This article provides answers to some of the most frequently asked questions (FAQ) related to exporting expense and payment data by using Payhawk’s manual file export functionality.
Why is a column missing in the file export, for example, Owner ID, Custom Field External ID, or Supplier External ID?
If any of the Owner ID, Custom Field External ID, or Supplier External ID fields are missing, the most likely reasons are the following:
If the Owner ID column is missing, the employee’s External ID was likely added after the expense was created. External IDs are stamped at creation and not updated retroactively.
If the Custom Field External ID column is missing, the External ID for the custom field was probably added after the field was selected in the expense. As a result, it won’t appear in the export.
(Default file export only) If the Supplier External ID is missing, the expense was likely reviewed before the supplier’s External ID was added, so it won't be reflected in the export file.
Why is a custom field that’s not visible in the expense still showing in the export?
If a custom field is not visible in the expense but present in the file export, the most likely reasons are the following:
Custom fields are stored as historical data in the expense. Deleting or hiding a custom field doesn’t remove its value from existing expenses. To see when the field was set, check the expense history.
Custom fields are referenced by internal IDs. If a field is deleted and re-created with the same name, it will have a new ID.
For default file exports, contact Payhawk Support to update the export.
For custom file exports, you can update the reference in the export builder where the custom template is configured.
The custom field external ID is captured at the time the field is selected in an expense. If the external ID is added or changed afterward, it won’t apply to past expenses.
Why is a custom field column empty in the export?
This issue applies to the default (legacy) file exports only. It may also affect date columns if a custom field has the same name.
If a custom field column is empty in the export, a custom field was most likely deleted and re-created with the same name. Some expenses may reference the old field, and others the new one.
A possible workaround is to download the export in CSV format and open it in Excel. The issue gets resolved once all expenses reference only one version of the field.
Why are there empty lines or missing data in the export?
This issue applies to the default (legacy) file exports only.
Showing empty lines or missing data in the default file export is expected behavior when exporting bulk payments. In such cases, the payment is shown only once, even if it covers multiple expenses as shown in the following image:
Why is an expense missing from the export?
Depending on whether you are using default or custom file exports, the reasons for an expense to be missing from the export vary.
For default file exports:
The expense was deleted either manually or due to a card expense being reverted.
The expense is outside the selected report period:
For the Payments sheet, the period is based on the payment settlement date.
For the External payments sheet, the period is based on the expense creation date, not the Mark as paid date.
For the Unpaid expenses sheet, the period is based on the creation date.
For custom file exports, the reason could be that the exports may be filtered by custom conditions or date ranges. To check whether the expense meets the filters applied in the export:
In the Payhawk web portal, go to Settings > Exports.
Select the relevant export.
Check the Period is based on setting.
Check any additional filters that may apply. You can also apply the same filters directly in the Expenses tab to see if the expense appears there.
How can I check the balance of my Payhawk account for a specific date?
To check your Payhawk account balance for a specific date in the Payhawk web portal:
Go to the Export app.
Click on Export and set the date to the specific day you want to review.
Select an account statement file export option and click on Export expenses. This will download the account statement for the chosen date, showing the balance as the end balance for that specific day.