Change an ABN on an Existing Contact

Article Contents

1. Introduction
2. Option 1: Credit and Reissue an Existing Invoice
3. Option 2: Update Project Billing Entity
4. But I Still Want to Change an ABN

Introduction

When a contact is saved into Hiro’s Address Book with an Australian Business Number (ABN), that ABN becomes locked and can’t be changed later. This design helps maintain a clear, auditable record of your contacts.

For example, if a client requests invoices under slightly different entity names over time, each contact remains tied to its own ABN. This makes it easy to trace which entity was billed if payment questions ever arise.

If an existing client’s ABN has genuinely changed, you can update your projects to use a new contact or billing entity. Hiro provides several ways to do this efficiently while keeping your financial and audit history accurate.

Option 1: Credit and Reissue an Existing Invoice

If you need to change the entity on an existing invoice to a new one with a different ABN, use the Credit/Reissue Invoice page. This process automates the steps for you.

After creating a new contact in the Address Book with the correct ABN:

1. Go to the Credit/Reissue Invoice page.

2. Enter the invoice number you need to change.

3. For Action to perform, select Credit original invoice and reissue charges onto new approved invoice.

4. Select the new billing entity you just created in the Address Book.

5. Click Perform Credit/Reissue.

During this process:

• A credit note is created and applied to the original invoice that had the incorrect entity name.

• A reissue invoice is generated with the same charges and due date as the original but now shows the correct entity name and ABN.

• The related job is automatically updated to use the new billing entity for all future invoices.

If your Hiro account is connected to Xero, both the credit note and reissue invoice (including payment allocations) are automatically pushed across to Xero.

This approach not only keeps your financial records accurate but also provides a clear paper trail for audit and reporting.

Option 2: Update Project Billing Entity

If you don’t need to change any existing invoices, but want new invoices on an active project to use a different ABN, create a new contact in the Address Book with the correct ABN.

Then, go to the Update Billing Entity page to update the project’s details.

If you mark one contact as care of another (or mark both the old and new contacts as care of a shared parent contact), Hiro will still recognise the relationship between them. This means you can easily retrieve linked individuals across that contact family when setting the Attention To field.

But I Still Want to Change an ABN

If neither of the above options suits your situation and you still need to change the ABN on an existing contact, you have two approaches:

1. Merge into a New Contact

   In the Address Book, create a new contact with the correct ABN.

   Then, open the Merge Contacts page and merge the old contact (with the incorrect ABN) into the new one.

   Everything linked to the old contact, such as associated individuals and projects, will be transferred automatically to the new contact.

2. Update the ABN in Xero

   If your Hiro account is connected to Xero, you can modify the ABN directly in Xero.

   Any contact changes made in Xero, including ABN updates, will automatically flow back into Hiro to keep both systems in sync.