Troubleshooting
The messages below are the ones SturdyBooks actually shows, word for word, grouped by where you’ll see them. If yours isn’t here, get help.
Signing in
Section titled “Signing in””Sturdy ID didn’t let you into SturdyBooks…”
Section titled “”Sturdy ID didn’t let you into SturdyBooks…””Your account may not be given access to SturdyBooks yet, or may need two-step verification set up.
Your Sturdy ID account exists, but it isn’t allowed into SturdyBooks yet — or Sturdy ID wants two-step verification set up first. Ask whoever manages your company’s Sturdy ID accounts (your Sturdy administrator) to give you SturdyBooks access, set up two-step verification if Sturdy ID asks, then sign in again.
”You signed in to Sturdy ID, but no SturdyBooks company is linked to that account yet.”
Section titled “”You signed in to Sturdy ID, but no SturdyBooks company is linked to that account yet.””Sturdy ID knows you, but you don’t have a seat in any SturdyBooks company yet. If someone sent you an invite link, open that link and accept on the Join page — see Accept an invite. If the link has expired or was already used, ask your company owner for a new one (they click Re-invite on your row).
Signed in with a different Sturdy ID than the one you were invited with? Sign out of Sturdy ID and open the invite link again with the right account.
”Your access to SturdyBooks has been turned off.”
Section titled “”Your access to SturdyBooks has been turned off.””An owner or admin disabled your seat (or your company’s access was paused). Ask your company owner to turn it back on — they click Enable on your row in Team.
”Sign-in with Sturdy ID isn’t available right now.”
Section titled “”Sign-in with Sturdy ID isn’t available right now.””SturdyBooks can’t reach Sturdy ID at the moment, so the sign-in button is greyed out. Wait a few minutes and try again. If it keeps happening, contact support.
”Sign-in didn’t complete. Please try again.”
Section titled “”Sign-in didn’t complete. Please try again.””Something interrupted the trip to Sturdy ID and back. Click Sign in with Sturdy ID again.
”Couldn’t reach SturdyBooks to start sign-in. Check your connection.”
Section titled “”Couldn’t reach SturdyBooks to start sign-in. Check your connection.””Your device couldn’t reach SturdyBooks. Check your internet connection and click Try again.
”Your session has ended. Sign in again.”
Section titled “”Your session has ended. Sign in again.””Sign-ins last up to 12 hours. Sign in again — SturdyBooks brings you back to the page you were on.
Invites and the team
Section titled “Invites and the team””No invitation waiting” / “There’s no invitation waiting for you here.”
Section titled “”No invitation waiting” / “There’s no invitation waiting for you here.””The invite was already used, or your sign-in took too long. Open the invite link again. If it still says this, ask for a new link.
”This invitation can’t be used”
Section titled “”This invitation can’t be used””The Join page says why, then Ask whoever invited you for a new link:
- This invite has expired. — links last 7 days.
- This invite has already been used. — each link works once.
- This invite’s seat or company has been switched off.
- This seat already belongs to someone else. — another Sturdy ID has already accepted this seat.
Ask for a new link — the owner or an admin clicks Re-invite on your row (or, for a seat someone else took, invites you again).
”That email already has a seat. Use Re-invite on their row to make a new link.”
Section titled “”That email already has a seat. Use Re-invite on their row to make a new link.””You can’t invite the same email twice. Find the person on Team and click Re-invite for a fresh link.
”Only an owner can invite, change or re-invite an owner.”
Section titled “”Only an owner can invite, change or re-invite an owner.””Admins manage everyone except owners. Ask an owner.
”You can’t change your own role or turn off your own access.”
Section titled “”You can’t change your own role or turn off your own access.””Ask another owner or admin to make the change.
”A company needs at least one active owner. Make someone else an owner first.”
Section titled “”A company needs at least one active owner. Make someone else an owner first.””You tried to change or disable the last active owner. Make someone else an owner, then try again.
”This person has already signed in, so there’s nothing to re-invite.” / “Turn this seat back on before re-inviting.”
Section titled “”This person has already signed in, so there’s nothing to re-invite.” / “Turn this seat back on before re-inviting.””Re-invite is only for people who haven’t joined yet (or whose access was revoked). For a disabled seat, click Enable first.
Working in two tabs or two companies
Section titled “Working in two tabs or two companies””You switched company in another tab”
Section titled “”You switched company in another tab””All your tabs share one sign-in. You switched company in another tab, so this one would save into the wrong books. Click Reload to carry on in the company you switched to. See Switch companies.
”Someone else changed this … since you opened it.”
Section titled “”Someone else changed this … since you opened it.””Someone (maybe you, in another tab) saved a change to the same invoice, bill, expense or receipt while you had it open. Choose Load latest to see their version — your unsaved edits are replaced — or Keep editing and save again after checking.
”Couldn’t reach SturdyBooks, so we can’t tell whether this … was saved.”
Section titled “”Couldn’t reach SturdyBooks, so we can’t tell whether this … was saved.””Your connection dropped while saving. Click Retry: it sends exactly the same invoice, bill, payment, expense or entry again, and it can’t be recorded twice. Or open the list to check whether it’s there.
”This was probably saved already — check the list.”
Section titled “”This was probably saved already — check the list.””A retry arrived with different details from the first attempt. Open the list — the first save is probably there.
Closed months
Section titled “Closed months””July 2026 is closed — reopen it first (an owner or admin can also post an adjusting entry into it)”
Section titled “”July 2026 is closed — reopen it first (an owner or admin can also post an adjusting entry into it)””The date is in a closed month. An owner or admin can reopen the month in Close the books, or post an Adjusting journal entry into it. See Close the books.
”June 2026 is locked — nothing can be posted to it”
Section titled “”June 2026 is locked — nothing can be posted to it””A locked month takes nothing — not even adjusting entries. An owner or admin must Unlock and Reopen it first.
”Close August 2026 first — periods close in order” (and reopen … newest first, lock … in order, unlock … newest first)
Section titled “”Close August 2026 first — periods close in order” (and reopen … newest first, lock … in order, unlock … newest first)”Months close and lock oldest first, and reopen and unlock newest first. Do the month named in the message first.
”A payment on this invoice falls in a closed period … — reopen it to change the invoice”
Section titled “”A payment on this invoice falls in a closed period … — reopen it to change the invoice””A payment applied to this invoice is dated in a closed month, so the invoice can’t change. Reopen that month, or leave the invoice as it is.
”The fiscal year cannot move once a period is closed — reopen every period first”
Section titled “”The fiscal year cannot move once a period is closed — reopen every period first””Your fiscal year can only change while no month is closed. Contact support if you need it changed.
Invoices, bills and payments
Section titled “Invoices, bills and payments”The Void button is greyed out
Section titled “The Void button is greyed out”Payments are applied to the invoice (or bill). Void the payment first — in Payments received (or Bill payments) — then void the document.
”Payments of $… are already applied — the total cannot drop below that”
Section titled “”Payments of $… are already applied — the total cannot drop below that””You tried to lower an invoice’s total below what the customer has paid. Void or change the payment first, or keep the total at least that high.
”Invoice 1005 already exists”
Section titled “”Invoice 1005 already exists””Invoice numbers are unique. Leave Invoice number blank for the next number, or choose another.
”… has only $… left to pay.” / “You’ve applied more than the payment amount.” / “Only $… is unapplied.”
Section titled “”… has only $… left to pay.” / “You’ve applied more than the payment amount.” / “Only $… is unapplied.””The amounts you entered to apply are more than an invoice’s (or bill’s) balance, or more than the payment. Lower them — anything not applied stays as a credit.
”Choose a customer.” / “Every line needs a quantity and a rate.” / “Every line needs an income account.” / “Sales tax is a percent between 0 and 100, like 8.25.”
Section titled “”Choose a customer.” / “Every line needs a quantity and a rate.” / “Every line needs an income account.” / “Sales tax is a percent between 0 and 100, like 8.25.””Something’s missing on the invoice. Fill in what the message names.
”Every line needs an amount.” / “Every line needs an account.” / “The total must be more than zero.” / “Choose the account the money came out of.”
Section titled “”Every line needs an amount.” / “Every line needs an account.” / “The total must be more than zero.” / “Choose the account the money came out of.””Something’s missing on the bill or expense. A line can be negative (a credit), but the total must be more than zero.
”(Name) has open invoices or a receivable balance — settle or void them first”
Section titled “”(Name) has open invoices or a receivable balance — settle or void them first””You can’t make a customer inactive (or stop them being a customer) while they owe you money or have open invoices. Settle or void those first. The same applies to vendors with open bills.
Chart of accounts
Section titled “Chart of accounts””This account still holds $… — move the balance to another account before archiving it”
Section titled “”This account still holds $… — move the balance to another account before archiving it””Bank, loan and other balance-sheet accounts with money in them can’t be archived. Move the balance with a journal entry, then archive.
”This account is in use — archive it instead”
Section titled “”This account is in use — archive it instead””Something has posted to the account, so it can’t be deleted. Archive it instead.
”A live categorisation rule sends spending to this account — switch the rule off first”
Section titled “”A live categorisation rule sends spending to this account — switch the rule off first””Turn off the rule on Rules, then delete the account.
”Account … has postings — its type and subtype cannot change…”
Section titled “”Account … has postings — its type and subtype cannot change…””Once anything is posted to an account, its type and detail type are fixed. Create a new account and move the balance with a journal entry.
”Another account already uses code …”
Section titled “”Another account already uses code …””Account codes are unique. Choose another code.
Journal
Section titled “Journal””Debits and credits must be equal.” / “Each line is a debit or a credit — not both, not neither.”
Section titled “”Debits and credits must be equal.” / “Each line is a debit or a credit — not both, not neither.””Check each line has an amount in exactly one column, and that the two totals match. The totals row shows how far out of balance you are.
”Lines on accounts receivable or payable must name the customer or vendor.”
Section titled “”Lines on accounts receivable or payable must name the customer or vendor.””Choose the customer or vendor on that line.
”Entry … was already reversed by entry …”
Section titled “”Entry … was already reversed by entry …””An entry can be reversed only once. Look for the reversal in the journal.
Receipts
Section titled “Receipts””Send a JPEG, PNG or WebP photo (iPhone HEIC photos: set Camera › Formats to Most Compatible, or export as JPEG)”
Section titled “”Send a JPEG, PNG or WebP photo (iPhone HEIC photos: set Camera › Formats to Most Compatible, or export as JPEG)””The file isn’t a JPEG, PNG or WebP image. iPhones save photos as HEIC by default: on the iPhone, go to Settings › Camera › Formats and choose Most Compatible, or export the photo as a JPEG, then upload again.
”Too big (… MB) — receipts can be up to 10 MB. Try a smaller photo.”
Section titled “”Too big (… MB) — receipts can be up to 10 MB. Try a smaller photo.””Receipts can be up to 10 MB. Take the photo at a lower resolution, or crop it.
”Already here — the same photo as an existing receipt”
Section titled “”Already here — the same photo as an existing receipt””You uploaded the same photo before. Use Open it to go to the receipt you already have.
”Not read yet — enter the details below.”
Section titled “”Not read yet — enter the details below.””AI reading isn’t on for your company, so the receipt isn’t read automatically. Type in the details from the photo.
”Not read: the photo could not be read — enter it by hand.”
Section titled “”Not read: the photo could not be read — enter it by hand.””The AI couldn’t make out the photo. Enter the details yourself, or try Read with AI again.
”This receipt has been read 5 times — enter it by hand”
Section titled “”This receipt has been read 5 times — enter it by hand””A receipt can be read with AI five times at most. Enter the details yourself.
”Still reading — this is taking longer than usual.”
Section titled “”Still reading — this is taking longer than usual.””Click Check again in a minute. You can leave the page — the reading carries on.
”Reading receipts with AI isn’t on for this company — enter it by hand”
Section titled “”Reading receipts with AI isn’t on for this company — enter it by hand””AI reading is switched on per company by Sturdy Bid. Enter the receipt by hand, or see AI suggestions & rules.
”This receipt is being read right now”
Section titled “”This receipt is being read right now””Someone (or another tab) already started reading it. Wait for the details to appear.
”This receipt is already recorded as an expense” / “This receipt is already dismissed”
Section titled “”This receipt is already recorded as an expense” / “This receipt is already dismissed””Someone dealt with it while you had it open. Find it on the Recorded or Dismissed tab.
”Too many receipts are uploading right now — try again in a moment”
Section titled “”Too many receipts are uploading right now — try again in a moment””Wait a moment and click Retry next to the file.
”Receipt storage is not configured on this deployment”
Section titled “”Receipt storage is not configured on this deployment””Receipts can’t be uploaded right now. Contact support.
Category suggestions and rules
Section titled “Category suggestions and rules””AI suggestions aren’t on for this company — these come from your rules.”
Section titled “”AI suggestions aren’t on for this company — these come from your rules.””Suggestions came from your rules only. Add a rule for the payee, or pick the account yourself.
”This month’s AI budget is used up — suggestions come from your rules until next month.”
Section titled “”This month’s AI budget is used up — suggestions come from your rules until next month.””Your company’s monthly AI budget has been used. Rules keep working; AI suggestions come back next month.
”No suggestions — no rule matched.”
Section titled “”No suggestions — no rule matched.””Neither a rule nor the AI had an answer. Choose the account yourself — and consider making a rule.
”Choose a payee or describe a line first.” / “Every line already has an account.”
Section titled “”Choose a payee or describe a line first.” / “Every line already has an account.””Suggestions need a payee or a line description, and only fill empty accounts.
”A live rule with this pattern already exists”
Section titled “”A live rule with this pattern already exists””A rule that’s turned on, of the same kind (is exactly or contains), already exists for that name. Look for it on Rules.
”Account archived — this rule never fires.”
Section titled “”Account archived — this rule never fires.””The rule’s account was archived. Turn the rule off and make a new one pointing at the right account.
Everything else
Section titled “Everything else””Your role doesn’t allow that. Ask your company owner if you need it.”
Section titled “”Your role doesn’t allow that. Ask your company owner if you need it.””Your role doesn’t include this action — for example, bookkeepers can’t pay bills or close months. See Roles & permissions.
”Your books are being set up”
Section titled “”Your books are being set up””Your company’s chart of accounts hasn’t been created. Contact support and we’ll finish it.
”Something broke on this page”
Section titled “”Something broke on this page””It’s our fault, not yours. Click Reload — nothing you saved is lost. If it keeps happening, tell us what you were doing.
”Couldn’t reach SturdyBooks. Check your connection and try again.” / “Something went wrong on our side. Try again in a moment.”
Section titled “”Couldn’t reach SturdyBooks. Check your connection and try again.” / “Something went wrong on our side. Try again in a moment.””Check your connection and try again. If it keeps happening, contact support.
”Too many requests — try again in … seconds.”
Section titled “”Too many requests — try again in … seconds.””Wait the number of seconds shown, then try again.