Accounting sync errors

Sometimes your accounting system refuses a bill. The milestone then shows Sync failed with the error your accounting system gave, and Retry sync. Nothing is sent to a bank: a failed bill only means the bill isn't in your accounting system yet.

The sync error email

When a milestone's bill fails under Xero or MYOB, an email goes to the sync error email address set in your organisation's accounting settings. It names the milestone, says what went wrong, and links to the milestone, its application, its contract and the bill where they exist.

• If no sync error email address is set, no email is sent. The failure shows only on the milestone.
• Under QuickBooks Online no sync error email is sent. The failure shows on the milestone.
• An exempt milestone never sends one.

The email's resync link opens the milestone with the retry dialog already open. You need the Can access Manage Milestones permission with Full Access to use it; if you're signed out, you sign in first. Anyone else who opens the link sees a page that says it can't be found.

Retry with a different bill date

The retry dialog shows the error your accounting system gave and a Bill date, filled in with the date the bill would normally carry. Resolve the cause in your accounting system before resyncing, then:

1. Change the Bill date if you need to. It must be a real date, or the dialog says "Enter a valid date".
2. Select Retry sync. One new attempt is made. Cancel makes none.

Payments and their bills

On a payment batch's page, each payment shows its sync status:

• Not synced: no bill has been made for it yet. A payment of a milestone that is exempt from syncing stays Not synced and shows Exempt from syncing.
• Synced: the bill is in your accounting system. View in Xero, View in QuickBooks or View in MYOB opens it in a new tab. A milestone payment shows its milestone's bill.
• Flagged for manual sync only: the bill failed. The error your accounting system gave is shown with Resync, which opens the same retry dialog. Resyncing a milestone payment retries its milestone's bill. Once the payment reads Synced, Resync is gone.

You need the Can access Payments permission to resync. If you edit or delete a payment that has already synced, the dialog warns you first: changes in Backed don't update the bill in your accounting system, so adjust it there too.

Common errors

What you see	What to do
The bill date is in a locked or closed period	Choose a Bill date after the lock date. Your lock date isn't changed. Under Xero, the dialog links to Xero's article about lock dates.
The bill is approved, voided or paid in Xero	Xero won't update a bill in that state. Adjust it in Xero instead; a Draft bill can be updated.
More than one matching contact	Two or more contacts in your accounting system have the applicant's name. Remove the duplicate, or map the right one on the applicant's page, then retry.
No account code	Choose an account code in your organisation's accounting settings, then retry.
The account is inactive (MYOB)	Make the account active in MYOB, or choose another, then retry.
Currency not supported	The bill is in a currency other than your accounting system's base currency. Backed sends a bill only in that base currency and never converts an amount, so retrying won't help: record this one in your accounting system yourself.

Every attempt, successful or not, is listed in Integration logs.