XBert Type: Standard
Accounting Software: Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks
Country Restriction: the United Kingdom only
Risk Type: Cash Flow Risk
Business Function: Sales
Overview
The "Invoice Raised with a Cancelled Customer" XBert reviews the sales invoices in your accounting software and flags any that were raised against a customer whose UK company is no longer registered. If a customer has been dissolved or struck off at Companies House, an invoice you have issued to them is at real risk of never being paid. Catching this early gives you time to chase the debt or correct your records.
What it does
XBert takes the company registration number recorded against each of your customers and checks it against the official Companies House register. It then looks at the sales invoices you have raised to those customers. Where the customer's company is shown as cancelled, dissolved or otherwise no longer trading, XBert highlights the invoice so you can act before the debt becomes unrecoverable.
How it works
XBert matches each customer to a Companies House record, either by the company registration number entered on the customer's contact, or, where no number has been entered, by the most recent registration number XBert has previously seen for that customer. It then checks the company's current status on the register.
XBert raises this XBert only when all of the following are true:
The matched company is no longer active on Companies House (for example dissolved, in liquidation, closed or converted/closed) rather than active or open.
The invoice was dated on or after the date the company officially ceased. Invoices raised while the customer was still trading are deliberately ignored.
The invoice is in a draft, submitted or authorised state. Draft invoices are included so you are warned before you send them; voided and deleted invoices are ignored.
If XBert cannot confirm both that the company has ceased and the date it ceased, it will not raise the alert. This keeps the check focused on genuine cases and avoids flagging customers who are simply missing a status on the register.
Example/Use Case
Steve runs a stationery supplier in Leeds and raises an authorised invoice for £285 to Dave's Plumbing Ltd for an office order. Unknown to Steve, Dave's Plumbing was dissolved at Companies House two weeks earlier. Because Steve's invoice is dated after the company ceased, XBert flags it. Steve checks the company number on Companies House, confirms the business has closed, and contacts Dave directly to arrange payment before the company is fully wound up and the £285 becomes impossible to recover.
Accounting software
Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks
Which countries it supports
The United Kingdom only.
Processes
This XBert supports your Sales (Accounts Receivable) workflow.
To resolve the issue:
Open the flagged invoice and note the customer and the company registration number recorded against them.
Confirm the customer's company registration number and current status on the Companies House website.
If the registration number is wrong or out of date, update the customer's contact details in your accounting software so the correct, active company is recorded.
If the customer has genuinely been dissolved or closed, stop issuing new invoices to that entity and chase any outstanding amount promptly, while the business can still settle it.
Where the work was actually for a different or successor business, reissue the open invoice to the correct, registered entity.
Once you have reviewed and corrected the invoice, mark the XBert as resolved.
Keeping your customer details up to date protects your cash flow, reduces the risk of unpaid debts and keeps your records clean for VAT and reporting.