How to find duplicate supplier invoices in a Xero or NetSuite export
Which report to export from Xero or NetSuite, the four checks that find duplicate supplier invoices in it, and what the built-in duplicate warnings cover.
Export your bills with supplier, invoice number, date and amount, then run four checks on the file. Our free checker runs them in your browser. For a hold list on your full ledger, with a reason on every row, the Proof is from 1,500 euro and takes 5 working days.
Step 1: export the right file
Xero. Xero's help says bills export to a CSV file: in the Purchases menu, select Bills, open the menu next to New Bill and choose Export bills. One export holds up to 500 transactions, so a larger ledger goes out in batches. Each line item is its own row, so add them up per bill first. Xero says the export keeps the layout of its bill import template, whose columns include Contact Name, Invoice Number, Invoice Date and Total.
NetSuite. NetSuite's help describes the Transaction Detail report, under Reports, Financial. Its columns include Type, Date, Document Number, Name and Amount. Filter it to vendor bills and vendor credits. NetSuite's help says the vendor's own invoice number goes in the bill's Reference No. field, which shows on reports such as the Accounts Payable Register. Check that reference, not NetSuite's own number. NetSuite's help says reports export to formats that include CSV and Excel.
Step 2: run the four checks
| Check | What it catches |
|---|---|
| 1. Same supplier, same number | The same bill entered twice. Compare numbers in one case, ends trimmed. |
| 2. Same supplier, same amount, inside a date window | A bill sent again with a new number. List fixed weekly or monthly charges, or they fill the list. |
| 3. A credit note that already cancelled a bill | A cancelled bill still waiting to be paid next to its replacement. |
| 4. A number with spaces or dashes changed | DG-10482 typed again as DG 10482. Keep only letters and digits, then compare again. |
What the built-in warnings cover
Xero. Its help page says Xero compares the contact, reference and amount of all bills and credit notes, and flags potential duplicates for review. It also says bills from the same repeating bill template are not compared. The page describes no date window and no rule for references typed differently, so run checks 2, 3 and 4 on the export.
NetSuite. Its help describes a Duplicate Number Warnings preference: No Warnings, Warn (UI only), or Warn and Block, for a record of the same type with the same document number. The page on entering a vendor bill says a duplicate reference for the vendor may show a warning, and the user can click OK and save anyway. These pages describe a check on the number only. They describe no check on amount and date, and none for a credit note that already cancelled a bill.
The free checker, then the Proof
Drop your CSV or Excel export into the duplicate invoice checker. It runs the four checks in your browser and shows the count and value of suspected duplicates. Nothing leaves your browser.
The Proof does it on your real ledger. On day 1 we write 3 to 5 tests with you. It runs in shadow mode: it reads and reports, and writes nothing. Half is paid up front, the other half when it passes your tests. It is credited in full against a Pilot booked within 30 days, and you own the code.
A worked example, on synthetic data
Our sample hold list shows the day-5 output. Every row is synthetic: 20 sample invoices, 4 held.
- Check 2 holds PK-7731: same supplier and same amount as PK-7714, two days apart.
- Check 3 holds CH-55098: credit note CN-2210 already cancelled it.
- Check 4 holds DG 10482: the number and amount of DG-10482, with a space in place of the dash.
- Check 2 also holds a monthly waste fee for a different month, so a person releases it.
That is 3 confirmed duplicates, 1 false alarm released, and £7,465.35 that would have been paid twice.
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Contact
Send us the problem or email jayron@geurs.com