How to Fix a Rejected Factur-X Invoice
An electronic invoice does not fail politely. When the embedded XML breaks a rule, the receiving platform refuses the whole file and sends back an error report full of rule codes. The invoice never reaches the buyer's accounting system, and payment does not start. The editor above exists for exactly that moment: upload the rejected file, correct the fields that failed, and download a compliant Factur-X invoice you can resend.
Why the transport layer rejects invoices
Under the French e-invoicing reform, a domestic B2B invoice does not travel by email: it flows through an accredited Plateforme Agreee (PA, formerly PDP), and public-sector invoices go through Chorus Pro. Every one of these platforms validates the embedded EN 16931 XML on arrival, against the schema and the Schematron business rules. A single failed rule is enough for the platform to refuse the document, whatever the PDF layer looks like. Buyers' accounts payable systems apply the same checks on their side, so even an emailed invoice can bounce.
The most common Factur-X validation errors
A handful of mistakes cause the vast majority of rejections:
- A VAT breakdown that does not add up: the category totals disagree with the sum of the lines, or the computed tax differs from the declared amount
- A missing seller identifier: no SIREN, SIRET, or VAT number where at least one is required
- Payment by credit transfer declared without an IBAN
- No buyer reference (the service code Chorus Pro requires for public-sector invoices)
- Malformed or missing dates, or a due date that contradicts the payment terms
- An incomplete buyer address, often a missing country code
All of these are data problems, not software problems. They live in specific fields of the XML, which means they can be fixed by editing those fields and regenerating the file.
Edit the invoice without the tool that created it
The awkward part of a rejection is that the file usually comes out of a system you cannot easily rerun: an ERP export, an accountant's software, a supplier's generator. This editor removes that dependency. It reads the XML embedded in the hybrid PDF (or a standalone CII XML file), spreads every field into a guided form in your browser, and lets you change any of them: parties, identifiers, dates, references, line items, VAT rates, payment details. Data you do not touch, including embedded attachments and notes, is carried over into the regenerated invoice unchanged.
When the invalid invoice came from a supplier
The same problem exists in the other direction: a supplier sends you a Factur-X invoice and your accounts payable tool refuses to ingest it. You can upload it here, repair the offending fields, and feed the corrected file into your system so processing is not blocked. For VAT purposes the supplier should still reissue the corrected invoice; use the repaired copy to keep moving while you ask for it.
Check the fix before you resend
Every invoice regenerated here is validated against the EN 16931 rules before download, so the specific error that caused the rejection should be gone. If you want an independent check, or you want to read the full rule report for the original file first, run it through the validator:
Corrected invoice or credit note?
Editing is the right move when the invoice never made it into anyone's books: it bounced at the platform or at the buyer's intake, so fixing the data and resending the same invoice number is standard practice. Once an invoice has been accepted and recorded, do not modify it. Issue a credit note referencing the original, then a new invoice if needed:
For the full background on the format itself, its profiles, and the French mandate timeline, see the format guide: