> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://www.zerabooks.com/help/llms.txt).

# Error messages explained

Every error message ZeraBooks shows, grouped by screen, with what it means and how to fix it. Search this page for the words you see on screen.

## Closed periods (any screen)

These messages appear when you try to add or change something dated on or before the date your books are closed through.

| Message | What it means | How to fix it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| "Jun 15, 2025 is in a closed period: the books are closed through Dec 31, 2025. Reopen the books from Reconciliations, or use a date after Dec 31, 2025." | The date you're saving is in a closed period. Nothing was saved. | Use a later date, or reopen the books in **Reconciliations**, make the change and close them again. See [Close and reopen the books](https://www.zerabooks.com/help/reconciliations/close-and-reopen-the-books). |
| "This month is closed. The books are locked through {date}. Reopen from Reconciliations to change it." | Shown in **Banks & Cards** **Edit** mode on a closed month | Reopen the books to change categories in that month |
| "This date is in a closed period. Reopen the books from Reconciliations to change it." | A category change in **Banks & Cards** fell in a closed month | Reopen the books, then save again |
| "That date is in a closed period. Reopen the books from Reconciliations first." | An Autopilot answer or undo would change a closed month | Reopen the books, then answer or undo again |
| "This period is closed. Reopen the books from Reconciliations to link these, then close them again." | Suggested vendor links fall in a closed period | Reopen the books, click **Link**, then close them again |
| "Invoice date is in a closed period" | The invoice is dated on or before the closing date | Change the invoice date, or reopen the books |

## Uploading a bank or card statement

| Message | What it means | How to fix it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| "Choose one bank or credit card statement as a PDF, CSV or Excel file." | The file isn't a PDF, CSV or Excel file | Download the statement again as a PDF or CSV |
| "Upload one account's statement at a time." | You dropped more than one file | Upload each statement on its own, into its own account |
| "File too large: ~12 MB (max 10 MB)." | The file is over 10 MB | Download a shorter period, or split the statement into two date ranges |
| "This statement has already been imported into this account." (shown as **Statement already imported**) | The same file was uploaded before | Nothing to do. To replace it, remove the earlier statement first. |
| "This statement repeats N transactions already owned by another statement. Nothing was imported. …" | Some rows are already in your books from another statement | Remove the earlier statement first, or upload a statement for a date range that doesn't overlap |
| "This statement contains more than 10,000 readable rows. Split the source into non-overlapping periods before importing it." | The statement is too long to read in one go | Upload it as several shorter periods |
| "This is a … statement (…), but … is a …. Nothing was imported. …" | A credit-card statement was uploaded into a bank account, or the reverse | Choose the matching account under **Bank or credit card** and upload again |
| "This statement identifies its currency as … but … is declared …. Nothing was imported. …" | The statement's currency doesn't match the account's | Upload into an account with that currency. See [Add bank and credit-card accounts](https://www.zerabooks.com/help/banks-and-cards/add-bank-and-credit-card-accounts). |
| "Exchange rates for … could not be resolved (…). Nothing was imported …" | A foreign-currency statement couldn't get its exchange rates | Try the upload again in a few minutes |
| "Statement does not tie: opening + transactions − closing = X. Imported anyway — compare the register against the document…" | A warning, not an error. The statement's printed balances don't add up. | Open the month in **Reconciliations**. See [Fix a month that doesn't tie](https://www.zerabooks.com/help/reconciliations/fix-a-month-that-doesnt-tie). |
| "Choose your starting point first" | The company's setup isn't finished | Click **Continue company setup** |
| "Bring in your opening balances first" | Opening books are unfinished | Click **Continue opening books**. See [Move your books to ZeraBooks](https://www.zerabooks.com/help/getting-started/move-your-books-to-zerabooks). |
| "We couldn't check this business's starting point. Try again before uploading." | ZeraBooks couldn't check the company's setup | Click **Try again** |

## Banks & Cards register

| Message | What it means | How to fix it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| "Could not load the register. Retry before relying on these balances." | The register didn't load, so balances may be out of date | Check your connection and retry |
| "Category changed since this register loaded" | Someone or something changed the category after the page loaded | Click **Reload saved categories**, then make your change again |
| "No transactions in {period}." | No statement covers this period for the account | Change the period, or upload the missing statement |
| "No transactions match your filter." | Nothing matches what you typed | Clear the filter |

## Reconciliations

| Message | What it means | How to fix it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| "Balances must be numbers — enter them exactly as printed." | A balance in **Fix statement details** isn't a number | Enter digits only, for example `9830.22` |
| "Could not load reconciliation records and sign-offs. Displayed records may be out of date. Check your connection and try again." | The page couldn't load | Click **Retry reconciliation** |
| "No accounts match this filter." | A stat card filter hides every account | Click **Clear filter** |
| "Statement coverage is incomplete for {months}. A tied statement does not mean the whole month is covered." | Part of a month isn't covered by any statement | Upload the statement for the missing days |
| "Enter the closing password for this business." | The books are protected with a closing password | Enter it in **Closing password** |
| "No document-backed fix found." | AI verification found no fix in the document | Fix the month by hand. See [Verify a statement with AI](https://www.zerabooks.com/help/reconciliations/verify-a-statement-with-ai). |
| "5 of 12 finalized. …" | **Finalize all** stopped partway | Read the reason, fix that month, and click **Finalize all** again |

## Autopilot

| Message | What it means | How to fix it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| "Could not load the autopilot." | The page didn't load | Click **Retry** |
| "Your session ended. Sign in again." | You were signed out | Sign in again |
| "The autopilot could not run." | The pass didn't complete | Click **Run now** again |
| "That answer could not be applied." | The answer failed | Try again. The list refreshes to show what's still open. |
| "That question was already answered." | It was answered elsewhere | Refresh the page |
| "That is not one of the offered answers." | The answer no longer matches the question | Refresh the page and answer again |
| "This question can no longer be answered here." | The item changed since the question was asked | Nothing to do; the question is withdrawn |
| "That action could not be undone." | The undo failed | Check for a closed period, then try again |
| "That action was already undone." | It's already undone | Nothing to do |
| "This action cannot be undone. Merged records stay merged." | Merges can't be undone | Fix the vendor or customer by hand |
| "Nothing to undo — …" (for example "…this document was voided since.") | The action's result was already changed outside Autopilot | Nothing to do |
| "The setting could not be saved." | A mode or switch change didn't save | Try again |

See [Review and undo AI actions](https://www.zerabooks.com/help/autopilot/review-and-undo-ai-actions).

## Ledger and manual transactions

| Message | What it means | How to fix it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| "Debits and credits differ by {amount}." | The entry doesn't balance | Adjust the lines until **Difference** is zero |
| "A transaction needs between 2 and 200 accounting lines." | Too few or too many lines | Add or remove lines |
| "Every line needs a category." | A line has no category | Pick a category on every line |
| "Every amount must be nonzero and have no more than two decimal places." | An amount is zero or has too many decimals | Correct the amount |
| "A transfer needs two different bank or card accounts, with money leaving one and entering the other." | The same account is on both sides | Choose a different **To account** |
| "Use the bill or invoice payment action to settle a customer or vendor balance." | Pay In or Pay Out can't post straight to what customers owe you or what you owe vendors | Record the payment from the bill or invoice |
| "Choose {dimension} for every line." | A required field is empty on a line | Fill it in on every line |
| "Couldn't save this transaction" | The server refused the save | Read the message under it; your changes are still there |
| "A statement confirms this transaction. Unmatch it before changing its accounting." | A statement line has cleared this entry | Click **Review match** and unmatch it first |
| "Choose how this company will start before adding activity. Open Company settings to finish setup." | Company setup isn't finished | Finish setup in **Settings** |
| "Finish bringing in the previous books before adding new activity…" | Opening books are unfinished | Finish your opening books first |
| "Could not load the ledger. Check your connection and try again." | The page didn't load | Click **Retry ledger** |
| "Could not load this transaction." | The transaction didn't open | Close it and open it again |

## Importing journal entries

| Message | What it means | How to fix it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| "Row N: enter one positive debit or credit, with no more than two decimal places." | A row has both, neither, or a bad amount | Fix that row in your file |
| "Row N: "{x}" must identify one active category by number or exact name." | The category isn't found or isn't active | Use the category number, or its exact name from the **Category Manager** |
| "Import up to 100 journals at a time." | The file has more than 100 journals | Split the file |
| "This file includes journals already imported into this company…" | Some journals were imported before | Remove them from the file |

If any entry fails, none are posted. See [Import journal entries](https://www.zerabooks.com/help/ledger-and-categories/import-journal-entries).

## Category Manager

| Message | What it means | How to fix it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| "This number is already taken" | Another category uses that number | Choose another number, or leave it blank to assign one |
| "No importable rows — every row was missing a Category Name or had an unrecognized Type." | The file doesn't match the template | Download the **CSV format template** and use its columns |
| "Couldn't find any categories in that file…" | The file isn't a chart of accounts | Export the chart of accounts list, not a balance sheet or P&L |
| "That PDF is too large (max 10 MB)" | The PDF is over 10 MB | Export a smaller file or use CSV |
| "{name} has activity and can't be removed here." | A bank or card account with transactions can't be removed | Remove its statements first in **Banks & Cards** |
| "Keep the account name within 100 characters (now {n})." | The account name is too long | Shorten it |
| "Categories couldn't be loaded" | The page didn't load. Your saved chart hasn't changed. | Check your connection and try again |

## Financials and reports

| Message | What it means | How to fix it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| "Could not load the financials. Check your connection and try again." | The page didn't load | Click **Retry financials** |
| "Finish this business's starting setup before downloading financials." | Setup isn't finished | Finish setup first |
| "Could not build the PDF." / "Could not build the workbook." / "Could not build the package." | The download failed | Try again |
| "Could not verify and export the report. Please retry." | The export couldn't be checked | Try again |
| "Enter at least one recipient email address." | **To** is empty | Add an email address |
| "Send to no more than 10 recipients at a time." / "Use no more than 10 recipient addresses, including CC." | Too many addresses | Use 10 or fewer, To and CC combined |
| "Enter an email subject." / "Use a subject of 200 characters or fewer on one line." | The subject is missing or too long | Fix the subject |
| "Use a message of 10,000 characters or fewer." | The message is too long | Shorten it |
| "Select at least one attachment to send." | No report is ticked | Tick at least one attachment |
| "The attachments are too large to email — deselect some and try again." | Attachments are over 25 MB together | Untick some attachments |

## Custom Reports

| Message | What it means | How to fix it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| "Could not load the reports." | The list didn't load | Refresh the page |
| "Could not run the report. Check your connection and try again." | The report wasn't created | Click **Retry report** |
| "Your changes could not be saved. Check your connection and try again." | Autosave failed | Click **Retry save**, or **Download my text** to keep a copy |
| "The report figures could not be loaded. Your saved text and files are safe. Retry to continue." | Figures didn't load | Click **Retry figures** |
| "This report already has 20 attachments. Remove or replace a file first." | The 20-file limit is reached | Remove or replace a file |
| "Add one file at a time so each upload can be checked." | More than one file was added | Add files one by one |
| "Add at least one section before publishing." | The report is empty | Add a section with **Add** |

## Bills and invoices

| Message | What it means | How to fix it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| "This file is empty. Export the document again before uploading it." | The file has no content | Export or download it again |
| "This document is larger than 14 MB. Choose a smaller document." | The file is over 14 MB | Use a smaller file |
| "Choose a PDF, PNG, JPG, WEBP or HEIC document." | The file type isn't supported | Save it as PDF or an image |
| "{file} is already in ZeraBooks." | The same document was uploaded before | Click **Open existing** |
| "N documents could not be read. Open it to type the amounts by hand, or upload a clearer copy." | The reader couldn't read the document | Enter the details by hand, or upload a clearer copy |
| "Could not refresh bills. Check your connection and try again." | The board didn't load | Click **Retry loading** |
| "Choose a customer before saving." | The invoice has no customer | Pick a **Customer** |
| "Choose a due date on or after the invoice date before saving." | The due date is too early | Fix the **Due Date** |
| "Add at least one line item." | The invoice has no lines | Click **Add Line Item** |
| "Replace Uncategorized Income on line N before saving." | A line has no real category | Pick a category on that line |
| "Invoice retainage cannot exceed the invoice total." | The holdback is too big | Lower the holdback |
| "Quantities can't be negative. For a credit, keep the quantity and enter a negative price." | A negative quantity was entered | Enter a negative price instead. See [Credit memos](https://www.zerabooks.com/help/invoices/credit-memos). |
| "Declare this client's books currency before approving invoices — open Manage Clients and edit the client to set it." | The company has no books currency | Set the currency on **All Clients** › **Edit** |
| "Invoices could not be verified" | The board didn't load. Your invoices are still saved. | Click **Retry** |

## Vendors, customers and products

| Message | What it means | How to fix it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| "Could not load vendors. Check your connection and try again." (or customers) | The page didn't load | Click **Retry loading** |
| "“{name}” already exists. Open that one instead, or merge the two below…" | A vendor or customer with that name exists | Open the existing one, or merge them |
| "Could not load the catalog." | **Products & Services** didn't load | Click **Retry catalog** |

## Setup, clients and search

| Message | What it means | How to fix it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| "Enter the business name." | The name is empty | Type the business name |
| "You already have a business called "{x}". Give this one its own name." | The name is taken in your account | Use a different name |
| "Could not verify completed onboarding." | ZeraBooks couldn't check your setup | Refresh the page |
| "Choose a nonempty PDF, CSV or Excel (.xlsx) export no larger than 10 MiB." | A closing report file isn't accepted | Export it again as PDF, CSV or .xlsx under 10 MiB |
| "This company already has statements, journals or documents…" | Opening books can only be brought into a company with no activity | Use a new company for the opening books |
| "Undo is unavailable after subsequent bookkeeping, payment history or a period close." | The opening-books import can't be undone any more | Correct individual balances instead |
| "Couldn't load your clients." | **All Clients** didn't load | Click **Retry** |
| "Company list could not be refreshed. Open All Clients to retry." | The company list in search is out of date | Open **All Clients** |
| "Could not search vendors and customers. Check your connection and retry." | Search couldn't load vendors and customers | Click **Retry search** |
| "Could not confirm completion. Please try Finish again." | The walkthrough's last step didn't save | Click **Check completion** |
| "Something went wrong loading your account." | The trial page didn't load | Click **Try again**, or **Sign out** and back in |
| "Could not load the dashboard. Check your connection and try again." | **Dashboards** didn't load | Click **Retry dashboard** |
| "Could not load this analysis. Check your connection and try again." | **Expenses**, **Revenue** or **Cost of Revenue** didn't load | Click **Retry analysis** |

## Frequently Asked Questions

<details>
<summary>What does "is in a closed period" mean?</summary>

The date you're saving is on or before the date your books are closed through, so nothing was saved. Reopen the books in **Reconciliations**, or use a later date. See [Close and reopen the books](https://www.zerabooks.com/help/reconciliations/close-and-reopen-the-books).
</details>

<details>
<summary>Why was my statement refused with "Nothing was imported"?</summary>

ZeraBooks refuses the whole file when it repeats rows already in your books, or when its account type or currency doesn't match the account you chose. The message says which; fix that and upload again.
</details>

<details>
<summary>My statement imported with "Statement does not tie". Is that an error?</summary>

No, it's a warning. The transactions were imported, but the printed balances don't add up. See [Fix a month that doesn't tie](https://www.zerabooks.com/help/reconciliations/fix-a-month-that-doesnt-tie).
</details>

<details>
<summary>What should I do when a page says "Check your connection and try again"?</summary>

Check that you're online, then click the retry button on the message. Your saved data isn't affected by a failed load.
</details>

<details>
<summary>I see an error that isn't on this page. What now?</summary>

Contact ZeraBooks Support with the exact message and the page you were on. A real person reads every message.
</details>

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