> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.arcuserp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Purchasing Defaults and Payment Terms > Purchasing settings control the fallback lead time used by buying tools, the default expiration policy for vendor credits, and how Arcus handles cost differences between received inventory and the vendor bill. Payment Terms define the net terms available on accounts, channels, orders, and invoices. ## When to Review These Settings * Before using the Reorder Report or creating purchase orders for the first time. * When vendors start shipping faster or slower than your current planning assumptions. * Before issuing vendor credits if your finance team wants credits to expire automatically. * Before posting PO-linked vendor bills where bill cost can differ from receipt cost. * When adding, retiring, or changing customer payment terms such as Due on Receipt, Net 15, or Net 30. **These settings affect future workflow decisions** Changes here do not rewrite historical purchase orders, bills, vendor credits, invoices, or customer accounts. They affect new defaults and future automation decisions, so review the downstream workflow before saving. ## Open Purchasing Settings 1. Open **Settings**. 2. Choose **Entity Settings**. 3. In the left navigation, open the **Purchasing** group. 4. Select **Purchasing** for lead time, vendor credit, and bill revaluation defaults. 5. Select **Payment Terms** to manage net terms available elsewhere in Arcus. Purchasing settings page showing default vendor lead time, vendor credit default expiration, and bill revaluation controls ## Default Vendor Lead Time Default Vendor Lead Time is the fallback number of days Arcus uses when a product-vendor relationship does not have its own lead time. It helps estimate expected delivery dates and helps the Reorder Report decide when a product should be purchased. * **Allowed range**: the field accepts whole numbers from 0 to 180 days, but use 1 to 180 when you expect the value to drive planning. * **Common default**: 14 days when the entity does not specify a different value. * **Used by purchase orders**: new POs can default the expected delivery date from the effective lead time. * **Used by planning**: reorder timing uses the effective lead time when estimating buy timing. **Product-vendor data can override this fallback** Arcus prefers more specific product-vendor lead time data when it exists. Observed vendor performance can also become the effective planning value once enough receiving history exists. Treat this entity setting as the safety net, not the only planning input. ## Vendor Credit Default Expiration Vendor Credit Default Expiration controls what happens when a vendor credit is issued without its own expiration date. Leave it blank when vendor credits should never expire by default, or enter a positive number of days when finance wants an automatic expiration policy. * **Blank**: credits issued without an expiration date never expire by default. * **Positive days**: credits issued without a date expire that many days after issue. * **Credit-specific date**: a date entered on the individual credit wins over the entity default. * **Expired credits**: expired credits stop being available for Pay Bills and create accounting cleanup automatically. **Use explicit dates for exceptions** If one vendor agreement has a special expiration policy, set the date on that individual vendor credit instead of changing the entity-wide default for everyone. ## Bill Revaluation Bill Revaluation controls how Arcus handles a PO-linked vendor bill when the billed unit cost differs from the cost recorded at receiving. This is an accounting-sensitive setting because it decides whether small variances are ignored, reviewed, or posted to inventory and cost of goods sold. * **Variance threshold**: differences below the configured dollar threshold are absorbed and do not post an automatic revaluation entry. * **Inventory mode**: splits the variance between remaining on-hand inventory and cost of goods sold. * **COGS mode**: posts the full variance to cost of goods sold. * **Manual review**: flags the bill for operator review instead of posting the revaluation automatically. **Change Bill Revaluation with accounting approval** This setting affects inventory valuation and cost reporting on PO-linked bills. Confirm the preferred policy with accounting before changing the threshold or posting mode. ## Payment Terms Payment Terms are the selectable net terms used by accounts, sales channels, orders, invoices, vendor bills, and reminder workflows. Keep this list clean so operators only choose terms that the business actually honors. Payment Terms settings page showing term rows with days, default status, active status, import, and add term controls * **Name**: the label operators see, such as Due on Receipt, Net 15, or Net 30. * **Days**: the number of days after the invoice or order date before payment is due. * **Default**: the fallback term Arcus can use when no more specific term is selected. * **Active**: controls whether the term appears in account and order dropdowns. * **Import**: bulk creates or updates terms from a CSV file. Add Payment Term modal showing name, days, set as default, active checkbox, cancel, and create buttons ## Default Term Cascade Arcus chooses the most specific payment term available. The exact workflow can vary by screen, but the practical rule is simple: a term selected directly on the record wins, then channel or account defaults, then the entity-level default.
Priority Source What it means
1 Direct selection The term chosen on the order, invoice, account, or sales channel is used.
2 Sales channel or account default If the record does not set a term, Arcus can use the configured channel or account term.
3 Entity default If nothing more specific exists, Arcus uses the entity-level default term when configured.
**Retire terms by making them inactive** Inactive terms stop showing in new account and order dropdowns, while existing records keep their stored term information. Prefer inactivating old terms over deleting them. ## Recommended Setup Order 1. Create or clean up Payment Terms. 2. Set one default term if the business wants a fallback. 3. Review account and sales-channel defaults for exceptions. 4. Set Default Vendor Lead Time based on a conservative average. 5. Configure Vendor Credit Default Expiration with finance approval. 6. Confirm Bill Revaluation threshold and posting mode with accounting. 7. Test a sample reorder, purchase order, vendor bill, vendor credit, and sales order. ## What to Test After Changes * **Reorder Report**: confirm suggested order timing still makes sense. * **New purchase order**: confirm expected delivery dates look reasonable. * **PO receipt and vendor bill**: test a small cost variance and confirm the expected review or posting behavior. * **Vendor credit**: issue a test credit with and without a specific expiration date. * **New account**: confirm the expected payment term appears. * **New order**: confirm channel, account, and default term behavior matches the business rule. ## Common Blocks * **Suggested PO dates look wrong**: review product-vendor lead times first, then the entity default. * **A payment term is missing from a dropdown**: confirm the term is active. * **An old invoice still shows an inactive term**: that is expected. Existing records keep their saved term. * **A vendor credit is not available in Pay Bills**: check whether it is expired, voided, fully applied, or tied to another workflow. * **A bill variance did not post automatically**: review the threshold and whether Bill Revaluation is set to Manual review. * **A default did not apply to an order**: check for a more specific term on the order, sales channel, or account. ## Related Articles Understand the admin surfaces, settings groups, and workflow impact areas. Configure payment terms, payment automation, processing fees, AP check printing, and deposit slip layout. Follow the full PO, receipt, vendor bill, and payment workflow. Create POs, add vendor items, receive inventory, and handle approval, cancellation, billing, and close-short blocks. Find low-stock products, review vendor grouping, and generate draft purchase orders from reorder settings. Issue, review, expire, and apply supplier credits during bill payment.