XBert Type: Standard
Accounting Software: Xero
Country Restriction: AU only
Risk Type: Bookkeeping Risk
Business Function: Banking
Overview
The "Batch Payment Contains Unsupported Characters" XBert flags batch payments that include characters in the payment reference which may prevent ABA files from being accepted by Australian banks. Identifying these characters early helps avoid delays in supplier payments and ensures smooth processing of batch files.
What it does
This XBert checks batch payments made in Xero to detect any line item references or details that contain unsupported characters, particularly underscores (_) or full stops (.). These characters are known to cause ABA file rejections with certain banks. The alert helps ensure that your ABA files can be uploaded successfully without payment disruptions.
How it works
XBert scans the last 10 highest-value authorised batch payments made in Xero that meet the following criteria:
The payment type is ‘PAYBATCH’ (i.e. a spend batch payment).
One or more line items in the batch contain underscore or full stop characters in the reference or details field.
These characters are known to cause issues with bank ABA file processing.
If such a payment is detected, XBert raises an alert so you can modify the line item descriptions before exporting and sending the ABA file.
Example/Use Case
Margie creates a batch payment to pay several bills from Bob’s Painting Services. She enters a reference in one of the bill line items that includes an underscore. When she attempts to upload the ABA file to the bank, the file is rejected due to the unsupported character. As a result, the payments don’t go through, and Margie later receives an overdue notice from Bob’s Painting Services — now including a late fee. Fixing the character issue earlier would have avoided the delay and the extra cost.
Accounting software
Xero only.
Which countries it supports
Australia only.
Processes
This alert falls under the ‘Banking’ category and supports clean batch payment workflows. To resolve this issue:
Review the reference or details fields in the line items of the affected batch payment.
Look for and remove or replace any full stops or underscores.
Once updated, regenerate the ABA file from Xero and upload it to your bank.
If your bank does not reject these characters, you may choose to mark the alert as resolved without editing the descriptions, but it's best to check your bank’s requirements first.