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Multiple ABNs on attachments for supplier bill

Marsha Galicia avatar
Written by Marsha Galicia
Updated yesterday

XBert Type: Standard
Accounting Software: Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks
Country Restriction: AU only
Risk Type: Tax Risk
Business Function: Purchases

Overview

The "Multiple ABNs on attachments for supplier bill" XBert highlights bills that contain multiple attachments showing different ABNs, which may not align with the supplier’s recorded ABN in your accounting software. This discrepancy may indicate an error in the bill setup or issues with the attached documentation.

What it does

XBert scans bills that include more than one attachment and checks each for a valid ABN.

  • If two or more attachments on the same bill contain different ABNs

  • And at least one of those ABNs does not match the supplier's recorded ABN

  • XBert triggers this alert to flag the inconsistency

How it works

  • XBert uses automated data extraction to identify ABNs on attachments

  • If multiple ABNs are detected across a bill's attachments and at least one doesn’t match the supplier’s contact ABN, the alert is generated

  • This helps surface potentially misfiled or mismatched documentation that could affect GST reporting

Example/Use Case

Steve processes a bill for Bob’s Burgers in Xero and attaches two documents. One is a legitimate invoice from Bob’s Burgers (ABN: 345982333), but the second is a scanned taxi receipt from 13-CABS (ABN: 898934899) that was added by mistake.

Even though the ABN for Bob’s Burgers is correct, the presence of a mismatched ABN on the second attachment causes confusion. If left unchecked, this could lead to errors in GST claims, poor audit trails, and compliance issues with the ATO.

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:

  • Open the bill and inspect all attachments

  • Confirm which ABN(s) are correct and whether all attachments belong to the supplier

  • If needed:

    • Remove incorrect attachments

    • Split items across multiple bills if attachments belong to different suppliers

    • Request a corrected invoice from the supplier

Keeping attachment records aligned with supplier ABNs ensures your business stays compliant and avoids costly GST errors or audit challenges.

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