Why was my invoice rejected? An INVOIC checklist
When an EDI invoice is rejected, the first assumption is that an amount is wrong. In practice the cause is usually more mundane.
1. The order reference is missing
If the buyer's system cannot match the invoice to an order, it drops to manual handling or is rejected outright. The link is made by this line:
RFF+ON:PO-2026-0042'
Without it the invoice is orphaned. This is the single most common rejection reason.
2. The totals do not add up
The summary section holds several MOA segments, each a different total:
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
79 | Goods total (sum of the lines) |
124 | Tax amount |
77 | Grand total |
9 | Amount payable |
|---|
The buyer's system checks that 79 + 124 = 77. Even a rounding difference is enough to fail. Summing the line amounts to the cent and comparing them against the summary is the cheapest check you can run before sending.
3. No tax rate
With no TAX segment, or an empty rate, the buyer cannot compute VAT and cannot process the invoice:
TAX+7+VAT+++:::20'
4. Quantities do not match the order
If the invoice bills more than was delivered, the three-way match fails. A partial delivery must produce a partial invoice.
5. The wrong GLN
If the invoicee (NAD+IV) differs from the one agreed with the partner, the message is rejected before its content is even read.
6. No currency
Without a CUX segment the currency of the amounts is undefined. Some systems assume, others reject — neither is what you want.
Before you send
Opening the invoice in a viewer and confirming five lines exist heads off most of the rejection loop: RFF+ON, CUX, TAX, MOA+79 and MOA+77.