Documentation

Matching vendor bills to purchase orders (partial billing and receiving)

Enter a vendor invoice, optionally link it to a purchase order, match bill lines to PO lines, and track each line as open, partially received, partially billed, or closed.

Plans
Advanced and above
Availability
Available
For
Bookkeepers, Owners
In KontoCore
Expenses → Bills → Link purchase order

In plain English

A purchase order is what you promised to buy. Bills and deliveries can arrive in pieces; KontoCore keeps track of how much of each line is received, billed, and still open.

What this does

Linking a purchase order is optional. When linked, each bill line can be matched to a PO line, and KontoCore derives quantity and amount billed, quantity received, and the remaining open commitment for every line.

A PO line moves through open → partially received / partially billed → fully received and billed → closed. Billed and received totals are derived from posted documents, never typed in, so the same PO line can’t be over-billed by accident.

Before you start

  • Create and approve the purchase order with vendor, lines, quantities, and (optionally) job and cost code.
  • Have the vendor invoice ready; note which lines and quantities it covers.

How to

Bill against a purchase order

  1. 1Go to Expenses → Bills → New bill and choose the vendor.
  2. 2Choose Link purchase order and pick the open PO.
  3. 3For each bill line, select the matching PO line and enter the quantity or amount being billed now.
  4. 4Review the remaining open quantity per line, then save and post.

Record a partial receipt

  1. 1Open the purchase order and choose Receive.
  2. 2Enter quantities received for each line; inventory items update stock on hand.

Close what will never arrive

  1. 1Open the PO, select the remaining lines, and choose Close line with a reason. The open commitment drops to zero.

What happens in your books

Purchase orders themselves don’t post to the ledger. The bill posts to accounts payable and the expense, inventory, or job cost account; open commitments appear in job and PO reports only.

Common mistakes

  • Creating a bill without linking the PO, then wondering why the PO still shows fully open.
  • Billing the full PO amount when only part was delivered.

Troubleshooting

Bill line can’t exceed PO line

The quantity or amount would exceed what remains open. Check earlier bills, or amend the PO if more was ordered.

PO still shows open after billing

The bill lines weren’t matched to PO lines, or the bill is still a draft.

Terms used:Accounts payable (A/P)InventoryJob costing

Related articles

Three-way match: PO, receipt, and bill exceptionsCompare ordered, received, and billed quantities and prices, set an Off, Warn, or Block policy with tolerances, and resolve or override exceptions with an audited reason.Expenses and purchase ordersRecord immediate expenses with receipts and use purchase orders to commit spending before a bill arrives.Vendors, bills, and bill paymentsAdd vendors, enter bills with due dates, pay them, and apply vendor credits.InventoryTrack product quantities and cost, adjust stock, and understand advanced warehouses, lots, serials, and assemblies.Correcting job costs and keeping source provenanceFix a vendor bill or expense posted to the wrong job, phase, cost code, or cost type without losing the trail back to the original source document.

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Last reviewed October 6, 2026