# Review the match before accepting a Xero reconciliation

A similar amount or document number can identify a candidate, but not always the correct resource. Establish the evidence required to confirm the relationship.

By Cobnex editorial. Published 2026-09-10. Updated 2026-09-11.

## Start with known identifiers

Prefer the provider resource identifier saved from a confirmed operation, together with the intended organisation context. Verify that the local record refers to the right business document.

If the mapping is missing, define a controlled candidate search and the fields required to establish a match. Avoid treating the first search result as authoritative.

Document cases where automation must stop because the evidence is ambiguous.

## Test plausible duplicates

Create synthetic documents sharing a contact, total or reference where the business process permits. Confirm that the reconciliation does not merge or overwrite them incorrectly.

Check different document states and legitimate provider-side edits. A changed status may represent business work performed in Xero rather than an integration defect.

Keep the field-ownership policy visible during review so a mismatch has a defined interpretation.

## Examine numeric and date mapping

Review precision, currency and the intended meaning of dates in the payload. Use the endpoint's documented schema and the organisation's approved accounting mapping.

Do not infer tax treatment or accounting policy from a matching final total. Two different line constructions can produce the same amount while representing different business facts.

Use independently reviewed synthetic examples for boundary cases and preserve the expected values in tests.

## Check the repair action

A confirmed mismatch still needs an appropriate action. Updating local state, updating Xero and requesting business review are different outcomes with different authority.

Verify that automated repair preserves operation identity and does not recreate a document whose outcome is merely uncertain.

Approve the reconciliation when matching evidence, ownership and repair behaviour are explicit. A report with no differences is not reassuring if the implementation achieved it by overwriting every provider value with the local copy.

## Sources

- [Xero: official Accounting API specification](https://github.com/XeroAPI/Xero-OpenAPI/blob/master/xero_accounting.yaml)