Common Sync Errors and How to Fix Them

A quick-reference guide to the most frequent Synder sync errors — your go-to resource for troubleshooting. Find your error, follow the fix. Each error includes notes on who typically hits it and why.

Missing transactions? Jump to the Missing Transactions Checklist below for a quick diagnosis.

Product & Service Errors

“Entity cannot be synchronized without Product or Service”

Who hits this: Everyone on first setup — especially sellers who haven’t set up products in their accounting software yet.

Cause: This error has two distinct causes:

• Product creation failure: Synder tried to auto-create a product in your accounting software but failed. Common reasons include special characters in the product name (which some accounting APIs do not support), or a temporary API error.
• Cancel setting active: The “Cancel sync if no matching product is found” setting is enabled in your integration settings, and Synder could not find a matching product.

Fix:

• Recommended: Set up product mapping in Settings → [Your Integration] → Products/Services tab. This tells Synder exactly which accounting product to use for each platform product.
• If the product name has special characters, create the product manually in QuickBooks Online/Xero with a clean name, then map it in Synder.
• You can also adjust product search priority to control how Synder looks for existing products — this is useful when products exist in your accounting software but Synder can’t find them due to name/SKU mismatches.

“No matching product found in accounting”

Who hits this: Multi-platform sellers most often — name mismatches between platforms and accounting software.

Cause: Synder searched by product name and/or SKU and found nothing matching.

Fix:

• Verify the product exists in QuickBooks Online/Xero with the exact name (spelling, capitalization matter).
• Multi-platform sellers: If using SKU matching, make sure the e-commerce platform was connected at sync time. A disconnected Shopify can’t supply SKU data.
• If recently created in accounting, it may not have existed during the sync attempt. Re-sync.
• Set up product mapping to explicitly map platform products to accounting products.

Common Configuration Issues

These are not error messages — they are configuration issues that can affect how your data syncs.

Auto-created product is mapped to the wrong income account

Who hits this: Bookkeepers who discover auto-created products going to the wrong account in a client’s books.

Cause: Synder auto-created a product and assigned it to the default income account configured in Settings.

Fix:

• Open the product in QuickBooks Online/Xero and change its income account.
• Prevention: Set up product mapping before syncing so Synder uses existing products with correct accounts already assigned.
• Bookkeepers: Review auto-created products weekly for new clients. Catch these early.

Product mapping is not working for shipping items

Cause: Shipping items follow different mapping rules than regular products.

Fix: Check if there’s a separate shipping mapping in your integration settings. Map it explicitly.

Auto-sync did not start

Who hits this: Solo sellers who toggled settings without realizing auto-sync has per-type toggles.

Cause: Auto-sync was disabled — either globally or for a specific transaction type.

Fix:

• Settings → General — Is auto-sync enabled?
• Check each transaction type tab (Payments, Refunds, etc.) — each has its own toggle.
• Check the Changelog for recent changes.
• Auto-sync only works forward — missed transactions need manual sync.

Bookkeepers: If a client’s auto-sync “just stopped,” check if the client logged into Synder and accidentally changed settings. The Changelog will tell you.

For a deeper understanding of how sync works, see sync fundamentals.

Auto-sync was disabled automatically

Who hits this: Everyone — usually after a connection issue.

Cause: Synder automatically disabled auto-sync due to a connection issue or repeated sync failures.

Fix:

• Check platform connections (Settings → Integrations) — re-authenticate if needed.
• Resolve underlying errors first.
• Re-enable auto-sync.
• Manually sync any transactions from the gap period.

Summary Mode Errors

The following errors apply only to Summary Sync mode (not Per Transaction mode).

“Partially synced summary”

Who hits this: Multi-platform sellers using Daily Summary, especially with Amazon.

Cause: The summary was generated before all transactions arrived from the platform. Amazon’s delayed data is the #1 cause. See the transaction synchronization duration breakdown for details on platform timing.

Fix: Wait for all transactions to be available, then re-sync the summary. This is expected behavior — not a bug.

Multi-platform sellers: Consider syncing Amazon summaries with a 1-day delay to avoid this. Other platforms (Shopify, Stripe) rarely have this issue.

“Record all customer and supplier transactions in the currency assigned to them”

Who hits this: Multi-platform sellers processing international orders, bookkeepers with clients who sell globally.

Cause: Multi-currency conflict in QuickBooks Online. A transaction’s currency doesn’t match the customer/vendor’s assigned currency.

Important context: In QuickBooks Online, customer records are tied to a specific currency. If a transaction comes in for an existing customer but in a different currency, QuickBooks Online requires a separate customer record. Synder handles this by creating a new customer entry for that currency — this is expected behavior based on a QuickBooks Online limitation, not a Synder bug.

Fix:

• Check the customer/vendor record in QuickBooks Online — what currency are they set to?
• Align Synder multi-currency settings with QuickBooks Online setup.
• Enable multi-currency in QuickBooks Online first if needed (Settings → Advanced → Currency).

Data Mismatch Errors

“Customer name is different in Invoice and Payment”

Who hits this: Multi-platform sellers — e.g., Shopify order + PayPal payment where the customer name appears differently on each platform.

Cause: The customer name on the invoice (from e-commerce) doesn’t match the customer name on the payment (from payment gateway). For example, “John Smith” on Shopify vs “[email protected]” on PayPal.

Fix: Enable Smart Reconciliation — it helps match invoices and payments even when customer names differ across platforms. If Smart Reconciliation is already enabled and still not matching correctly, check customer name search priority in settings.

“Invoice number is not matching”

Cause: Synder tried to match a payment to an existing invoice but reference numbers don’t align.

Fix: Check the invoice in accounting — does the document number match what the platform sent? Adjust numbering settings if needed.

“Payment is not matched with Invoice”

Cause: Synder found an invoice but couldn’t apply the payment (amount mismatch, customer mismatch, or invoice already paid).

Fix:

• Verify the invoice is open (unpaid).
• Check that amounts and customer names match.

Tax Errors

“Sales Tax going to the incorrect Sales Tax Account”

Who hits this: Sellers who didn’t configure tax mapping during setup.

Cause: Tax mapping isn’t configured correctly, or the “Apply Taxes” setting is not set up to match your workflow.

Fix:

• Go to your integration’s settings → Tax section.
• Map tax to the correct Sales Tax Payable account.
• Review the Apply Taxes setting — when enabled, Synder includes tax information from your transactions. When disabled, transactions sync without tax details. Make sure this matches your tax reporting workflow.
• Whether you’re using a QuickBooks Online or Xero integration, tax mapping is in the same location within Settings.

“Stripe tax discrepancy”

Cause: Tax amount Stripe reports differs from expected based on order data.

Fix: Check if Stripe Tax is enabled vs. manual tax calculation. Compare tax in Stripe dashboard with what Synder pulled.

Import Errors

“Failed Excel import”

Cause: Column mapping issues, usually related to discount fields.

Fix:

• Include both “Line Discount” and “Total Discount” columns if using discounts.
• Use Synder’s provided template.
• Test with 5 rows first.

Connection Errors

Platform shows as disconnected

Who hits this: Everyone periodically. Bookkeepers hit this most because clients change passwords or revoke access without notification.

Cause: OAuth token expired, password changed, or platform revoked access.

Fix:

• Settings → Integrations → Re-authorize the connection.
• Manually sync any transactions from the disconnection period.
• If you need to reconnect, see how to add another payment platform.

Bookkeepers: Set a weekly reminder to check connection health across all client organizations. A 30-second check per client prevents data gaps.

Quick Fix Checklist

When you hit any sync error:

• Read the full error message (click to expand)
• Check connections — all platforms green?
• Check account mapping — all accounts assigned?
• Check product mapping — products exist or auto-create enabled?
• Check auto-sync settings — enabled for all transaction types?
• Try rollback + re-sync after fixing settings
• Check the Changelog for recent setting changes

Still stuck? Email [email protected] with the error message and a screenshot.

Error Messages A–Z

Find your error message for an instant explanation and fix:

Missing Transactions Checklist

• Connected payment method? Afterpay, Shop Cash, Store Credit, Gift Cards need their own integrations connected.
• Archived? Contact [email protected] — agents can unarchive from backend.
• Amazon UNSETTLED_FEE? Normal — appears when settlement report is released.
• Shopify Shop Cash? Shopify settings → “Create Additional Settings” → add Shop Cash.
• Date range correct? Historical transactions need manual import.
• Shopify “Sync Open Invoices”? Required for B2B net payment terms.
• Right organization? Check you’re in the correct Synder org.

Wrong Amounts or Wrong Accounts

• Rollback first: Three-dot menu → Rollback. Always before fixing settings.
• Check product mapping: Wrong income = product mapped to wrong account.
• Check clearing account: Must NOT be your bank/checking account.
• Re-sync after fixing settings.

Never Edit Synced Transactions Directly in QuickBooks Online/Xero. Always Rollback in Synder first, fix settings, then re-sync. Manual edits may be overwritten or cause duplicates.