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      How to Export Bills and Invoices to Xero

      Learn how to export your commonsku bills and invoices to Xero and how to fix error codes you may receive.

      On this page:

      Export client invoices

      Export supplier bills

      Map your client and supplier accounts

      Record payments on client invoices

      Re-export an invoice/bill

      How to fix error codes

      FAQ

      Export client invoices

      To export client invoices to Xero:

      1. Click Finance > Invoicing > Report Type: Invoices
      2. Select the checkbox beside the invoice(s) you'd like to export
      3. Click to Export to Xero
      4. In the Xero Export Report pop-up, click the X to close the export screen

      Exported invoices automatically transfer to the Finance > Invoicing > Report type: Exported Invoices. Refer to FAQ if you receive an error during the export process.

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      Export supplier bills

      To export supplier bills invoices to Xero from your Operations tab:

      1. Click Finance > Billing > Report Type: Export Bills
      2. Select the checkbox beside the bills(s) you'd like to export
      3. Click to Export to Xero
      4. In the Xero Export Report pop-up, click the X to close the export screen

      Exported bills automatically transfer to the Finance > Billing > Report type: Exported Bills. Refer to FAQ if you receive an error during the export process.

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      Map your client and supplier accounts

      If it's the first time you're exporting an invoice/bill for a particular account, Xero will ask if you want to create a new client/vendor in Xero or if the client/vendor already exists, but under a different name or with a different spelling. 

      The Xero Export Report pop-up will read, "You are trying to export invoices for clients that are not associated with a Xero Contact. Would you like to map them to existing contacts?"

      To map the commonsku client/vendor to an existing account in Xero:

      1. Click the "Don't map" drop-down and select the client/vendor you'd like to export the invoice/bill to
      2. Click the Map and Export button

      To create a new client/vendor account in Xero:

      1. Don't select anything in the "Don't map (This will create a new Xero Customer)" drop-down
      2. Click the Map and Export button
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      Record payments on client invoices

      The best practice is to record payments inside Xero, then manually update the commonsku invoice's status to Paid.

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      Re-export an invoice/bill

      To re-export a client invoice:

      1. In the Finance > Invoicing > Report Type: Exported Invoices, select the checkbox beside the invoice(s) you'd like to re-export
      2. Click UnExport Selected
      3. Export the invoice as normal

      To re-export a supplier bill:

      1. In the Finance > Billing > Report Type: Exported Bills, select the checkbox beside the bill(s) you'd like to re-export
      2. Click UnExport Selected
      3. Export the bill as normal

      How to fix error codes

      Error: The TaxType code "x" cannot be used with account code "x."

      Xero's integration requires you to use different tax codes for client invoices and supplier bills; somebody previously used the tax code on the opposite form type. Switch the form's tax to the correct tax code (bills vs. invoice tax code), then export as usual.

      Error: An existing contact could not be found using the specified contact details. The contact name field is required to create a new contact.

      Something in the Xero client/supplier account has changed since it was initially connected to commonsku.

      1. In the client/supplier page > client/supplier details, click Check It
      2. Either click the "Unmap" drop-down and select the proper client/supplier account, then click Update, or click Update and re-map the client/supplier when you export the form.

      Error: The contact with the specified details has been archived. The contact must be un-archived before creating new invoices or credit notes.

      Something in the Xero client/supplier account has changed since it was initially connected to commonsku.

      1. In the client/supplier page > client/supplier details, click Check It
      2. Either click the "Unmap" drop-down and select the proper client/supplier account, then click Update, or click Update and re-map the client/supplier when you export the form.

      Error: This document cannot be edited as it has a payment or credit note allocated to it.

      Xero has a credit note with the same invoice/bill number. You'll need to remove the credit or change the credit number before exporting the invoice/bill.

      Error: Invoice #: Invoice not of valid status for modification

      Unfortunately, voided invoices cannot be re-exported to Xero. Xero recommends creating a new invoice or making a copy of the voided one. If you'd like to re-export from commonsku, you'll need to create a new invoice and export it to Xero.

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      FAQ

      What if I need to make changes to an invoice or bill I've already exported?

      You can either:

      • Manually edit the invoice/bill inside of both Xero and commonsku
      • Delete the invoice/bill from Xero (if applicable) and re-export it

      Do I have to add new clients/suppliers to Xero and commonsku?
      Xero will automatically create new customer and vendor profiles for your new clients and suppliers.

      How can I remove an invoice/bill from the export list without exporting it to Xero?

      To remove an invoice/bill from your export list without exporting it to Xero:

      1. Set your invoices/bills to export as CSV or XML files
      2. Export the invoices/bills as normal
      3. Set your invoices/bills to export to Xero

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