XBert Type: Standard
Accounting Software: Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks
Country Restriction: AU only
Risk Type: Tax Risk
Business Function: Purchases
Overview
The "ABN on bill attachment different to supplier" XBert identifies bills where the ABN shown on the attached document does not match the ABN listed in your accounting software for the supplier. This discrepancy could result in incorrect GST reporting and poses a risk for BAS compliance.
What it does
XBert analyses each bill with one or more attachments and compares the ABN found on the attachment to the ABN of the bill's supplier.
Triggers when the ABN on an attachment is valid but does not match the supplier’s ABN in the contact record.
Helps ensure that each bill is linked to the correct supplier and that the GST reported is accurate.
Only fires when there is a valid ABN extracted from at least one attachment.
How it works
During sync:
XBert reviews all bills with attachments.
It scans the attachment(s) for any ABNs and checks them against the XBert-verified database of valid ABNs.
If the ABN on the attachment is different from the ABN in the supplier's contact record in Xero, MYOB, or QuickBooks, an alert is raised.
This ensures GST claims and contact information are aligned with ATO compliance requirements.
Example/Use Case
Steve owns a printing business. He uploads a tax invoice for catering from Bob’s Burgers to a bill in Xero. The contact for Bob’s Burgers in Xero has an old ABN (123761282), but the invoice shows a valid and current ABN (345982333). The mismatch could result in GST reporting errors—potentially causing Steve to under- or over-report GST in his BAS.
In another case, automation software misreads a receipt and attaches a taxi invoice to a bill for a catering service. This mismatch of supplier and attachment ABN introduces confusion and could lead to incorrect expense categorisation and non-compliance if audited.
Accounting software
Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks
Which countries it supports
Australia only.
Processes
This XBert is part of the Bookkeeping – Purchases (AP) category.
To address this alert:
Review the bill and its attachment(s)
Confirm the ABN on the attachment with the ABN in your accounting software
If necessary:
Update the supplier's contact record with the correct ABN
Replace or remove the incorrect attachment
Verify automated document scanning tools for misreads
Maintaining accurate contact and ABN records is essential for compliance with ATO regulations and helps prevent costly rework during audits.