---
title: "Exact purchase journal error for Administrators - Payhawk Help Center"
slug: "failed-to-export-into-exact-online-unable-to-create-purchase-journal"
description: "Fix the Unable to create purchase journal error in Exact Online: give the connected user rights to create journals, or reconnect with a user who has them."
updated: 2026-03-30T11:55:30Z
published: 2026-03-30T11:55:30Z
canonical: "payhawk.com/failed-to-export-into-exact-online-unable-to-create-purchase-journal"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://payhawk.com/help/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Failed to export into Exact Online. Unable to create purchase journal in accounting system.

## Error message

```plaintext
Unable to create purchase journal in accounting system.
```

## Affected ERP integrations

- Exact Online

## Cause

This error occurs when Payhawk attempts to automatically create a purchase journal in Exact Online on your behalf, for example, if you left the purchase journal field empty during the integration setup, but the connected user account lacks the necessary permissions to perform this action. Creating journals in Exact Online requires specific user rights.

## Solution

To resolve this issue:

1. Verify user permissions.
  1. Log in to your Exact Online account using the user account that connected the Payhawk integration.
  2. Navigate to **My Exact Online** from the top right menu and go to the **Rights** section.
  3. Check if the user has permissions related to managing journals or general financial settings that allow for the creation of new journals.
2. Grant necessary permissions.
  1. If the user lacks the required permissions, an administrator in Exact Online needs to grant them. This typically involves giving rights to create or modify financial master data, including journals.
3. Reconnect Payhawk, if permissions were updated or a different user is needed.
  - If permissions were updated for the current connecting user, try re-syncing your Payhawk integration or attempting the export again.
  - If you need to use a different user account with existing sufficient permissions, you will need to disconnect the current Exact Online integration in Payhawk and then reconnect using that authorized user.
4. Return to Payhawk and attempt to export the expense again. The export must now be successful.