👥 I have duplicate contacts with the same name or tax number. Why?

InvoiceXpress allows you to create contacts with the same name and/or the same tax number (NIF). Here's why, and how to avoid duplicates. 👥

🤔 Why is this allowed?

In some situations you may need more than one contact with the same tax number. For example, when a company has several branches that share the same tax details.

🛡️ How to avoid duplicate contacts

Use the contact's Code field. This field checks whether another contact with the same code already exists. You can use the tax number or any other information that is unique for each client as the code.

That way, if you try to create a new contact with a code that is already used by another contact, InvoiceXpress will not allow it.

🔗 If you create contacts both manually and through an integration (API)

If contacts and/or documents are created manually and also automatically through an integration, the ideal is to define a uniform code format (for example, always use the tax number). This makes it easier to assign the right code when you create a contact manually and to make sure it matches the code used by the integration, and vice versa.

🔎 Before creating a new contact

When you create contacts or documents manually, first go to the Contacts menu and search by the client's name or tax number to check whether it already exists. If it does, when creating the invoice just select the existing contact instead of creating a new one.

🧹 What if I already have duplicate contacts?

What you can do with the contact you don't want to keep:

• If it has no issued documents, you can delete it. See how in the article How to Delete a Contact.
• If it already has issued documents, it can't be deleted, but you can archive it to hide it from the list. See how in the article Can I archive contacts?

💬 Common questions

❓ Does InvoiceXpress allow two contacts with the same tax number?

Yes. This can be useful, for example, for several branches of the same company that share the same tax details.

❓ How do I prevent duplicate contacts from being created?

Fill in the Code field on all your contacts, for example with the tax number. InvoiceXpress won't let you create a contact with a code that already exists on another contact.

❓ Can I merge two duplicate contacts?

No. You can delete the contact you don't want to keep, if it has no issued documents, or archive it, if it does.