1. Where duplicate detection appears
Duplicate detection shows up in Bills and Expenses:
On a bill or expense detail page
A Possible transaction duplication banner appears at the top when a match is detected.
Click at least one other transaction in the banner to open the duplicates sidebar.
On the Bills or Expenses list
A warning icon appears on rows with potential duplicates.
Click the icon to open the duplicates sidebar.
Using filters
Go to Bills or Expenses.
Open the All tab (or any tab where filters are available).
Apply the Has duplicates filter to show only transactions flagged as potential duplicates.
2. How duplicate detection works
Adaptive flags two transactions as possible duplicates when:
They have the same vendor, and
They have the same reference number (Ref #), after normalizing formatting.
For example, INV-001, inv001, and inv 001 are treated as the same reference number.
Detection runs:
When a bill or expense is created
When the vendor or reference number changes
Matches are detected across both transaction types — a bill can flag as a duplicate of an expense, and vice versa.
Important: Duplicate detection requires a Ref # on both transactions. Transactions without a reference number are not flagged.
Note: Documents uploaded by email that match an existing bill or expense may be automatically archived as duplicates.
3. Reviewing duplicate transactions
Select the warning icon or the banner link to open the Duplicates sidebar. The sidebar includes:
The vendor name and Ref # that triggered the match
Matching transactions, grouped into Bills and Receipts
The current transaction highlighted for easy comparison
Amount, Status, and Created date for each match
Click any row in the sidebar to open that transaction.
Note: In the duplicates sidebar, expenses appear under the Receipts heading. These are expense records in Adaptive, not just receipt images.
4. Resolving duplicates
From the Duplicates sidebar, you can Archive or Delete a transaction when it is in Draft status.
Archive — Removes the transaction from active views while keeping it on record
Delete — Permanently removes the transaction
For transactions that are not in Draft (for example, approved or synced), archive and delete actions are disabled in the sidebar. Open the transaction detail page to archive or delete from there.
Tips for resolving duplicates:
Compare Amount, Status, and Created date in the sidebar before archiving or deleting.
Keep the transaction with the correct coding and card transaction link; archive or delete the extra copy.
If duplicates have already synced to QuickBooks, see How to avoid creating duplicate expenses in QuickBooks.
If you have questions or feedback, contact [email protected].