Import went wrong

The live importer is Invoices → Import. The page heading is Import Invoices. That is where files are matched, previewed, and committed. Settings → Import & export only links you there.

Before you start

• You need an Admin membership. Other roles can open the page; write actions return Only an Admin can import invoices.
• Accept .csv or modern Excel .xlsx only. Legacy .xls is rejected — save as .xlsx or CSV first. The file picker offers .csv and .xlsx.
• Currency is not a file field and cannot be mapped. PayBlah uses the workspace currency from Settings → Localisation. A column headed Currency is ignored.
• Company name is optional on this import. Required mapped fields are four: Contact first name, Invoice number, Due date, and Amount outstanding.

Run the import

1. Sign in → Invoices → Import. The slide-down reads Import Invoices From A File.
2. Optional: download Excel Example .xlsx or CSV Example .csv. Keep the header row.
3. On Upload a file, click Choose your file. Limits: 5 MB and 2000 data rows. Excel uses the first worksheet only.
4. Click Upload and match columns.
5. On Match your columns, map the four required fields. Set Dates read as and Decimal separator. The page shows Currency {CODE} from this PayBlah workspace.
6. Click Update Preview, then Import N invoice(s).
7. Read the audit report. Open Past imports → Details on a bad run (the landing list shows the last five runs).

What the report means

• Created — new invoices (and customers when needed). Eligible automatic-mode invoices may enrol as Chasing or Waiting to Start.
• Already on the book — the same customer plus the same invoice number is skipped, not updated. A second file cannot change amount, paid state, due date, or currency on an existing number.
• Nothing owed — zero outstanding, or a paid/settled marker. Those rows are filtered, not chased.
• Could not be read — missing required values, unreadable dates or amounts, or a negative amount (treated as a credit note).

Partial success is normal: valid rows can import while failed rows stay listed.

Expected result

New invoices appear under Invoices and Customers. A re-import of the same numbers does not rewrite them. Import does not send email or SMS.

If something goes wrong

• .xls → That is an older .xls workbook. Save it as .xlsx or CSV, then upload it again. The Invoices slide-down and the importer both accept .csv or .xlsx only.
• Other extensions → Choose a .csv or .xlsx file.
• Over 5 MB or 2000 rows — split the file. Overflow is not silently imported.
• Upload expired — upload the file again.
• Non-Admin write — Only an Admin can import invoices.
• A Currency column mapped or present — ignore it; set workspace currency under Localisation instead.

Accounting connections (not this importer)

More Import Options links to Settings Accounting Connection (Xero, QuickBooks, or Sage) and API & Webhooks. Those are not a second spreadsheet importer. The Connect buttons exist; production OAuth is not launched. Unconfigured packages can open a sandbox / sample-data fixture. Do not treat a sandbox card as a live vendor sync, and do not expect a re-import to “fix” paid status on a number already on the book.

Still stuck

Save a small sample that fails (no live customer data you would not send to support), note the Past imports counts, and send it via Support with subject Something isn't working or Accounting connection (Xero, QuickBooks…).