XRechnung fields: all BT numbers explained
Every field in an XRechnung has a fixed number from the European standard EN 16931. BT stands for "Business Term", a single piece of information such as the invoice number (BT-1). BG stands for "Business Group", a group of related details such as the buyer's address (BG-8). This glossary sorts the most important fields by topic and uses screenshots to show where you enter the details in faktoora.
BT, BG and BT-X: how to read the numbers
- BT numbers are the fields of EN 16931. They apply equally to XRechnung, ZUGFeRD from the BASIC profile upwards, and Peppol.
- BG numbers combine several BTs into a group, for example BG-25 for an invoice line.
- BT-X numbers are additional fields from the ZUGFeRD EXTENDED profile. They are not part of the EN 16931 core and are not transmitted in a pure XRechnung.
- Numbers with a suffix such as BT-46-0 or BT-122-0 denote supplementary information on a field in ZUGFeRD, usually the identifier scheme or the type.
XRechnung uses its own rules (BR-DE) to define which fields are additionally mandatory, for example the buyer reference BT-10. To see what the fields look like in a real file, read the article XRechnung example: what the XML looks like.
Invoice header
| Number | Field | Note |
|---|---|---|
| BT-1 | Invoice number | Mandatory, unique |
| BT-2 | Invoice date | Mandatory |
| BT-3 | Invoice type | Mandatory, e.g. 380 invoice, 381 credit note, 384 corrected invoice |
| BT-5 | Currency | Mandatory, e.g. EUR |
| BT-9 | Due date | |
| BT-20 | Payment terms | Free text, e.g. early payment discount |
| BT-22 | Invoice note | Free text, part of BG-1 |
| BT-24 | Specification identifier | Identifies the file as an XRechnung |
Seller
| Number | Field | Note |
|---|---|---|
| BG-4 | Seller | Group |
| BT-27 | Seller name | Mandatory |
| BT-30 | Registration number, e.g. commercial register | |
| BT-31 | Seller VAT ID | |
| BT-32 | Seller tax number | Alternative to the VAT ID |
| BT-34 | Seller electronic address | Mandatory in XRechnung |
| BG-5 | Seller postal address | BT-35 street, BT-37 city, BT-38 postcode, BT-40 country |
| BG-6 | Seller contact | BT-41 name, BT-42 telephone, BT-43 email, mandatory in XRechnung |
Buyer
Buyer fields in faktoora with BT numbers
| Number | Field | Note |
|---|---|---|
| BG-7 | Buyer | Group |
| BT-44 | Buyer name | Mandatory |
| BT-46 | Buyer identifier | e.g. GLN, BT-46-0 specifies the scheme |
| BT-47 | Buyer registration number | |
| BT-48 | Buyer VAT ID | |
| BT-49 | Buyer electronic address | e.g. Peppol ID, mandatory in XRechnung |
| BG-8 | Buyer postal address | BT-50 street, BT-51 additional address line, BT-52 city, BT-53 postcode, BT-55 country |
| BG-9 | Buyer contact | BT-56 contact point, BT-57 telephone, BT-58 email |
| BT-89 | Mandate reference | For SEPA direct debit |
References in the invoice header
Reference fields in faktoora with BT numbers
| Number | Field | Note |
|---|---|---|
| BT-10 | Buyer reference | Mandatory in XRechnung, the Leitweg-ID for public authorities |
| BT-11 | Project reference | In faktoora as project name and project number (BT-11-0) |
| BT-12 | Contract reference | |
| BT-13 | Buyer's purchase order number | |
| BT-14 | Seller's sales order number | |
| BT-17 | Tender or lot reference | |
| BT-72 | Delivery date | Actual date of delivery or service |
| BT-X-202 | Delivery note number | ZUGFeRD EXTENDED only |
Delivery and different delivery address
Delivery address fields in faktoora with BT numbers
| Number | Field | Note |
|---|---|---|
| BG-13 | Delivery information | Group |
| BT-70 | Name of the recipient of goods or services | |
| BT-71 | Delivery location identifier | e.g. GLN |
| BG-15 | Delivery address | BT-75 street, BT-76 additional address line, BT-77 city, BT-78 postcode, BT-80 country |
Charges and allowances at line level
Charges and allowances per line in faktoora
| Number | Field | Note |
|---|---|---|
| BG-27 | Line-level allowance | BT-136 amount, BT-138 percentage, BT-139 reason |
| BG-28 | Line-level charge | BT-141 amount, BT-143 percentage, BT-144 reason |
Object identifier and free text per line
Object identifier of a line in faktoora
| Number | Field | Note |
|---|---|---|
| BT-128 | Line-level object identifier | e.g. meter number, BT-128-1 specifies the scheme |
| BT-127 | Line note (free text) |
Line free text in faktoora
Totals, allowances and payment at invoice level
Discount, allowances and payment terms in faktoora
| Number | Field | Note |
|---|---|---|
| BG-20 | Document-level allowance | BT-92 amount, BT-94 percentage, BT-97 reason |
| BG-21 | Document-level charge | BT-99 amount, BT-104 reason |
| BT-106 | Sum of net line amounts | |
| BT-109 | Invoice total, net | |
| BT-110 | VAT amount | |
| BT-112 | Invoice total, gross | |
| BT-113 | Amount already paid | e.g. advance payments made |
| BT-115 | Amount due for payment | |
| BT-81 | Payment means | e.g. 58 SEPA credit transfer |
| BT-84 | IBAN | Part of BG-17 |
VAT breakdown
| Number | Field | Note |
|---|---|---|
| BG-23 | VAT breakdown | One group per tax category and rate |
| BT-116 | Taxable amount | |
| BT-117 | Tax amount | |
| BT-118 | Tax category | e.g. S standard rate, AE reverse charge |
| BT-119 | Tax rate | |
| BT-120 | Exemption reason | For tax-exempt supplies |
Supporting documents
Document references in faktoora with BT numbers
| Number | Field | Note |
|---|---|---|
| BG-24 | Supporting document | Group, e.g. timesheet |
| BT-122 | Document reference | In ZUGFeRD, BT-122-0 specifies the type |
| BT-123 | Document description | |
| BT-125 | Attached document | Embedded file |
Free text at invoice level
Invoice free text in faktoora with BT numbers
| Number | Field | Note |
|---|---|---|
| BG-1 | Invoice note | Group, can occur several times |
| BT-21 | Invoice note subject | Code for classifying the free text |
| BT-22 | Invoice free text | |
| BT-X-5 | Free text coding | ZUGFeRD EXTENDED only |
Invoice lines
Line fields in faktoora with BT numbers
| Number | Field | Note |
|---|---|---|
| BG-25 | Invoice line | Group, at least one per invoice |
| BT-126 | Line number | |
| BT-129 | Quantity | |
| BT-130 | Unit | e.g. HUR hour, C62 piece |
| BT-131 | Line net amount | |
| BT-132 | Referenced purchase order line | |
| BT-134 | Start of invoicing period | BT-135 end, both in BG-26 |
| BT-146 | Net price | |
| BT-151 | Line tax category | |
| BT-152 | Line tax rate | |
| BT-153 | Item name | Mandatory |
| BT-154 | Item description | |
| BT-155 | Seller's item number | |
| BT-156 | Buyer's item number | |
| BT-157 | Standard identifier, e.g. GTIN | |
| BT-X-85, BT-X-93 | Delivery date and delivery note number per line | ZUGFeRD EXTENDED only |
The help article Which BT fields does the faktoora API support? lists exactly which of these fields the faktoora API supports. The minimum details required for an XRechnung are summarised in What information does an XRechnung need at minimum?.
Frequently asked questions
What does BT mean in XRechnung?
BT stands for "Business Term" and refers to a single field of EN 16931, such as BT-1 for the invoice number. BG stands for "Business Group", a group of fields.
What is field BT-10?
BT-10 is the buyer reference. It is mandatory in XRechnung. For public authorities, this is where the Leitweg-ID goes; for companies, it holds an agreed reference such as the purchase order number.
What are BT-X fields?
Additional fields from the ZUGFeRD EXTENDED profile, for example the delivery note number. They are not part of EN 16931 and are not transmitted in a pure XRechnung.