Error code BR-CO-10 means: the total of the invoice lines at the bottom of the invoice does not equal the sum of the line amounts.
What does BR-CO-10 mean?
The validator shows this message (as worded in the official rules):
[BR-CO-10]-Sum of Invoice line net amount (BT-106) = Σ Invoice line net amount (BT-131).The rule adds up the net amounts of all invoice lines (BT-131, InvoiceLine/LineExtensionAmount) and compares that sum with the total of the lines at the bottom of the invoice (BT-106, LegalMonetaryTotal/LineExtensionAmount). Both must be exactly equal. Document-level allowances and charges do not count here: they only come into the total without VAT (BT-109).
Common causes
- An invoice line was added, changed or removed without recalculating the total.
- The software rounds the line amounts differently from the total.
- A document-level allowance was subtracted from the sum of lines instead of being stated separately.
- A credit line with a negative amount was left out of the sum.
How to fix it as the sender
- Always calculate the sum of lines as the total of the line amounts, after rounding each line to two decimals.
- Put document-level allowances and charges in
cac:AllowanceCharge, not in the sum of lines. - Validate the invoice again. BR-CO-13 and BR-CO-15 often disappear as well.
Received an invoice with this error?
An invoice with this error is not compliant. Ask the supplier for a corrected invoice and do not change the XML yourself.
Example in the XML
❌ Wrong
<cac:LegalMonetaryTotal>
<cbc:LineExtensionAmount currencyID="EUR">310.00</cbc:LineExtensionAmount>
...
</cac:LegalMonetaryTotal>
<!-- the only invoice line has LineExtensionAmount 300.00 -->✅ Correct
<cac:LegalMonetaryTotal>
<cbc:LineExtensionAmount currencyID="EUR">300.00</cbc:LineExtensionAmount>
...
</cac:LegalMonetaryTotal>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.
Good to know
BR-CO-10 is only about the lines. If that sum is right but the total without VAT is not, you get BR-CO-13 instead.
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.
Official rule
The full rule with its technical test (Schematron) is in the official Peppol documentation:
Related error codes
- BR-CO-13: The total without VAT does not equal the sum of lines minus document-level allowances plus charges.
- BR-CO-15: The total with VAT is not equal to the total without VAT plus the VAT amount.
Frequently asked questions about BR-CO-10
Do document-level allowances count for BR-CO-10?
No. BR-CO-10 only compares the line amounts with the sum of lines (BT-106). Document-level allowances and charges are part of the total without VAT (BT-109), which BR-CO-13 checks.
Where is the sum of lines in the XML?
In cac:LegalMonetaryTotal/cbc:LineExtensionAmount. The amount per line is in cac:InvoiceLine/cbc:LineExtensionAmount.