guide
What happens when a supplier invoices more than the quantity accepted?
A receiving example that separates ordered, delivered, accepted and invoiced quantities before payment approval.
If a supplier invoices more than the quantity physically accepted, the difference should become a documented exception before payment approval. Compare the purchase order, delivery evidence, acceptance record and invoice by line item and unit. A delivery note alone does not prove that all delivered goods were accepted.
A simple worked example
A buyer orders 100 units. The supplier delivery note says 100 arrived. The receiving team accepts 92 and records 8 damaged units. The supplier invoice bills 100. The immediate difference is 8 units between accepted and invoiced quantities; whether the supplier will replace, credit or dispute them is a separate commercial decision.
Keep four quantities visible: ordered, delivered, accepted and invoiced. Do not collapse 'delivered' into 'received' or assume that the price of the 8 units is recoverable without checking the contract and supporting evidence. The reviewer needs the receiving record, damage notes or photos where available, and any supplier communication.
Route the exception
Receiving confirms what was physically accepted. Purchasing checks the agreement and asks the supplier for a correction, replacement or credit where appropriate. Finance holds or adjusts the payable only under the company's approval rules. Every handoff should carry the same case ID, line item and evidence set.
What software should do
A workflow can compare quantities, calculate the disputed amount from the applicable price, identify missing evidence and hold a case for a named decision. It should show the arithmetic and assumptions. It should not automatically accuse the supplier or issue a credit note.
Kaliits's purchasing mismatch application is available for controlled pilot implementation. The SIEMA demo shows an illustrative purchase order, delivery, acceptance and invoice sequence; its scenario values are not customer results. View the purchasing demo: /demo. For a real workflow, request a diagnostic: /contact.
Before a pilot
Choose representative cases: full acceptance, damage, short delivery, split delivery and invoice correction. Agree on who can record acceptance and who can release a held invoice. Measure whether the team can find and resolve exceptions with a complete evidence trail.