ABN Checking Override

Article Contents

1. Introduction
2. When ABN Checks Apply
3. Who Can Generate ABN Checking Override Codes
4. Why Your Organisation Would Use Override Codes
5. Creating ABN Checking Override Codes
6. How to use Override Codes
7. Good Practice for Using Override Codes

Introduction

When you add an ABN to a contact, Hiro helps your organisation stay in control of who you invoice and how you pursue unpaid accounts by checking that ABN against the Australian Business Register (ABR).

If you would like a deeper explanation of what Hiro checks and why, see:

👉 How ABN Name Checking Works

ABN checking protects your organisation from performing work or issuing invoices to entities that may not be valid, active or correctly identified. Most of the time this fits naturally into your workflow. However, there are legitimate situations where your organisation has decided to proceed even though the ABN checks do not pass.

In these cases, you can perform a controlled, one-time bypass of the checks using ABN Checking Override Codes.

Override codes provide a deliberate exception, recorded in your audit trail. In practice they say:

“We understand the ABN issue and we are deliberately choosing to proceed with this contact for this transaction.”

This keeps projects moving while protecting the organisation from uncontrolled exceptions.

When ABN Checks Apply

ABN requirements differ depending on where you are in the workflow. Some actions enforce ABN validation, others only warn, and some do not check ABNs at all.

Contact Types And ABN Checks

When you create a contact in the Address Book, the first thing you choose is the contact type:

• Company
• Individual

ABN fields and ABN checking apply only to company contacts.

Company contacts

• Can store an ABN
• Are subject to ABN validation checks in the scenarios described below

Individual contacts

• Can optionally store an ABN
• Do not have ABN validation
• Are never blocked by ABN checks
• Never require ABN override codes 

Even when an individual contact is used as the billing entity on a job or invoice, ABN checks are not applied.

Enquiries (No ABN Checks)

ABN checks do not apply at the enquiry stage, regardless of whether you select a company or an individual.

Enquiries represent early sales conversations. At this point you may not yet have reliable client details and you are not billing anyone, so Hiro does not require an ABN and does not validate one if provided.

ABN checks begin only once an enquiry is converted into a job and a company contact is being used as the billing entity.

Lodging Jobs

When you lodge a job and select a company contact as the billing entity:

• The contact must have a valid, active ABN, and
• If the contact does not pass validation, you must use an ABN Checking Override Code to proceed

This ensures the billing entity for each job has passed ABN checks, or that there is a deliberate, auditable exception.

Updating The Billing Entity On An Existing Job

On the Update Billing Entity page, you can change the billing entity recorded against an existing job.

Changing the billing entity is treated the same as selecting the billing entity when the job was first created. This means:

• ABN checks apply, and
• If the selected contact fails validation, an override code is required to proceed

This prevents unreviewed billing entity changes on active jobs.

Credit And Reissue Transactions

When you perform a credit and reissue transaction:

• You are issuing a replacement invoice to a different billing entity, and
• The underlying job’s billing entity is updated as part of the process

If the new billing entity is a company contact, ABN checks apply in the same way as lodging or updating a job. If those checks fail, an override code is required.

If the new billing entity is an individual contact, no ABN checks apply and no override code is required.

Raising New Invoices (Warning Only, No Override Required)

When raising a new invoice:

• You can issue invoices to contacts with no ABN or an ABN that fails checks
• Hiro will show a warning on save, but
• The invoice is not blocked, and
• No override code is required, regardless of whether the billing entity is a company or an individual

This allows the team to continue invoicing while still identifying contacts that may need attention.

Who Can Generate ABN Checking Override Codes

For control and accountability, only specific authorised users can generate ABN Checking Override Codes.

A user can generate override codes if they are:

• A Global Administrator, or
• A user who has been given the specific privilege “Generate ABN checking override codes” in Settings → User Privileges and Notifications

Users who:

• Are not Global Administrators, and
• Do not have the “Generate ABN checking override codes” privilege

will not see the option to generate codes and cannot create new ones.

This ensures your organisation decides exactly which people are trusted to approve ABN exceptions and issue codes.

Important Distinction: Generating Vs Using A Code

While only authorised users can generate override codes, any user involved in lodging jobs, updating billing entities or performing credit and reissue actions can use an override code that has been supplied to them by an authorised person.

This allows day-to-day workflow to continue smoothly, while still ensuring that every ABN exception is explicitly approved and traceable.

Why Your Organisation Would Use Override Codes

ABN checking is not about perfect data. It is about financial protection and informed decision making.

Override codes enable:

• Risk Management
  ABN checks help prevent billing unhealthy or invalid entities. Using an override code ensures any bypass of those checks is deliberate, approved and recorded.

• Clear Accountability
  Only authorised users can generate codes, ensuring higher-risk decisions stay with the right people who understand your organisation’s credit settings and risk appetite.

• A Complete Audit Trail
  Each code requires a reason, and that reason is stored on the Address Book contact. This provides transparency for internal reviews, external audits and debt recovery.

• Handling Edge Cases Without Undermining Standard Checks
  ABN validation rules apply consistently across Hiro. Override codes allow appropriate exceptions in well-understood scenarios, such as newly established entities or trust structures, without altering or weakening the underlying ABN behaviour.

This balance ensures that ABN checks remain reliable and predictable, while still giving your organisation a safe way to proceed when specific circumstances justify it.

Creating ABN Checking Override Codes

To create a new override code:

1. Confirm Authorisation
   Ensure you are a Global Administrator or have the “Generate ABN checking override codes” privilege. 

2. Open The Override Codes Section

   Go to Address Book → Override Codes.

   

3. Generate Code Or Codes

   1. Click Generate code/s
      

   2. Select the relevant Address Book contact

   3. Enter the number of codes required (each code is single use)

   4. Provide a purpose for the exception (appears in the contact’s changelog)

      

4. Receive The Codes
   Codes will be emailed to you.

How to use Override Codes

The ABN checking override code field is always visible, even before ABN checks are performed. Most of the time you will simply leave it blank.

You only need to enter a code when Hiro requires one to continue.

When A Code Is Required

A valid override code is required only when:

• Lodging a job with a company that fails ABN validation
• Updating the billing entity on a job to a company that fails ABN validation
• Performing a credit and reissue where the new billing entity is a company that fails ABN validation

If ABN checks fail and no valid code is supplied, Hiro will block the save.

When A Code Is Not Required

No override code is needed when:

• The billing entity is an individual
• The billing entity is a company with a valid ABN
• You are raising a new invoice (warnings may appear, but invoices are never blocked)

In these situations, leave the override code field empty.

Using A Code

If you have been given a code:

• Enter it in the ABN checking override code field
• Save the action
• Hiro will bypass ABN checks for that transaction only

If the code is invalid or already used, Hiro will notify you.

Good Practice For Using Override Codes

• Use override codes for genuine exceptions, not routine workflow
• Limit generation privileges to users who understand your organisation’s credit risk
• Write clear, specific reasons for each override
• Periodically review override usage when assessing client risk or arrears

Handled well, override codes allow the organisation to keep projects and invoicing moving without compromising financial safeguards.