Validating E-Invoices with the KoSIT Validator

For an e-invoice to be accepted by business partners, authorities, or their accounting software, it has to comply with the XRechnung standard and the underlying European norm EN 16931. Whether that's the case can be checked automatically with the KoSIT validator.

All e-invoicing solutions by Codebarista automatically check every generated e-invoice with the KoSIT validator for conformance with the XRechnung standard. This way you immediately see, right after creation, whether your e-invoice is valid or whether something still needs to be adjusted.

What is the KoSIT validator?

The KoSIT validator is an official, freely available validation tool provided by the German Coordination Office for IT Standards (KoSIT). It checks XRechnung documents for, among other things,

• structural correctness (schema validation) according to the XRechnung XML format,
• content consistency, e.g. whether totals, tax amounts, and tax categories match up,
• completeness of the mandatory information (business terms) required by the standard.

Since the KoSIT validator is the official verification tool also used by many business partners, accounting systems, and authorities, a successful check is a good indicator that your e-invoice will be accepted by other parties as well.

Validation result

If all checks pass successfully, the e-invoice is valid. You can assume that it will be processed and accepted by the recipient in this case.

If the document does not comply with the XRechnung standard, it is considered invalid. An e-invoice with errors should not be sent, as it may be rejected by the recipient. Errors must be fixed before a valid e-invoice can be created.

If warnings are present, the document is formally valid, but the validator points out a peculiarity that may indicate a possible misconfiguration. It's worth taking a closer look at warnings and adjusting the configuration if necessary.

Since the texts of the validation results come directly from the KoSIT validator, they may appear in English, depending on the issue found.

Codebarista's e-invoicing solutions display the validation results differently. In addition to the KoSIT validator's result, plugin-specific reasons can also affect the outcome. You can find detailed information on this in the documentation of the respective plugin.

What to do if validation fails

Validation errors or warnings can usually be traced back to an incomplete or unsuitable configuration, e.g. missing mandatory information in the shop or plugin/app settings, an incorrectly configured tax category, or a missing VAT identification number. In this case, check the relevant settings and create the e-invoice again afterwards.

Where you can view the validation result within your shop system, and which configuration options are available to you, is described in the documentation of the respective e-invoicing solution:

• E-Invoicing for Shopware 6
• E-Invoicing for Shopware 5
• E-Invoicing for PrestaShop

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This content is for general information only and is not legal or tax advice. We make no representations or warranties regarding its accuracy, completeness, or currency. Any reliance on this information is at your own risk.