Check a supplier’s ABN and GST registration before you claim GST

How does Nella check a supplier’s ABN and GST registration?

When you post a bill, expense or supplier credit note that claims GST through Nella, Nella checks the supplier’s ABN with the Australian Business Register: whether it is registered for GST on the bill’s date, and to whom. The ABN comes from the supplier’s record in Xero, or from the bill as ChatGPT or Claude read it. If the ABN is not registered for GST, is registered to a different name, is not a valid ABN, or the bill and your records hold different numbers, the card shows a warning you tick before posting. On Xero, an ABN that checks out for a supplier whose record holds none can be saved on the supplier with the same approval.

What it does not do

Stated plainly, because a figure you can trust is one whose limits you know.

• It is a warning, never a block, and the GST is never taken off the bill. Whether to claim is your decision, or your accountant’s.
• Many small suppliers print no ABN on a receipt. Where no number can be found, the card says so.
• A misread number shows as not registered. The card shows the number it checked, so a misreading is visible.
• If the register cannot be reached, the card says the ABN could not be checked, and nothing else changes.

A number already held on the supplier’s record is never overwritten; where the bill and the record differ, the card shows both. QuickBooks bills are checked from the number on the bill.

Nella provides financial information and education, not accounting or tax advice. Nella shows you the numbers. When a question needs professional judgement, such as a filing or a tax decision, Nella says so and points you to a qualified accountant.