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Unpaid Income With A Cancelled Business - ZA

Marsha Galicia avatar
Written by Marsha Galicia
Updated today

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

Overview

The “Unpaid Income with a Cancelled Business” XBert checks for unpaid invoices issued to customers that are no longer active on the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) Register. These alerts help reduce your exposure to uncollectible debts from businesses that have been deregistered or dissolved.

What it does

XBert identifies invoices that remain unpaid where the customer’s Enterprise Number is either cancelled or no longer valid according to CIPC. This ensures you’re aware of outstanding income that may be at risk due to the customer no longer being a legally registered entity.

How it works

This XBert:

  • Scans invoices for South African tenants where the Enterprise Number has been matched as cancelled or deregistered

  • Checks if the invoice is not deleted, voided, paid, draft, or submitted

  • Confirms that the invoice has an outstanding amount greater than R0.00

  • Generates an alert showing the total unpaid amount for that customer and provides a link to review the contact

Example / Use Case

Steve runs a newsagency and sends an invoice for R85.00 to Dave’s Plumbing for office supplies. Three weeks later, he finds out the company has been deregistered. Steve’s invoice has not been paid. Fortunately, Steve acts quickly, contacts Dave, and manages to recover the money before the business winds up its affairs.

Without this alert, Steve may not have realised the risk of non-payment due to the customer’s deregistration status.

Accounting software

Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks

Which countries it supports

South Africa only

Processes

This alert is part of your Sales (AR) process and helps you manage risks in your accounts receivable.

To resolve this XBert:

  • Check the customer’s Enterprise Number using the CIPC Website

  • If needed, request the correct Enterprise Number from the customer

  • Update the contact record in your accounting software with the correct details

  • Review outstanding invoices and consider follow-up actions to recover any unpaid amounts

  • Avoid issuing new invoices to cancelled or deregistered businesses unless there is a clear and valid reason

  • Reissue existing invoices with corrected details if necessary

Accurate contact records and up-to-date business information help ensure you’re dealing with legitimate entities and reduce the risk of unrecoverable debt.

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