XBert Type: Standard
Accounting Software: Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks
Country Restriction: New Zealand only
Risk Type: Tax Risk
Business Function: Purchases
Overview
This XBert finds bills raised during a month that have no supporting document attached, where the bill value is over NZ$200 before GST and GST applies. New Zealand businesses must keep adequate records, known as taxable supply information, to support their GST returns. Attaching the supplier's invoice or receipt to each bill keeps that evidence in one place, ready for compliance and audit.
What it does
XBert scans your purchase bills and checks, for each one, whether a supporting document is actually attached. It groups the bills with no attachment into a single monthly summary, showing how many there are, the total value and the total GST involved.
How it works
Once a month, XBert reviews the bills raised that month and flags any bill that meets all of the following:
It has no document attached. XBert checks for an actual attachment on the bill rather than relying on a stored flag, so a bill that genuinely has a document will not be flagged by mistake.
Its value is over NZ$200, measured on the amount before GST.
It carries GST (the GST amount is greater than zero).
It was raised within the last 12 months.
XBert deliberately ignores some bills so you are not alerted unnecessarily. Voided and deleted bills are excluded, and templated recurring bills are excluded. Draft bills are still included on purpose, so you can attach the document before the bill is finalised or paid.
Example/Use Case
Aroha runs a small cafe in Wellington. During May she records a $250 bill (before GST) from a kitchen equipment supplier but forgets to attach the supplier's invoice. At the end of the month XBert flags the bill as having no attachment. Aroha finds the invoice in her email, attaches it to the bill, and now has the taxable supply information she needs to support the GST she has claimed. If Inland Revenue ever reviews her return, the evidence is already on file.
Accounting software
This XBert runs on the major accounting platforms XBert connects to:
Xero
MYOB
QuickBooks
Which countries it supports
This XBert applies to New Zealand businesses only, in line with Inland Revenue's GST record-keeping requirements.
Processes
This XBert falls under the Cleanup business area, helping you keep accurate and complete purchase records. To resolve it:
Review the flagged bills for the month and note which ones have no document attached.
Locate the supporting document for each bill, such as the supplier's invoice or receipt.
Attach the document to the matching bill in your accounting software.
Check that each document contains enough detail to qualify as taxable supply information under Inland Revenue's guidelines.
Once each bill has its document attached, mark the XBert as resolved.