When an invoice arrives before the goods or receiving evidence, preserve the original invoice and establish separately what physically arrived and what is merely undocumented. Link the PO, identify the receipt evidence still unverified, and give the inquiry an owner and follow-up time. Invoice arrival does not prove delivery; a missing receiving record does not prove non-delivery. Approval follows the agreed terms and process.
1. Identify the document and what it covers
Check the supplier, invoice number and date, PO and line, project, item and unit. Establish whether this is a final invoice, a deposit request or another document under its label and terms. Preserve the original file and arrival time; do not rewrite its quantity to fit an expected shipment.
Ask whether the charge covers the whole PO or a specific shipment, and check the approved terms. This guide addresses document investigation, not payment deadlines, tax treatment or accounting entries. Advance billing and services without physical material need the appropriate review path rather than an assumption that every invoice requires the same delivery ticket.
2. Separate non-delivery from missing documentation
The jobsite receiver checks whether material arrived, where it went and in what quantity. If arrival is reported but the receiving record is missing, write “receipt reported — evidence pending” and name the source of that information. If no one has confirmed receipt, write “received quantity not yet verified.” Do not enter zero merely to fill an empty cell.
A planned delivery date, a supplier dispatch message or a PO reference on the invoice can help trace the event, but does not replace a receiving check. Microsoft documents a configured Dynamics workflow that matches a vendor invoice to a product receipt. It supports the document distinction, not a claim that Novapro has the same settings or automation.
Further reading: Microsoft Learn: match an invoice against received quantity
3. Example: the invoice stays at 120 while receipt evidence changes
This fictional example uses a PO and invoice for 120 units of one item, in the same unit, with no returns, cancellations or revisions. On day one the invoice arrives, but site receipt has not been checked. On day two, 80 received units are verified. On day three, another 40 are verified. These are illustrative checkpoints, not promised delivery times.
On day one there is no verified receiving gap calculation because the received quantity is unknown. On day two, 40 invoiced units are not yet covered by this example’s receiving evidence. On day three, cumulative verified receipts reach 120, resolving this quantity question. A quantity match alone does not approve price, quality, duplicate billing or payment; those checks remain separate.
| Checkpoint | Invoice quantity | Cumulative verified receipt | Suggested inquiry status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day one | 120 | Not yet verified | Locate receipt evidence |
| Day two | 120 | 80 | Investigate remaining 40 |
| Day three | 120 | 120 | Quantity match only |
4. Assign the missing evidence an owner and a time
For each line, state what is missing, who will check it and when it will be reviewed. The site verifies the receiving event, purchasing traces the order and shipment with the appropriate parties, and finance reviews the billing document and terms. Assigning the inquiry does not complete it: retain the response and its evidence.
Suggested internal handoff: “Invoice ___ arrived at ___ for PO ___ and line ___. Invoiced quantity: ___. Verified receipt as of ___: ___ / not yet verified. Missing evidence: ___. Inquiry owner: ___; follow up by ___. Please provide a receiving reference or receiver confirmation, not only an expected date.” This is a proposed worksheet, not product fields or an automatically sent message.
5. Update the inquiry without erasing the event trail
When evidence arrives later, retain both the event time and the time the information was received. A ticket received on day three may describe a day-two delivery; do not collapse those dates into one. Link the PO, invoice and correct line, and record which question closed and which checks remain open.
Oracle distinguishes PO-and-invoice matching from a check that also includes receipt, according to its system configuration. State explicitly what your worksheet actually checked. Novapro brings orders, delivery documents and other records into project context and supports checking their alignment. Explore a non-sensitive sample document trail in a demo; this guide does not promise automatic payment holds or accounting entries.
Further reading: Oracle Procurement: match approval level options
Practical checklist
- Preserve document type, original and arrival time
- Identify supplier, project, PO and line
- Label unverified quantity as unknown, not zero
- Check receipt with the receiver and relevant evidence
- Give each inquiry a question, owner and follow-up time
- Retain event time and evidence-arrival time in later updates
Prepare a PO, invoice and sample receipt without sensitive information. Explore their project references and the discrepancy that needs investigation.
Request a document-matching demoFrequently asked questions
Is an invoice arriving before goods necessarily an error?
Not necessarily. Check the document type, billing terms and delivery status. The material may also have arrived while its receiving evidence has not been forwarded. Establish the facts before classifying the invoice or deciding approval.
What should the worksheet say when received quantity is unknown?
Write “not yet verified,” with the question, responsible checker and follow-up time. Zero is appropriate only as a checked result, not a substitute for missing documentation. Do not present a receiving-gap calculation as verified while its receipt input is unknown.
Is matching the received quantity enough to approve payment?
The quantity check answers only its defined quantity question. Price, terms, document references, prior billing and other checks remain subject to the approved process. This guide provides neither payment approval nor a rule for every invoice type.
Keep reading
Three-Way Matching: Purchase Orders, Delivery Tickets and Invoices →
How to Track Partial Deliveries and Delivery Tickets →
Goods Received Not Invoiced: A Construction Handoff Checklist →