An “Ausfall” (failure) occurs when your receipts display error messages such as “Signaturerstellungseinheit ausgefallen” (signature creation unit failed) or “Sicherheitseinrichtung ausgefallen” (security device failed). Failures can also be caused by defective POS hardware (e.g., your iPad), software issues (e.g., the orderbird app), or an interrupted Internet connection. Below, we explain what causes these error messages and how to handle them.

What do these error messages mean, and how can I fix them?

“Signaturerstellungseinheit ausgefallen” (Signature Creation Unit Failed)

This error occurs when the PrimeSign Signature Creation Unit cannot be reached or has failed. Here is what to do:

• First, ensure you have a stable network connection:  for more detailed instructions, read here: "Sicherheitseinrichtung ausgefallen" keeps on appearing on the invoices repeatedly. What does this mean? 
• If the problem isn’t resolved, there’s no immediate action required. Simply continue working until the signature creation device becomes available again.

If the outage lasts longer than 48 hours:

• RKSV Basis-Paket users: You must submit a “Failure Message for the Signature Creation Unit” after the 48-hour grace period: Basis-Paket | Failure message for the signature creation device "Signaturerstellungseinheit ausgefallen" after 48 hours 
• RKSV Sorglos-Paket users: Simply reconnect your device to the Internet within 7 days. This allows fiskaltrust to receive and forward the failure notification on your behalf.

“Sicherheitseinrichtung ausgefallen” (Security Device Failed)

This message indicates either:

• A problem with fiskaltrust, or 
• A lost internet connection. In this case, check your internet connection and restore it if necessary.  Here you can find further details: "Sicherheitseinrichtung ausgefallen" keeps on appearing on the invoices repeatedly. What does this mean? 

Good to know: A failure counter will always be printed along with this error. This counter shows the total number of failures recorded so far.

When exactly does a failure begin, and end?

 We can differentiate the following scenarios: 

Start of a Failure: A failure begins the moment an invoice with the error message “Signaturerstellungseinheit ausgefallen” or “Sicherheitseinrichtung ausgefallen” is printed. This marks the start of the 48-hour grace period.

End of a Failure: The failure ends when the Nullbeleg (zero receipt) is printed or the orderbird app prompts you to manually print the Nullbeleg (indicated by the yellow flashing bar at the top of the screen).

New Failures: A new failure begins whenever a subsequent invoice appears with the same error message, restarting the 48-hour grace period.

Special Cases: Broken or stolen iPad: If your iPad is broken or stolen, and you issue invoices manually, this also counts as a failure. In this situation, you must report the failure yourself, regardless of whether you have the RKSV Basis-Paket or Sorglos-Paket. Find out how to handle this here: My iPad is broken/was stolen - what now? (for Austria)