Coarse address
04011000: who gets the invoice. The first two digits name the state, here 04 for Bremen. For the federal government it's 99. In German: Grobadressierung.
Guide · E-invoicing
Check a Leitweg-ID. And understand it.
Sending an e-invoice to the German federal government, a state or a municipality takes their Leitweg-ID. Enter it here: we check its format and check number and show what it's made of.
Free, no sign-up. We check how it's built, not whether the authority issued it.
Three parts, two hyphens.
A Leitweg-ID is the address of an e-invoice at a German public client. Taking 04011000-12345-03:
Fine address
12345: where the invoice goes at the recipient, an office or a cost centre say. Digits and letters. Not every Leitweg-ID has one. In German: Feinadressierung.
Check number
03: worked out from everything before it, modulo 97 as for an IBAN. A typo or swapped digits almost always show. In German: Prüfziffer.
Where it usually goes wrong.
01
Guessed, not asked for.
Your client gives you the Leitweg-ID, usually in the order or the contract. An ID from a list online or from another office's job sends the invoice to the wrong inbox, and there it stays.
Side noteNo ID in the order? Ask the office that placed it.
02
A typo.
One wrong digit, and the invoice reaches no one. The check number catches almost every typo, so check it before you enter it, not after the rejection.
Side noteIf the check number doesn't match, don't change it, ask. The mistake is almost always before it.
03
In the wrong field.
In an XRechnung the Leitweg-ID goes in the buyer reference (BT-10). Every XRechnung needs one; without it the recipient rejects the invoice: error BR-DE-15.
Side noteBusiness clients have no Leitweg-ID. Their buyer reference is the order number, for instance.
In docket you enter the Leitweg-ID once, as the buyer reference on the client's billing address. Every invoice to that address then carries it in its e-invoice, without anyone having to remember.
Short questions, short answers.
What is a Leitweg-ID?
The ID under which a German public client receives e-invoices, like a postal address for the invoice. The federal government, the states and municipalities issue them for their offices themselves.
Where do I find the Leitweg-ID?
With your client: in the order, in the contract, or by asking the office that placed the order. Lists online are often incomplete or out of date.
Do business clients need a Leitweg-ID?
No, only public clients have one. An XRechnung still always carries a buyer reference; for business clients that's the order number or your customer number, for instance.
How long is a Leitweg-ID?
Between 5 and 46 characters: 2 to 12 digits of coarse address, optionally up to 30 characters of fine address, 2 digits of check number, separated by hyphens.
How do I tell a federal Leitweg-ID?
It starts with 99. For states and municipalities the first two digits name the state, from 01 Schleswig-Holstein to 16 Thuringia.
Do you check whether the Leitweg-ID really exists?
No. We check its format and check number. Whether the authority issued it only the authority knows. The whole invoice is checked by our e-invoice validator.
Invoices to authorities, without asking back.
Try it free for 14 daysNo card. All about e-invoicing in docket and the buyer reference in the docs. Questions? info@docket.rocks.
