BR-Z-05 error EN 16931

BR-Z-05 — zero-rated line has a non-zero rate

What it means

VAT category Z (zero-rated) means the supply is taxable but at 0% — so its rate must be exactly 0. A non-zero rate with category Z is inconsistent.

What triggers it

vat.categoryCode "Z" with a rate other than 0.

How to fix it

Set the rate to 0 for zero-rated lines:

{ "vat": { "categoryCode": "Z", "rate": "0" } }

If the line is actually standard-rated, use category S with the real rate. Zero-rated (Z) and exempt (E) differ: Z is taxable at 0%, E is outside VAT and needs an exemption reason.

Check your invoice now. Paste it into the free validator — it flags BR-Z-05 and every other EN 16931, Peppol and XRechnung rule, each with the fix.

Or run the same check via API:

curl -X POST https://fakturwire.com/v1/validate \
  -H "authorization: Bearer $FW_KEY" \
  -d '{"invoice": { ... }, "profile": "en16931"}'

Related rules

← All EN 16931 / Peppol / XRechnung rules