Xero Error Messages Explained

Sometimes you may get an error message returned from Xero when creating or updating a Customer or Invoice within OutOnSite. 

These errors can be caused by a variety of reasons, therefore we have put the following list together to explain what some of them mean.

If you are getting an error that is not listed below then please get in touch via the webchat so we can assist you.

Invoice not of valid status for modification

This usually means there is an invoice already in Xero with the same invoice number that cannot be modified for whatever reason. Please check in Xero to see if there is an existing invoice with the same invoice number.

The contact with the specified contact details has been archived.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

The contact you are trying to update has been archived in Xero, you can try the following to resolve the issue.

1. Open Xero and on the Contacts menu, select All contacts.
2. Select the Archived tab.
3. Select the contact record to open up the contact details.
4. Press the Restore button.
5. Press Restore again to confirm.

To update fields on a paid invoice line item, you must supply a LineItemID

The invoice you are trying to export already exists in Xero and is marked as paid. You cannot update an invoice in Xero which is marked as paid. If you remove the payment on the invoice in Xero you should be able to export it from OutOnSite.

The status AUTHORISED cannot be applied to the invoice because it has payments or credit notes allocated to it

This usually means there is an invoice already in Xero with the same invoice number and the invoice has payments or credit notes linked to it. If you remove the payments and/or credit notes on the invoice in Xero you should be able to export it from OutOnSite.

The contact name xxxxxxx is already assigned to another contact. The contact name must be unique across all active contacts.

This error can occur if you are trying to rename a Customer in OutOnSite to the same name as a Contact that already exists in Xero. This could potentially happen if you created a Customer in OutOnSite with the wrong name or with a name that didn't exactly match an existing Contact in Xero, this would have automatically created a new Contact record in Xero, you are then trying to rename the Customer in OutOnSite to the correct name (for the existing Contact you had in Xero) but what this will try and do is rename the new Contact record that was created in Xero to the same name as an existing Contact record that is already in Xero (which Xero will not allow to happen). Please get in touch with us and we can remove the current link between the Customer record in OutOnSite and Xero so that it can be re-exported (i.e. linked) to the correct Contact in Xero.

Account type is invalid for making a payment to/from

This means the nominal code for the "Payment type" you are using in OutOnSite hasn't been enabled to receive payments in Xero.

If you log into your Xero account, go to Accounting > Chart of Accounts, locate the relevant nominal code that is linked to the "Payment type" in our software, and tick "Enable payments", it should then resolve the issue and allow the invoice to sync.

This invoice cannot be exported because another invoice with reference 'XXX' has already been exported to Xero.

This error occurs when you are trying to export an invoice that has the same reference number as another invoice in OutOnSite which has already been exported to Xero. This is a safeguard to prevent duplicate invoice numbers being created in Xero. Please contact support so we can investigate how the duplicate reference occurred and resolve the conflict.

This invoice cannot be exported because reference 'XXX' has a matching numeric value to another invoice that has already been exported to Xero.

This error occurs when the invoice reference numerically matches another invoice that has already been exported to Xero, even if the format is slightly different. For example, "INV-0100" and "INV-100" are treated as the same number by Xero. Please contact support so we can resolve the conflict.

An invoice with reference 'XXX' already exists in Xero.

This error occurs when an invoice with the same reference number already exists in Xero, but was not created from OutOnSite (e.g., it was created directly in Xero). To resolve this:

• Log into Xero and locate the invoice with this reference number
• Either delete/void the invoice in Xero if it was created in error, or
• Change the invoice reference in OutOnSite to a different number before exporting

To prevent this in future, ensure invoices are only created in OutOnSite and exported to Xero, rather than being created directly in Xero.

Could not verify this invoice reference doesn't already exist in Xero.

This error occurs when OutOnSite was unable to check whether the invoice reference already exists in Xero. This is usually caused by a temporary network issue or Xero being unavailable. Please wait a few minutes and try exporting the invoice again. If the problem persists, please contact support.

Invoice exported with issues

This message appears when an invoice was successfully exported to Xero, but Xero assigned a different reference number than expected, creating a mismatch between the two systems. The message will show the reference number in OutOnSite and the reference number in Xero.

This typically occurs when using "Xero Invoice Numbers" and an earlier invoice failed to export, causing the numbering sequence to become out of sync.

To resolve:

1. Log into Xero and locate the exported invoice
2. Check if the OutOnSite reference number is available in Xero (i.e., no other invoice is using it)
3. If available, manually change the invoice number in Xero to match OutOnSite
4. If not available (another invoice in Xero already has that number), you may need to accept the mismatch or contact support for assistance

To prevent future conflicts:

1. In Xero, go to Settings > Invoice settings > Default Settings
2. Update the "Next Invoice Number" to match or exceed OutOnSite's next invoice number

This invoice could not be exported due to a conflict with another invoice in OutOnSite.

This is a rare error that occurs when Xero returns an invoice ID that is already linked to a different invoice in OutOnSite. This indicates unexpected behaviour from Xero and requires support intervention to resolve. Please contact support with the invoice details.

You are not authenticated to access Xero.

This error occurs when your Xero authentication has expired or has not been set up. To resolve this:

1. Go to Settings > Xero Integration in OutOnSite
2. Click the button to reconnect to Xero
3. Follow the prompts to authenticate with your Xero account

Once reconnected, try exporting the invoice again.