By default, payables can't be edited once you've exported them to your accounting system. Spendesk's "Edit payables after export" feature lets you safely make changes afterward — for example, to correct a cost center, amend an analytical field, or add a missing receipt.
For: Controllers and Account Owners, on all Spendesk plans.
Table of Contents
Before you start
Requirement | Details |
Role | Controller or Account Owner |
Plan | Available on all Spendesk plans |
Integration | Available on all accounting integration types. Re-exporting an edited payable is only supported on the file-based (purchase journal) export |
Setup | None required — self-activated in Settings |
👥 Roles: Only Controllers and Account Owners can configure this setting and edit payables in All Payables.
Turn on "Edit payables after export"
Choose how much flexibility you want before you turn the feature on.
To allow editing on all exported payables, regardless of age:
Navigate to Settings > Bookkeeping Setup
Toggle "Edit payables after export" on
Leave the "Lock date" field empty
You can now edit any exported payable from the All Payables page.
To allow editing on recent payables only:
Navigate to Settings > Bookkeeping Setup
Toggle "Edit payables after export" on
Enter a number of days in the "Lock date" field
For example, if you set a Lock date of 14 days, any payable older than 14 days becomes locked and can't be edited after export.
Edit an exported payable
Navigate to Expenditures > All Expenses > All Payables
Search or filter to find the payable you want to edit
Click the payable to open its details panel
Scroll to the field you want to change
Click the ✏️ (edit) icon next to that field
Enter your changes
Click Save
You can also upload a receipt or invoice to a payable that's already been exported, for example if it was missing at the time of export.
📋 Best practice: The expense account split and VAT split of a payable can't be edited directly in All Payables. Click "Send back to Prepare" instead, then make your changes in Bookkeep > Prepare.
View the edit history of a payable
Navigate to Expenditures > All Expenses > All Payables
Click the payable you want to check
In the payable detail panel, click to download the edit history log
Open the downloaded CSV file to see who made each edit and when
Re-export an edited payable
Integration type | Can you re-export the edit? |
Native accounting integrations (e.g. Xero, DATEV, QuickBooks) | No. We currently support only a single export per payable. You can still export the updated payable in CSV format from the All Payables page |
File-based integration (purchase journal export) | Yes. You can re-export the purchase journal for the same period as many times as needed, and your edits will appear in the fresh export |
⚠️ Warning: On native accounting integrations, edits made after the first export don't sync automatically to your accounting system. Export the payable as CSV, or update the entry manually in your accounting software.
Troubleshooting
Symptom: The edit icon is greyed out on an exported payable.
Cause: "Edit payables after export" is turned off, or the payable is older than your configured Lock date.
Resolution: Ask a Controller or Account Owner to turn on the feature in Settings > Bookkeeping Setup, or increase/remove the Lock date.
Symptom: You can't edit the expense account or VAT split on an exported payable.
Cause: Payables with a VAT split or analytical split can't be edited directly in All Payables.
Resolution: Click "Send back to Prepare" on the payable, make your changes in Bookkeep > Prepare, then export again if needed.
Symptom: You can't remove a receipt or invoice from an exported payable.
Cause: "Edit payables after export" allows you to add a receipt or invoice to an exported payable, but it doesn't allow removing an existing one.
Resolution: This is expected behavior. If the attached file is incorrect, contact Spendesk support for help correcting it.
Symptom: Your edits don't appear in your accounting software after re-exporting.
Cause: Native accounting integrations only support a single export per payable.
Resolution: Download the updated payable as a CSV from the All Payables page, or update the entry manually in your accounting software.
💡 Tip: If you only need to edit a single payable, turn the feature on, make your edit, then turn it off again to keep the rest of your exported payables locked.
FAQs
What should I do if I only want to edit one payable?
Turn on "Edit payables after export," make the edit you need, then turn the feature off again so the rest of your exported payables stay locked.
Who can configure the "Edit payables after export" setting?
Any Controller or Account Owner in your company can configure this setting.
Who can edit payables after export?
Any Controller or Account Owner can edit payables in All Payables, once the feature is turned on.
Can I upload a receipt or invoice to a payable after it's been exported?
Yes. You can add a missing receipt or invoice to an already-exported payable. You can't remove an existing receipt or invoice once it's attached.
Why is the "edited by" column empty in the payable edit history download?
Before this feature launched in November 2024, Spendesk tracked who made edits on only a limited number of actions, so you may see an empty value for older edits.
Why does the payable edit history CSV file show multiple lines for some payable versions?
Some payable versions have multiple lines when there's a VAT split or an analytical split.