Leitweg ID / Buyer Reference

The buyer reference is field BT-10 of a structured invoice. For e-invoices to the German federal administration, this field contains the Leitweg ID supplied by the contracting authority so the invoice can be routed to the correct destination.

When a Leitweg ID is needed

• For XRechnung invoices to recipients in the German federal administration
• For state and municipal authorities when their rules require a Leitweg ID
• Whenever the public authority supplies one with the order or contract

A Leitweg ID is generally not required for ordinary B2B invoices to companies. Depending on the recipient's requirements, BT-10 can contain a different buyer reference there.

Format

A Leitweg ID consists of coarse addressing, optional fine addressing, and a check digit. Example: 991-123456789-42. Always use the exact value supplied by the invoice recipient.

Store it in Billance

Enter the value for the recipient under Leitweg ID / buyer reference. When stored with the recipient, Billance transfers it to new documents. Purchase order number, project reference, and buyer reference are different data and must not be substituted for one another without instructions from the recipient.

Validation

A missing buyer reference is an error for XRechnung. If Billance only detects an unusual structure in an entered Leitweg ID, it shows a notice; the mathematical check digit is not used as a blocking check for manual input. The recipient's invoice system ultimately decides whether the value is accepted.