The invoice itemisation requirement

Of all twenty-five clauses we read in a contract, this one closes off the most checks: without an itemised invoice, thirty line-level checks simply cannot be performed.

A summary line cannot be checked

If the invoice has a single line — “Air freight EUR 2,480” — there is nothing to check. We do not know the rate, the weight, the basis of the surcharge, or the period charged for. An error may sit inside that figure, but it can neither be shown nor ruled out.

The report therefore shows such a check as NOT PERFORMED, with the reason, rather than as “no discrepancies found”. Those are two entirely different results, and treating them as one would be misleading.

You can always ask; you can only require it under a clause

An itemised invoice can be requested without any contract clause. The difference is that without one, the answer “we do not issue that format” is legitimate, and there is nowhere further to go.

With the clause, itemisation becomes a contractual obligation, and failure to comply becomes an argument in its own right. That is why this clause often matters more than the rate annex: the rate decides the price, this clause decides whether the price can be checked at all.

How it affects the dispute deadline

Where the contract defines what counts as a proper invoice, that also affects the deadline: the dispute clock may not have started at all until a proper invoice has been provided. That is why we read the itemisation requirement and the dispute deadline together, not separately.

What wording to ask for

This wording is precisely what the checks need:

The invoice shall state, as separate lines, the base freight, each surcharge and each additional charge, together with the basis of calculation (quantity, rate, period) and the identifier of the shipment or transport unit.