All Collections
Invoices and Bills
Duplicate Check for Invoices
Duplicate Check for Invoices

A guide on AutoEntry's Duplicate Check process for Invoices/Bills.

Emma Carroll avatar
Written by Emma Carroll
Updated over a week ago

AutoEntry has a 3 stage duplicate check to catch any duplicate invoices before they're published to your accounting software.

We automatically check your invoices at three points:

  • At the point of upload

  • During the extraction process

  • When publishing the invoice to your accounting software

For individual invoices, where the uploaded file has not been received before, the following fields are used to verify if an invoice is a duplicate or not:

  • Supplier/Vendor Name

  • Invoice Number

  • Invoice Date

  • Gross Total


Duplicates caught at the point of upload

When a duplicate invoice/bill is caught at the point of upload, you will see the message 'File already uploaded - Process anyway' displayed under the File Status column of your Activity feed.

Once a file is uploaded, AutoEntry compares it to files previously uploaded to that company. If the file matches, it is cancelled and the File Status will appear as above. No credits have been used at this point as the file has not been sent for processing.

If you believe this is in error, and the file has not been uploaded before, there is the option to Process it anyway by clicking on the blue text.

Clicking on Process anyway will lead you to the following pop-up to confirm that you want to process the file and ignore the duplicate check done by AutoEntry. Processing will then begin for that file.

📎NOTE:

  • Any individual invoices that have already been processed from the previous upload will be individually rejected as duplicates, so if the invoices do not appear in your Inbox they are likely in your Rejected folder. It still costs a credit to process items (invoices/bills/receipts/credit notes) even if they are rejected.

  • The auto-detection of duplicate invoices sent to AutoEntry works when a supplier name, invoice date, invoice number and gross amount all exactly match.


Duplicates caught during the extraction process

AutoEntry will recognise duplicates of individual invoices/bills during processing as the second stage of the duplicate check.

Where the supplier name, invoice date, invoice number and gross amount match a document previously uploaded, the document will be marked as a duplicate and subsequently rejected. You can find these invoices in your rejected folder with a notice stating that it was a duplicate invoice.

You can click View on the left-hand side to view the invoice image. You can also override the duplicate check and force the invoice through to your Inbox by clicking the Move to Inbox button on the right.

The Activity Page will also display the document as rejected.

As the full extraction and verification are attempted before an invoice can be confirmed as a duplicate, any rejected invoices/bills consume a credit as normal.


Duplicates caught when publishing the invoice to your accounting software

When publishing an invoice to your accounting software, AutoEntry does a final check to confirm if it already exists in the software. It could be the case that the invoice was previously entered manually by a colleague, or entered before you started using AutoEntry.

If an invoice with the same supplier name, invoice date, invoice number and gross amount matching exactly already exists in your accounting software, a red warning icon with an error message is displayed beside the invoice in your Inbox (click the warning icon to view the message). This message will differ depending on what accounting software you are integrated with.

Once you are viewing the error message, the option to override the duplicate warning is available. To force the invoice through to your software, simply select the option to Add the invoice anyway and it will be published.

It is advisable to check your accounting software for the matching invoice data in this instance, however. If you do this and can find the duplicate, you can select the option to Reject the invoice.


Am I charged for duplicate uploads?

When files are uploaded to AutoEntry, we have multiple duplicate checks in place. Whether or not you will be charged credits for a duplicate upload will depend on the stage at which the duplicate is recognised.

The following applies to uploads to Purchases, Sales, Expense Reports and Supplier Statements:

  • If the exact same file is uploaded twice, this will be recognised before it is sent for processing. This will show on your Activity screen with the status File Already Uploaded. In this instance, you will not be charged for this upload unless you select the option to 'Process Anyway'.

  • If a different file containing a document that has previously been processed is uploaded, this will not be recognised as a duplicate before it is sent for processing. In this case, as the file is only recognised as a duplicate during extraction, you will be charged credits for this upload.

  • The final duplicate check is at the point of publishing. If an invoice is flagged as a duplicate at this stage, it means the invoice has not previously been uploaded to AutoEntry but has been entered manually to your accounting package, or the invoice has been published already and later republished on AutoEntry. In both of these scenarios, the invoice in question has still been fully processed by AutoEntry and you will be charged for the upload.


Last edited:

Jun 28, 2023, 15:10 PM

Did this answer your question?