BillsiftGUIDE · XERO IDEAS CHECKED 7 NOV 2026
Put a Xero bill on hold before the pay run
You are about to run payments and one supplier invoice is in dispute. Xero has no field that says “do not pay yet”. This guide shows what Xero suggests instead, and how Billsift keeps a hold list and leaves held bills out of what it pays or exports.
What Xero offers today
Xero shows no hold flag on the bill or in its own batch payment screen. The request Bills - Flag a Bill as ‘in dispute / query’ on Xero Product Ideas has 1,295 votes on Xero Ideas, checked 7 Nov 2026. In its reply of 29 October 2026 Xero says a user-controlled flagging mechanism is not directly in the pipeline yet, and points to a bills approval flow that it is developing.
In an earlier reply (29 July 2025) Xero listed what the community had suggested in the meantime:
- Add a note to the bill.
- Create a tracking category such as “Disputed Bills” to filter and report on these bills.
- Move the due date out while the dispute is open.
- Add a notation to the reference, such as “Do not pay”.
- Set the planned date far in the future.
Xero adds that these options will not fit every need. They are manual: each one relies on someone seeing it before the pay run.
What Billsift does
Billsift keeps the list and leaves held bills out of what Billsift pays or exports. If you pay from Xero directly, check the hold list first. A hold is a record in Billsift’s own database. It does not appear in Xero, it does not pay, void or edit the bill, and it does not stop a payment made outside Billsift.
Steps
- Connect Xero and open Bills. Tick the bills that are in dispute or should not be paid yet.
- Press Put on hold. Enter a reason (one line, up to 200 characters) and, if you want one, a review date.
- Held bills show an On hold label with the reason. The Holds filter shows all bills, only held bills or no held bills.
- Export CSV, Export XLSX and Create batch payment leave held bills out. If a selection still includes one, the server refuses it with HELD_BILL and nothing is queued.
- Press Download hold list (CSV) for the list: Supplier, Bill number, Reference, Due date, Amount due, Currency, Hold reason, Held since, Review date and Xero link.
- When the query is settled, tick the bill and press Release hold. A hold also ends when the bill is paid or voided in Xero.
You can also check an outside payment file or payment type against the hold list before it goes to the bank. Billsift does not do that comparison for you.
Permissions
Billsift asks Xero for these permissions: bills (invoices), payments and settings (read only), plus sign-in. In Xero’s scope names: accounting.invoices, accounting.payments, accounting.settings.read, with openid, profile, email and offline_access for sign-in. Holds need no new permission. You approve the connection on Xero’s own page and can disconnect at any time; disconnecting deletes your holds.
Price
No separate charge. Holds come with viewing, filtering and export: free for 14 days per organisation, and included in the $19 7-day pass and the $15 monthly plan, excl. VAT/sales tax. An unused pass can be refunded within 14 days.
Founding offer: $11.40 for the pass or $9 for the first month with FOUNDING40, until 30 Nov.
Questions
Does Xero have a way to mark a bill as in dispute?
No built-in one. The Xero Product Ideas request Bills - Flag a Bill as ‘in dispute / query’ asks for it. Xero’s last reply there (29 October 2026) says a user-controlled flagging mechanism is not directly in the pipeline yet.
Does a hold in Billsift show up in Xero?
No. Billsift writes nothing to Xero for a hold. The hold list is stored in Billsift’s own database, so nobody working only in Xero sees it. If you pay from Xero directly, check the hold list first.
What does a hold stop?
Billsift leaves held bills out of its pay list (CSV and XLSX) and out of the batch payments it creates. If a selection still contains a held bill, the server refuses it with the code HELD_BILL and nothing is queued. A hold does not stop a payment made in Xero, by your bank or by another tool.
What is stored with a hold?
The bill, your reason (up to 200 characters, stored encrypted), an optional review date and the date it was held. A hold ends when you release it, when the bill is paid or voided in Xero, or when you disconnect Billsift. One organisation can have up to 1,000 holds.
Does Billsift pay or delete held bills?
No. A hold only removes the bill from what Billsift pays or exports. It does not pay, void, approve or edit the bill.
Do I need a new Xero permission?
No. Holds use the permissions Billsift already asks for. They are listed in the Permissions section above.
What does it cost?
Nothing extra. Holds belong to viewing, filtering and export: free for 14 days per organisation, and included in the paid plans ($19 for 7 days or $15 a month, excl. VAT/sales tax).
Not financial or accounting advice. Billsift is independent, not affiliated with Xero. Xero is a trademark of its owner. Made by Atesen Software.
