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Use this guide as the high-level purchasing and AP path. The detailed Purchase to Pay article stays in the Purchasing section for buyers and AP staff who need the full operating procedure.

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Workflow Overview

Purchase to pay is the path from buying decision to paid and reconciled vendor bill.
Purchase Orders list with status tabs, search, vendor, total, invoice status, and receiving progress

Purchasing starts the buying workflow with open POs, receiving progress, vendor, totals, and invoice status.

The standard flow:
  1. Create the purchase order.
  2. Submit for approval if required.
  3. Send the PO to the vendor.
  4. Receive inventory or services.
  5. Review GRNI when goods were received but not invoiced.
  6. Record the vendor bill.
  7. Approve the bill when rules require it.
  8. Pay by check, ACH file, wire, cash, or other configured method.
  9. Print checks or export ACH files when needed.
  10. Reconcile the bank transaction after it clears.

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1. Create And Approve The PO

Create the PO with the vendor, destination, products, quantities, costs, and notes. Approval rules can lock the PO until a manager approves it.
Purchase order detail page with vendor, line items, receiving status, totals, and actions

The PO detail page is the shared record for buyer, receiver, and AP review.

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2. Receive What Arrived

Receiving increases inventory and cost history. Receive only what physically arrived, in the correct location and bin, with serial numbers when required.
Receive PO Items modal with location, received quantities, serial controls, and create vendor bill option

Receiving turns the purchase order into inventory movement and can optionally create a vendor bill when configured.

If the vendor short-shipped, receive the partial quantity and leave the remainder open or close short according to policy.

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3. Clear GRNI

GRNI means goods received, not invoiced. It flags receipts that increased inventory but do not yet have a vendor bill.
GRNI report showing received purchase orders, received value, billed value, remaining balance, and aging

GRNI helps AP find received purchase orders that still need vendor bills.

AP should compare receipt value, vendor invoice, freight, discounts, tax, and credits before creating or posting the bill.

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4. Record And Pay The Bill

Create the vendor bill from AP or from the GRNI workflow. After the bill is approved and payable, use Pay Bills to select bills, payment method, bank account, and payment date.
Pay Bills page with vendor groups, selectable bills, payment method, bank account, payment date, and payment total

Pay Bills groups vendor bills for payment and shows bank account, method, date, selected bills, and totals.

Review the confirmation step before posting payment. Vendor credits can reduce cash outlay.

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5. Reconcile The Bank

After payment clears, match the bank transaction to the AP payment, printed check, ACH file, wire, or cash record.
Bank reconciliation overview with bank transactions, match actions, reconciliation summary, and review workflow

Bank reconciliation matches outgoing vendor payments to the bank feed so AP and cash agree.

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Common Blocks

  • Cannot create PO: check purchasing permission and vendor account status.
  • Receive Items is unavailable: PO may be draft, pending approval, cancelled, closed, or missing lines.
  • Serial item cannot receive: enter one serial per received unit.
  • GRNI balance remains: received value and billed value do not match yet.
  • Bill cannot post: missing vendor, date, account, line, approval, or open period.
  • Bill cannot be paid: check approval, balance, void state, bank account, and vendor hold.
  • Bank match is unclear: compare amount, date, vendor, check number, ACH file, and bank memo.

Purchase to Pay

Use the full detailed buyer and AP workflow from PO to vendor payment.

Create and Manage Purchase Orders

Create POs, add vendor items, receive inventory, handle approval, cancellation, billing, and close-short blocks.

GRNI and PO Bills

Create vendor bills from received purchase orders and clear received-not-billed balances.

Pay Bills and Print Checks

Pay open vendor bills by check, ACH, ACH file, wire, or cash.