Payment Controls Guide: Matched Invoice Before the Final Payment

What does the setting do?

When the setting is on, Bilaro will not record the payment that completes a purchase order (PO) unless the supplier's invoice has been recorded and matched. This stops a PO being paid in full on the strength of a delivery alone, or while an invoice is still in dispute.

The setting is off until your company switches it on. When it is off, payments work exactly as before.

What is checked?

The check applies to the payment that would bring the total paid up to the PO total, and to marking a PO as paid by hand. For that payment, Bilaro looks at three things:

1. Goods or services have been received. At least one receipt is confirmed, and the PO is fully received.
2. Every confirmed receipt is on an invoice. Each confirmed receipt is linked to a supplier invoice that is Matched or Variance approved.
3. No invoice is left in variance. An invoice whose amount differs from the receipts by more than your tolerance must be resolved first. Voided invoices do not count.

If all three are true, the PO is covered and the payment goes through. The audit trail records the invoice numbers that covered it.

An invoice recorded only by e-Invoice UUID, with no linked receipt, does not count.

What is not blocked?

• Deposits and part payments. Any payment that leaves the PO still short of its total goes through as normal, even if nothing has been delivered.
• Direct payments. A direct payment has no PO and no receipt, so it is not checked. It stays under your approval and budget rules.
• POs that are already paid. Switching the setting on never changes a PO that is already paid. It applies to payments recorded from then on.

What does a blocked payment look like?

Before anyone tries to pay, the Payments tab of the PO shows a Supplier invoices card. It lists the invoices on the PO and says clearly if the final payment needs a matched invoice, and why, for example that receipt GRN-2026-0003 is not on a matched supplier invoice.

If a Finance user tries the final payment anyway, Bilaro shows the same message on screen. It is not a pop-up, and nothing is recorded.

To clear it, open the receipt, record the supplier invoice, and settle any variance. Then record the payment again.

How to pay without a matched invoice (override)

Sometimes a PO has to be paid with no invoice, for example an upfront payment to a supplier who invoices later, or a service with no receipt. A Director or Admin can approve this for one PO.

1. Open the PO and go to the Payments tab.
2. On the Supplier invoices card, click Approve payment without an invoice.
3. Enter the Reason and click Approve.

Your name, the date and the reason are recorded, shown on the card, and the Directors are told. Finance users cannot override the check, but once a Director or Admin has approved it, Finance can record the payment. The audit row for the payment shows the override reason in place of invoice numbers.

Who can switch it on or off?

Open Settings and find the Payment controls card.

• An Admin or Director can switch it on.
• Only a Director can switch it off, because switching it off loosens a control. You will be asked to confirm.

Every change is logged with the old and new value.

Two further rules when the setting is on

• A second person approves invoice variances. The person who recorded a supplier invoice cannot also approve its variance. Another Finance, Director or Admin user must do it. If that person is the only one in the company who could, they may approve it themselves.
• Voiding an invoice on a paid PO. Once a PO is paid, only a Director or Admin can void its supplier invoice, and a reason is required.

Frequently asked questions

Does this stop me paying a deposit? No. Only the payment that completes the PO is checked.

A supplier delivered in two parts. What is needed? Both receipts must be confirmed and on matched invoices before the final payment, and the PO must be fully received.

The invoice shows a variance. Who can clear it? A Finance, Director or Admin user other than the person who recorded it. See the Finance Guide for how to approve a variance.

Can the setting be on for some companies and not others? Yes. It is set for each company. A company added from an existing one copies the setting.

Where do I see what happened? The PO's audit trail shows the invoices or override reason behind the final payment. Admins can also see setting changes and overrides in the company audit log.