XRechnung BR-DE-26: preceding invoice reference missing
BR-DE-26 is a warning: when the invoice type code (BT-3) is 384 (corrected invoice), the PRECEDING INVOICE REFERENCE group (BG-3) should be present at least once and point to the original invoice.
Last updated: 2026-06-01
Affected field
cac:BillingReference/cac:InvoiceDocumentReference/cbc:ID (BG-3, UBL) / ram:InvoiceReferencedDocument/ram:IssuerAssignedID (CII)
Cause
The invoice is flagged as a corrected invoice (code 384) but carries no reference to the original invoice it corrects.
Fix
Add the original invoice number under BillingReference/InvoiceDocumentReference. Or use a different invoice type code if this is not a correction (see BR-DE-17).
Check your invoice for this and other errors.
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Frequently asked questions
Is BR-DE-26 a hard error?▼
No, it is a 'should' rule (warning). But for corrected invoices, the reference to the original invoice is needed so the recipient can link the two.