XBert Type: Standard
Accounting Software: Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks
Country Restriction: South Africa only
Risk Type: Compliance Risk
Business Function: Purchases
Overview
The "VAT Number on Bill Attachment Different to Supplier" XBert checks whether the supplier's registered company number on a bill's attachment matches the number recorded against that supplier in your accounting software. In South Africa this is the supplier's Enterprise Number (the company registration number issued by the CIPC). Catching a mismatch early helps keep your supplier records, tax invoices and SARS reporting accurate.
What it does
This XBert looks at bills that have a document attached, such as a tax invoice. It reads the supplier's registered Enterprise Number from that attachment and compares it with the Enterprise Number held against the supplier's contact in your accounting software.
When the two numbers do not match, XBert raises an alert so you can check whether the bill has been coded to the wrong supplier, or whether the supplier's details need updating.
How it works
XBert raises this alert when a bill meets all of the following:
It has one or more documents attached.
The supplier on the bill has an Enterprise Number recorded against their contact.
A registered company number is read from the attachment, and it is different to the supplier's recorded Enterprise Number.
To avoid false alarms, XBert only looks at attachments that are the actual source document for the bill, such as an invoice, tax invoice or a payable notice (for example a rates or levy notice). If a bill's only attachments are clearly something else, such as a receipt, a statement or a remittance, XBert treats the number on them as unrelated and does not raise the alert. When a document has not yet been read or its type is unknown, XBert still raises the alert so a genuine mismatch is never missed.
Example / Use Case
Thandi runs a small construction firm and attaches a scanned tax invoice to a R18,400 bill in Xero. The bill is coded to her usual supplier, Palmer Windows, whose Enterprise Number is recorded as 2014/123761/07. XBert reads a different Enterprise Number, 2009/345982/07, from the attached invoice. On review, Thandi finds the invoice actually came from a different company, so the bill was coded to the wrong supplier. She re-codes it to the correct contact, which keeps her supplier records and VAT claim accurate.
In another case, the attachment is the right document but Palmer Windows' Enterprise Number was keyed incorrectly when the contact was first set up. Thandi corrects the supplier's details so future bills and tax invoices line up.
Accounting software
Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks
Which countries it supports
South Africa only.
Processes
This XBert supports the Compliance process within Purchases (Accounts Payable).
To resolve this alert:
Open the bill and compare the registered company number on the attached document with the Enterprise Number recorded against the supplier.
If the bill has been coded to the wrong supplier, re-code it to the correct contact.
If the supplier's Enterprise Number was entered incorrectly, update it on the supplier's contact in your accounting software.
If the attachment is the wrong document, replace it with the correct tax invoice or contact the supplier for a corrected one.
Once the bill or supplier details are correct, mark the XBert as resolved.
Accurate supplier registration details help keep your tax invoices valid for SARS, support correct VAT claims and reduce the risk of penalties or rejected input VAT.