BT-13: Purchase Order Reference
The purchase order number (PO) issued by the buyer for this transaction.
Technical Specification
Conditional (0..1), standard in B2B corporate procurement
Semantic data format according to European Standard EN 16931-1
What does BT-13 mean?
The purchase order reference (BT-13) links the invoice to the initial purchase order in the customer ERP system (3-way matching). Crucial for automated reconciliation without human intervention.
Practice Context: B2B vs. B2G (Public Procurement)
Commonly required by B2B corporate buyers to enable automatic 3-way matching.
XML Syntax & Code Example
<cac:OrderReference>
<cbc:ID>PO-2026-98765</cbc:ID>
</cac:OrderReference>Business Rules & Schematron Checks
If no Buyer reference (BT-10) is provided, a Purchase order reference (BT-13) shall be present.
Check BT-13 in your invoice
Use the XML paths above to locate BT-13. A snippet illustrates this field; it is not a complete invoice. After correcting a value in the source application, export and check the entire file again.
Official specifications and rule sets
Requirements depend on the invoice profile and version. Consult the matching specification for mandatory fields, code lists and rules; Peppol-specific requirements do not automatically apply to every ZUGFeRD invoice.
Related Business Terms (BTs)
Create compliant E-Invoices easily
Create XRechnung and ZUGFeRD invoices in Billance and check the exported file locally. Use this guide to understand BT-13 and review your invoice details before sending.