Two Kinds of Invoice Errors
Invoice errors fall into two groups Errors and Not Accepted. An Error status means the problem is inside SPS Commerce. A Not Accepted status means your customer's system rejected the invoice.
This article covers the most common causes of both, and the steps to fix each one. Always check the status on the invoice first. This tells you where to start looking to fix the problem.
For a high-level explanation of the two statuses, see Why does my document have an Error? in Help Center.
Before You Resend a Document:
Confirm the following before you edit or resend anything:
Check the document status on the invoice. Note whether it says Error or Not Accepted.
Find the invoice in Fulfillment and confirm the related PO number.
Know where the Check for Errors tool is. It sits at the top right of the invoice form.
Confirm whether an ASN has already been sent for this order.
Check for details on any Errors.
Open Fulfillment Monitor to read error notification messages from SPS Commerce.
Check Fulfillment for messages your customer sent. These appear as Text Messages or Application Error Messages.
Missing or Incomplete Fields
Required fields are often blank, or hidden in a collapsed section of the form. The invoice will not send until every required field has a value.
Run the Check for Errors tool.
Select the ! icon at the top right of the invoice form. Missing fields highlight in red.
Turn on the Continuous Check for Errors to have fields missing data highlight automatically.
Switch to Full view.
This shows every field section, including conditional fields that only become required after you fill in another field.
Check the required fields people miss most often: Invoice Number (must be unique), Remit-To Location, Payment Terms, SCAC code, and Buyer Part Number for any details you added to a form.
Invalid or Hidden Characters
Special characters and invisible characters are both common causes of errors in Fulfillment. They are often added when you copy text from another program that has special or hidden characters, such as a spreadsheet or a web page.
Replace curly quotes and apostrophes with straight quotes ("). For example, type Rio Planter, 12.5" x 11" using straight quote marks.
Remove accented and non-English characters, such as é, from every field.
Remove trailing spaces from fields like Ship-To Name.
Place your cursor after the last visible letter and backspace until nothing is left to delete.
Check BOL values you copied from an ASN for hidden tab character can sit in front of the value.
Delete any space before the first character.
Fix hidden line breaks or hard returns in product descriptions. These cause ReferenceID errors. Open the item record, delete the description, retype it without line breaks, then resend.
If you are not sure whether a field holds a hidden character, delete the value and retype it by hand. Do not paste it back in.
Duplicate Invoice Numbers
Every invoice needs its own unique invoice number. Many retailer systems reject any invoice number they have already received once.
If your customer asks for a corrected invoice, create a new invoice with a changed number.
Add an "A" to the end, or add a digit. Then tell your trading partner to ignore the earlier version.
If your customer needs the exact same invoice number, contact them first to confirm the invoice can be resent as they may need to reset the order.
After they have confirmed, create and send a new invoice with the same number using the original workflow.
Invoices Rejected by Your Trading Partner
A Not Accepted status means the invoice reached your customer and their system turned it down. Many will send detailed rejections explaining why an invoice was rejected.
Confirm the invoice was not sent before the order's Ship Date. Some retailers reject invoices that arrive early.
Confirm the store number matches the store on the PO. Invalid store numbers can cause invoices to be rejected.
Invoice Total Does Not Match
Totals fail when the line items, taxes, allowances, and charges do not add up. Check each part of the invoice before you resend.
Ensure that all line items have a positive value. A zero or negative invoice total will cause a document to fail.
Add tax once only, either at the item level or at the summary level. Never both.
You may need to remove item level taxes you did not mean to add, then recalculate.
Enter allowances as positive numbers.
The system already treats them as deductions. A negative sign deducts the amount twice.
For an EDI 810 total mismatch, check the math. The invoice total must equal the sum of all line totals, plus charges, minus allowances.
Charges add to the total
Allowances subtract from the todal
Include every charge, including freight.
Freight is the charge people forget most often. If your total is short by the freight amount, start there. |
Closed or Already-Billed Purchase Orders
An invoice will fail if the PO is closed, or if your customer's system has already billed it.
Confirm the PO is open and billable before you resend.
Expect the dashboard to keep showing that the original document as an error even after a successful resend.
This is normal and does not change the status of resent invoice that was successful.
Invoices Still Showing In Transit
A sent invoice can take up to 24 hours to confirm receipt. Until then, it shows an In Transit status.
If the invoice has been In Transit for less than 24 hours, wait. Give it the full 24 hours before you escalate.
Preventing Invoice Errors
Following a few best practices can stop most invoice errors before they start:
Run the Check for Errors tool before every submission or turn on the Continuous Check for Errors feature.
Use plain text characters in all description and reference fields.
Avoid copying and pasting special characters and formatting from other sources.
Match invoice quantities and amounts to the PO before you send.
Send the ASN before the invoice.
Some trading partners need the shipment in a billable state first.
More Information
Check out the Fulfillment Collection to see all Fulfillment articles.
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