Introduction
Bills Import brings unpaid bills from your accounting system straight into Alaan, so your team doesn't have to key them in twice.
Approved and fully unpaid bills from the last three months are pulled into Alaan and appear in the Bills Inbox on the Payments page. From there you add the payment details, submit the bill through your usual approval flow, and pay via SuperPay.
Supported accounting systems
Bills Import is currently supported for:
Zoho Books
Xero
QuickBooks Online
Odoo
Oracle NetSuite
How to enable bills import
Login to Alaan Portal
Go to Settings > ERP
Enable Vendor mapping
Enable Bills import
Once enabled, eligible bills are fetched automatically. You can also use Sync now to pull the latest bills on demand. You'll also see a Sync now button if you want to pull the latest bills on demand instead of waiting for the next automatic sync.
Bills brought in this way are marked Bills imported from ERP in the Bills inbox. If a bill has attachments in your accounting system, those come across too, the first attachment becomes the bill document and any others are added as supporting documents.
You need Admin or Accountant permissions to do this. Team Leaders cannot change Vendor Mapping, so they can't complete these steps.
Requirements before submitting an imported bill
Two things need to be in place before an imported bill can be sent for payment:
A bill document must be available: If your accounting system had no document attached, Alaan still imports the bill, but Submit stays disabled until a document is added. Either upload it directly in Alaan or attach it to the bill in your accounting system and wait for the next sync.
The recipient must be selected: If your accounting system had no document attached, Alaan still imports the bill, but Submit stays disabled until one is added. Either upload it in Alaan, or attach it to the bill in your accounting system and wait for the next sync.
Once both are done, submit the bill as usual. Imported bills follow your existing bill and payment approval flow.
Bill details imported from your accounting system
The following bill details are imported into Alaan:
Vendor
Bill amount and currency
Invoice number
Bill date and due date
Attachments - the first attachment is treated as the bill document, and any additional attachments are added as supporting documents.
What’s not imported? Line items are not imported. The bill's line-by-line breakdown does not come across.
Only recipient and payment or bank details are editable in Alaan. Everything else on the bill, including the vendor, amount and dates, comes from your accounting system and can't be changed in Alaan. To update these details, make the change in your accounting system and let the next sync bring it through.
Once a bill is paid in Alaan, the payment status is synced back to your accounting system. Any document you upload in Alaan is synced back too
FAQ
When does Bills Import sync?
When does Bills Import sync?
Bills are automatically synced every 24 hours. You can also use Sync now whenever you want to fetch the latest bills or updates from your accounting system.
Which bills get imported? Can I choose which ones?
Which bills get imported? Can I choose which ones?
Only approved and fully unpaid bills are imported. Draft, awaiting approval, partially paid, paid, voided, or deleted bills are excluded.
Currently, all eligible bills from the last three months are imported. You can't select individual bills, choose a different starting date, or filter between domestic and international bills.
What happens if an imported bill changes in my accounting system?
What happens if an imported bill changes in my accounting system?
The next sync picks up changes to the bill, including updates to the amount, vendor, dates, or documents. If the bill is paid, voided, or deleted in your accounting system, its status in Alaan is also updated on the next sync.
What happens if my imported bill is paid or deleted or voided in my Accounting System after it is imported into Alaan?
What happens if my imported bill is paid or deleted or voided in my Accounting System after it is imported into Alaan?
If you are using Zoho Books, Oracle NetSuite, Odoo When you are making payment, Alaan will check the status of the bill at that moment, if it is paid, Alaan will block the payment and move it to paid tab. If it's Deleted or Voided in the Accounting System, Alaan will move it to the Archived tab and the payment is blocked.
If you are using Xero or Quickbooks, this check is not supported at the moment. Payers would have to check the status of the bill in Accounting System before making the payment in Alaan.
Will I end up with duplicate bills?
Will I end up with duplicate bills?
No. Repeat syncs don't create copies of bills you've already imported, and a bill imported from your accounting system is never exported back to it as a new bill.
Can I edit an imported bill in Alaan?
Can I edit an imported bill in Alaan?
You can add or update the recipient and payment details in Alaan. Other bill details come from your accounting system and can't be edited in Alaan. To change them, update the bill in your accounting system and sync again.
How is the three-month window calculated?
How is the three-month window calculated?
It's based on the bill date in your accounting system, and it's fixed at the moment you enable Bills Import - it doesn't roll forward. Bills dated more than three months before you switched the feature on won't be imported, and turning the feature off and on again won't change that. Enter those bills manually in Alaan if you need to pay them.
What happens if my imported bill is paid, deleted or voided in my accounting system after it's imported into Alaan?
What happens if my imported bill is paid, deleted or voided in my accounting system after it's imported into Alaan?
On Zoho Books, Oracle NetSuite and Odoo, Alaan checks the bill's current status at the moment of payment. If it has been paid, Alaan blocks the payment and moves the bill to the Processing/Paid tab. If it has been deleted or voided, Alaan moves it to the Rejected/Archive tab and blocks the payment.
On Xero and QuickBooks Online this check isn't supported yet. Check the bill's status in your accounting system before paying it in Alaan.
Why was my payment blocked with an amount mismatch message?
Why was my payment blocked with an amount mismatch message?
If the amount due in your accounting system no longer matches the bill in Alaan, usually because it was partly paid or amended there, Alaan blocks the payment and asks you to refresh the bill. Sync the bill again to bring the current amount through, then pay.
Do imported bills still need approval?
Do imported bills still need approval?
Yes. Imported bills follow your existing bill approval flow once submitted.
What if I don't see Bills Import as an option?
What if I don't see Bills Import as an option?
Bills Import is currently available for customers using Zoho Books, Xero, QuickBooks Online, Business Central, Odoo, and Oracle NetSuite.
Need help? Please reach out to us on [email protected]