Invoice matching
Every vendor invoice checked against the PO and what you received.
Three-way matching by hand is slow, so it often gets skipped. We compare each vendor and freight invoice to the purchase order and the receiving record, pass the clean ones, and flag price and quantity differences before you pay.
Example: a steel invoice with a price change
What comes in
- Vendor
- Midwest Steel Supply
- Invoice
- #8820
- Amount
- $28,600.00
- Lines
- 4
- PO on file
- #30142
What your team seesSample data
- Read the invoice: 4 line items, $28,600.00
- Matched to PO #30142 and the Oct 9 receiving record
- Needs a look: Steel plate billed at $1.15/lb vs. $1.10/lb on the PO (4.5% higher)
- Quantities match what the dock received
Held and sent to purchasing with the price difference highlighted. The other three lines are ready to approve.
Names and numbers in this example are made up for illustration.
How it works
Collect invoices where they arrive
Vendor and carrier invoices keep coming to your AP inbox as PDFs or emails. Nothing changes for your vendors.
Find the matching PO and receipt
Each invoice is matched to its purchase order and the receiving record in your system, line by line.
Compare prices, quantities and charges
Unit prices are checked against the PO. Billed quantities are checked against what was received. Extra charges like fuel surcharges or fees are called out.
Approve the clean ones, review the rest
Invoices that match are queued for one-click approval. Anything with a difference goes to the right person with the difference highlighted.
Why invoices get paid without checking
Proper invoice checking means three documents side by side: the vendor's invoice, your purchase order, and the receiving slip from the dock. Line by line, someone confirms the price is what you agreed to and the quantity is what actually arrived.
In a lean AP department that takes too long, so most invoices get a quick glance, or only the big ones get checked. Small overcharges slip through: a price that crept up 3%, a surcharge nobody approved, a backordered line billed in full. One at a time they're small. Across a year of invoices they add up to real margin.
Freight bills are harder still. They come from carriers in every format, with extra charges that are hard to verify against the bill of lading.
What you get beyond the match
Because every invoice is read the same way, you also build a running record of what each vendor actually charges. Price drift, repeat surcharges and short shipments show up as a pattern instead of a surprise, which gives purchasing something concrete to bring to the next vendor conversation.
Common questions
What is three-way matching?
It means checking a vendor invoice against two other records before paying: the purchase order (what you agreed to buy, at what price) and the receiving record (what actually arrived). If all three agree, the invoice is safe to pay.
Does it pay invoices automatically?
No. It prepares invoices for approval and flags differences. A person on your team approves every payment.
What about invoices without a PO?
Those are flagged for a person to code and approve. Over time we can suggest the usual account and approver based on past invoices.
Can it handle freight bills?
Yes. Freight invoices are matched to the shipment and bill of lading, and extra charges are listed separately so they can be checked.
How long is the pilot?
2 to 3 weeks on your real invoices, so you can see what it catches before committing to anything ongoing.
More we take off your plate
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