LEDES Error BF103: Invalid MIME Type

What This Error Means

You are uploading a LEDES invoice, but Brightflag does not recognize the file format.

“MIME type” is the system’s way of identifying what kind of file you are uploading (for example: PDF, Excel, text file).

If the file format does not match an allowed type, you will receive error BF103.

This usually happens when:

• The file was renamed manually

• The file was saved incorrectly

• The file was exported in the wrong format

Even if the file name looks correct, the internal file type may not be valid.

Brightflag accepts files with the following MIME types:

• application/msword

• application/pdf

• application/vnd.ms-excel

• application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet

• application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document

• image/jpeg

• image/png

• image/jpg

• text/plain

• text/xml

• application/xml

• application/vnd.ms-outlook

• application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.presentationml.presentation

• image/tiff

• application/vnd.ms-powerpoint

• message/rfc822

For LEDES invoices, the file is usually a text/plain file (for example, a .txt LEDES file).

How to Resolve It

1. Do not rename the file manually.

2. Go back to your billing system.

3. Export the invoice again in the correct format (usually LEDES .txt).

4. Save the file without opening and re-saving it in Word or Excel.

Then upload the newly exported file.

If you continue to receive this error, contact Brightflag Support and include the file you are attempting to upload.

Note: Fixing BF103 will usually also resolve BF111 – No Invoices Uploaded, if both errors appear.