Bulk changing account codes means moving many bills or lines from one account to another in one go, usually after finding a coding mistake.
Before you start
- Administrator user role
The Xero way
Where to find it: Accounting > Find and recode
- In the Accounting menu, select Find and recode, then click Find and recode.
- Choose All (all conditions) or Any (at least one), then click Add a condition for each search condition, for example contact, date or account.
- Click Search. Tick the transaction lines to change.
- Click the arrow next to Recode and pick the method: recode the source transaction or use a manual journal.
- Enter the new account, tax rate, contact or tracking, click Review, then Confirm.
Limits in Xero
- Only the Administrator role can recode bills.
- Xero warns that it is for accountants, bookkeepers or people with recoding experience.
- Credit notes, prepayment allocations and overpayments linked to a bill are not recoded with it. Recode them separately.
- Lines in a locked period are view only. Remove the lock date first.
- Bills with tracked inventory lines cannot be found or recoded.
Good to know in Xero
- Xero lets you recode account code, tax rate, contact or tracking category.
The Pulsify way
- Fix the account in Pulsify before approval. Pulsify learns from corrections, so later bills for that supplier follow the new account.
- For bills already in Xero, make the change in Xero.
Pulsify connects to Xero in one click. Approved bills are created in Xero with the source file attached.
What Pulsify does not do here
- Pulsify does not recode bills that are already in Xero.
- Pulsify cannot edit locked periods. Use a journal in Xero.
Example in Xero
Example Office Supplies bills for three months went to the wrong account. You search by contact and account in Find and recode.
| Line | Amount | Tagged to |
|---|---|---|
| July lines found | $420.00 | Recode: account |
| August lines found | $510.00 | Recode: account |
| September lines found | $380.00 | Recode: account |
Total recoded $1,310.00 in one run, using Recode on the source transaction. If a month is locked, remove the lock date first because locked lines are view only.
Common mistakes
- Searching for bills with tracked inventory lines. Find and recode cannot find or recode them.
- Recoding the bill and forgetting the linked credit note. It needs recoding separately.
More help
- How to bulk change account codes on purchase invoice records in Sage 50
- How to close the month in accounts payable in Xero
- How to check GST coding on bill records in Xero before you lodge your BAS
- How to code one bill to several account codes in Xero
- All Xero how-to guides
- Pulsify setup guides
Sources
Last checked 2026-10-19. Confidence: confirmed.
Common questions
Who can recode bills in Xero?
Only the Administrator role can recode bills. Xero warns that Find and recode is for accountants, bookkeepers or people with recoding experience.
Can I recode a bill in a locked period?
No. Lines in a locked period are view only. Remove the lock date first.
What can Find and recode change?
The account code, tax rate, contact or tracking category. Credit notes, prepayment allocations and overpayments linked to a bill are not recoded with it. Recode them separately.
Does Pulsify recode old bills?
No. Pulsify codes bills before they reach your accounting system. Past bills are changed in your accounting system.
Pulsify setup guides
Want this done for you?
Book a call to see how Pulsify handles supplier bills in Xero.