Common Error Messages

Errors happen -- and most of them are easy to fix once you know what they mean. This page lists the most common messages you might see in NP Ledger, explains what caused them, and tells you exactly how to fix them.

You can paste any error message directly into the AI Help panel for instant, context-aware guidance. Click the AI Help button on any page and type or paste the error text.

Error messages in NP Ledger appear in several places: - Orange or red banners at the top of the page after an action - Field-level errors in red text below form fields - Row-level badges in import previews (red = error, yellow = warning) - Gap warnings in the 990 Wizard (color-coded by severity)

"No open accounting period for this date"

What happened: You're trying to record a transaction on a date that doesn't fall within any fiscal year, or the fiscal year for that date has been closed (locked).

How to fix it: - If the fiscal year doesn't exist yet, go to Organization Settings and verify your fiscal year start month. NP Ledger creates fiscal years based on this setting. - If the period is closed, either change the transaction date to fall within an open period, or ask the organization owner to reopen the period.

"This transaction would create a negative balance"

What happened: An expense or transfer exceeds the available balance in the account or fund you're posting to.

How to fix it: - Check the account balance and verify the amount is correct - If this is intentional (e.g., an overdraft), some account types allow negative balances -- check with your accountant - If the fund balance is too low, verify that expected revenue has been recorded first

"Duplicate transaction detected"

What happened: NP Ledger found an existing transaction with the same date and amount. This usually occurs during bank statement import or spreadsheet import.

How to fix it: - Review the existing transaction to confirm it's the same one - If it's a true duplicate, skip the import row - If it's a different transaction that happens to have the same date and amount (common for recurring donations), allow the import and differentiate them by description

"Account mapping required"

What happened: A line item in the 990 Wizard doesn't have a matching account from your chart of accounts.

How to fix it: - Go to Step 3 (Account Mapping) in the 990 Wizard - Find the unmapped accounts in the "Unmapped Accounts" section - Use the dropdown to assign each account to the correct 990 line

"Missing deposit or revenue account"

What happened: A donation connection tried to record a donation, but the deposit account or revenue account isn't configured.

How to fix it: - Go to Organization > Donation Connections - Set both the Deposit Account (your bank account) and Revenue Account (usually "Donation Revenue") - Click Save Changes

See Setting Up a Donation Connection for the full setup guide.

"Reconciliation not balanced"

What happened: During bank reconciliation, the difference between your NP Ledger balance and the bank statement balance isn't zero.

How to fix it: - Look for missing transactions -- something on the bank statement that isn't in NP Ledger - Look for extra transactions -- something in NP Ledger that isn't on the bank statement - Check the bank statement ending balance you entered -- a typo here causes an imbalance - See Bank Reconciliation for the full matching process

"Rate limit exceeded"

What happened: Too many AI Help requests were sent in a short time. This is a safety limit to manage server costs.

How to fix it: - Wait 30-60 seconds and try again - If you're hitting this regularly, try asking more detailed questions (one thorough question instead of several quick ones)

"File format not recognized"

What happened: An uploaded file isn't in a format NP Ledger supports. This often occurs with bank statement imports.

How to fix it: - Supported formats: OFX, QFX, QBO, CSV, XLSX - PDF files are not supported -- download your statement from your bank in one of the above formats - If using CSV, make sure the file is actually comma-separated (some exports use tabs or semicolons)

See Importing Bank Statements for supported formats by provider.

"Contact not found"

What happened: A supporter or vendor name in a spreadsheet import didn't match any existing contact in NP Ledger.

How to fix it: - Check the spelling -- "Jon Smith" vs. "John Smith" won't match - Create the contact first in NP Ledger, then retry the import - If the name is slightly different, NP Ledger's fuzzy matching may show a yellow warning instead of a red error -- check if the fuzzy match is correct

"Period is locked"

What happened: You're trying to edit or delete a transaction that falls within a closed accounting period.

How to fix it: - Record an adjusting entry in the current open period instead of modifying the closed one - If you absolutely must edit the old transaction, ask the organization owner to reopen the period -- but this is generally discouraged

"Voice entry unavailable"

What happened: The browser can't access the microphone. This is usually a permissions issue.

How to fix it: - Check your browser's permission settings -- look for the microphone icon in the address bar and click Allow - On mobile, check that NP Ledger has microphone permission in your device settings - Try a different browser if permissions aren't working - Make sure no other app is using the microphone

"Import validation failed"

What happened: One or more rows in a spreadsheet import have errors that prevent importing.

How to fix it: - Red rows in the preview show the specific errors for each row - Click a red row to edit it inline - Common issues: missing date, unrecognized account name, invalid amount format - Fix all red rows, then click Confirm Import

See Importing from Spreadsheets for the full validation workflow.

Fix it yourself for any of the errors listed above -- they all have clear causes and solutions.

Ask for help if you see: - Unexpected server errors (500 errors or "Something went wrong" with no specific message) - Data that appears corrupted (amounts that don't match what you entered, transactions that disappeared) - Errors that persist after following the fix steps above - Permission errors when you should have access

For help options, see Getting Help.