XBert Type: Standard
Accounting Software: Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks Online
Country Restriction: Australia only
Risk Type: Cash Flow Risk
Business Function: Purchases
Overview
The "Unusual Monthly Billing" XBert looks for a supplier whose total billing in a recent month is far higher or lower than what that supplier normally charges you. It helps you catch double-ups, one-off mistakes, price jumps or a missing bill before they affect your cash flow or your accounts.
What it does
For each supplier, this XBert adds up the total amount billed to you in each month and compares the recent months against that supplier's own history. If a month stands out as unusually high or low for that supplier, it flags it so you can check whether the amount is correct and expected.
How it works
XBert groups your bills by supplier and by month. It only looks at bills that are awaiting payment or already paid, recorded in Australian dollars.
For each supplier it then:
Works out the supplier's normal monthly billing range from its recent history. It needs at least three months of activity to do this.
Flags any recent month that sits well outside that normal range, either much higher or much lower than usual.
To avoid raising trivial or unreliable alerts, it deliberately ignores:
Small movements. A flagged month must differ from the supplier's usual amount by at least $200 and by at least 15%. Minor changes, such as a rent rising with annual indexation, will not trigger an alert.
Very small suppliers. Suppliers whose billing is always under $100 are skipped.
Empty or credit months. Months with a $0 or negative total, for example credit notes or reversals, are excluded.
Suppliers with no real variation. If a supplier's monthly totals are almost always the same, no alert is raised, because there is nothing genuinely unusual to compare against.
Older months. Only months within roughly the last three months are flagged; anything older is left alone.
Example/Use Case
Higher than usual: Priya's business receives monthly bills from XYZ Print Co. that usually sit between $1,500 and $2,000. This month a bill for $6,000 appears. XBert flags it for review. It may be a genuine one-off project, or it could be a mistake such as a double-up. Priya checks the bill, confirms it was accidentally entered twice, voids the duplicate, and avoids overpaying by $3,000.
Lower than usual: TechParts Pty Ltd normally bills around $3,000 a month, but this month only $300 has been recorded. XBert flags it. Reviewing it confirms a regular bill was never received and entered, so Priya follows it up before the supply is interrupted.
Accounting software
This XBert runs on the major Australian accounting platforms, including Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks Online.
Which countries it supports
Australia only. It reviews bills recorded in Australian dollars.
Processes
This alert falls under the Purchases (Accounts Payable) area and helps you monitor irregular supplier charges. To resolve it:
Open the purchase records for the flagged supplier.
Review the bills for the month in question and compare them with earlier months.
If a bill is too high, check for a duplicate entry, an incorrect amount, or charges that belong to another period.
If the total is unusually low, check whether an expected bill is missing or was entered incorrectly, and follow it up with the supplier.
If a bill is wrong, void it and ask the supplier to reissue it correctly.
If the amount is genuine, for example a one-off project or a confirmed price change, no further action is needed.
Once you have reviewed and corrected the bills, mark the XBert as resolved.