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Leitweg-ID Validator

Validate Leitweg-IDs for electronic invoicing to public contracting authorities in Germany. The Leitweg-ID has been mandatory for all invoices to public authorities since November 2020.

About Leitweg-IDs

The Leitweg-ID is a unique identifier for addressing invoice recipients in the German public sector. It was introduced as part of the e-invoicing mandate for public contracts and has been mandatory since November 2020.

Format Structure

The Leitweg-ID consists of three parts separated by hyphens:

  • Basic Address (2-12 digits): Identifies the authority level, federal state, and authority
  • Specific Address (0-30 alphanumeric characters): Identifies the specific department or cost center
  • Check Digit (2 digits): Calculated according to ISO/IEC 7064 (Modulo-97-10)
Examples
  • 991-12345-73
  • 02-L12345-05
  • 09-12345-15

Where do you get the Leitweg-ID?

The Leitweg-ID addresses the recipient – the public authority, not you as the invoice sender. You receive it from your public-sector customer:

  • From the order or contract: Public authorities state the Leitweg-ID in the procurement and order documents.
  • On request: If it is missing, the authority will give you the Leitweg-ID directly.

If in doubt, type the received ID into the field above to double-check – the validator confirms whether it is formally correct.

The Leitweg-ID is part of the XRechnung – the invoice format for public-sector customers. For you, little changes: at its core, it is just this one identifier. Background in the article what the XRechnung means and in the overview of e-invoicing in Europe.

Where do you enter the Leitweg-ID?

In GrandTotal you store the Leitweg-ID once in the customer master data as the buyer reference (BT-10). It is then automatically applied to every invoice for that authority.

Entering the Leitweg-ID as buyer reference (BT-10) in the customer master data of GrandTotal

Professional E-Invoicing Solution

For professional e-invoicing with XRechnung and ZUGFeRD, we recommend GrandTotal - the comprehensive business software with integrated support for Leitweg-IDs and electronic invoice formats.

Learn more about GrandTotal