Checking a Leitweg-ID: structure, check digits, right field
Type or paste a Leitweg-ID: the checker splits it into its parts, names the state or federal level and recalculates the check digits. A typo shows up at once.
Check result
Formally valid
Structure and check digits match. Only the contracting authority can say whether this ID receives invoices.
| Coarse address | 04011000 |
| Area | Bremen |
| Fine address | 1234512345 |
| Check digits | 06 |
| Correct check digits | 06 |
Prepared by Radif Partners · Method · VAT Act, ministry letters and XRechnung 3.0.2 checked on 25 October 2026
The Leitweg-ID is the address of an invoice inside the German public administration. It is formed under the KoSIT format specification and has up to three parts separated by hyphens: a coarse address of 2 to 12 digits, whose first two name the federal state (01 to 16) or, with 99, the federal government; an optional fine address of up to 30 digits or letters; and two check digits. The check digits are computed with the ISO/IEC 7064 modulo 97-10 method over all characters before them, with letters counting as numbers from 10 to 35. An example from the specification is 04011000-1234512345-06. You do not invent or look up your Leitweg-ID: the public contracting body gives it to you, usually in the purchase order or contract. In an XRechnung it goes into the buyer reference field (BT-10) and, for invoices to the federal government, also into the buyer's electronic address (BT-49) with scheme 0204. The checker above confirms structure and check digits, but it cannot know whether the office actually receives invoices under that ID.
The three parts of a Leitweg-ID
| Part | Characters | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coarse address | 2 to 12 digits | state (01 to 16) or federal level (99), then authority | 04011000 |
| Fine address | optional, up to 30 digits or letters | office within the authority | 1234512345 |
| Check digits | 2 digits | modulo 97-10 over all preceding characters | 06 |
The KoSIT format specification sets a maximum length of 46 characters. The first two digits of the coarse address name the area: 01 stands for Schleswig-Holstein, 04 for Bremen, 09 for Bavaria, 16 for Thuringia and 99 for the federal government. How the states allocate the remaining digits is up to them; often an identifier of the municipality or authority follows. The fine address routes the invoice within the authority, for example to a unit or cost centre.
How the check digits are calculated
The method is the same as for an IBAN. Coarse and fine address are written one after the other without hyphens, every letter is replaced by a number (A = 10, B = 11 up to Z = 35), and two zeros are appended. The remainder of that long number divided by 97 is taken. The check digits are 98 minus that remainder, two digits with a leading zero. For the short Leitweg-ID made of coarse address 04011000 and fine address 12345 this gives 04011000-12345-03; for the fictitious federal ID in our sample invoice, 991-12345ABCDE-16.
Try it with your own digits. The small calculator builds the complete Leitweg-ID with check digits from a coarse and a fine address:
Where the Leitweg-ID goes in the invoice
Under section 5 of the E-Invoicing Regulation the Leitweg-ID is one of the details an invoice to the federal government must carry on top of the VAT requirements. In an XRechnung it sits in field BT-10, the buyer reference; rule BR-DE-15 requires this field in every XRechnung. For transmission via Peppol and to the federal platforms it also serves as the buyer’s electronic address in field BT-49, with scheme 0204. In UBL syntax the element is called cbc:BuyerReference, in CII ram:BuyerReference.
A common mistake is a Leitweg-ID that appears only in a note or in the subject line of an email. The platforms, however, read it from the data field. The XRechnung creator puts it into both fields automatically as soon as you choose an authority as recipient, and it checks the check digits before releasing the download.
Limits of the check
A formally correct Leitweg-ID can still be the wrong one: a slip that happens to produce matching check digits is rare, but the ID of a different office passes every test. Only the contracting body knows whether invoices are accepted under an ID. The checker queries no database and sends your input nowhere. More on the invoicing route to public bodies on e-invoicing the federal government; the federal e-invoicing FAQ explains the platforms.