMeans/cbc:PaymentMeansCode). If that is a credit transfer, such as 30 (credit transfer) or 58 (SEPA credit transfer), the payee account number must also be on the invoice (BT-84, cac:PayeeFinancialAccount/cbc:ID), preferably as an IBAN.

Common causes

  • The account number is missing from the company details or was not linked to the export.
  • The IBAN is only in a note or in the PDF, not in the XML.
  • The payment code is credit transfer, while the customer actually pays by direct debit.

How to fix it as the sender

  1. Enter your IBAN in the company details of your software.
  2. Check that the export sends cac:PayeeFinancialAccount/cbc:ID.
  3. Choose the code that really fits: 30 or 58 for a credit transfer, 59 for a SEPA direct debit.

Received an invoice with this error?

Without the account number you cannot pay automatically. Ask the supplier for a corrected invoice, and do not pay to an account number from another source without checking it.

Example in the XML

❌ Wrong

<cac:PaymentMeans>
  <cbc:PaymentMeansCode>30</cbc:PaymentMeansCode>
</cac:PaymentMeans>

✅ Correct

<cac:PaymentMeans>
  <cbc:PaymentMeansCode>30</cbc:PaymentMeansCode>
  <cac:PayeeFinancialAccount><cbc:ID>BE68539007547034</cbc:ID></cac:PayeeFinancialAccount>
</cac:PaymentMeans>

Both snippets come from a complete test invoice that we checked with our validator: the wrong version gives exactly this message, the correct version no errors at all.

Try this error in the validator →

Good to know

If you pay by direct debit (code 59), Peppol requires a mandate reference. If it is missing, you get PEPPOL-EN16931-R061.

Check your invoice

Drop your XML into the free validator. You see right away whether this error still occurs, with a link to the explanation for every message.

Go to the Peppol validator →

Official rule

The full rule with its technical test (Schematron) is in the official Peppol documentation:

Related error codes

  • PEPPOL-EN16931-R061: The invoice is paid by direct debit but does not state a mandate reference.
  • PEPPOL-COMMON-R043: A number with scheme 0208 is not a valid Belgian company number: wrong format or wrong check digits.

Frequently asked questions about BR-61

Which code do I use for a normal credit transfer?

Usually 30 (credit transfer) or 58 (SEPA credit transfer). Both require an account number.

May the IBAN contain spaces?

Write the IBAN without spaces in the XML, for example BE68539007547034, so the receiver’s software can read it without problems.

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