Purchase Order Statuses and Billing
Every purchase order in AccuArk has two separate status tracks: a processing status that describes where the order is in the fulfillment lifecycle, and a billing status that tracks the financial state of the linked accounts payable bill. This guide explains both systems and how they interact.
Processing Statuses
The processing status reflects the physical state of the order. These are the available statuses:
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
| Placed | The PO has been created and submitted to the vendor but nothing has shipped yet |
| Shipped | The vendor has shipped the entire order |
| InProgress | The order is actively being processed by the vendor |
| PartiallyShipped | The vendor has shipped some items but not all |
| PartiallyReceived | Some items have been received at your location but the order is not fully received |
| Received | All ordered items have been received |
| Backordered | One or more items are on backorder with the vendor |
| Returned | Items have been returned to the vendor |
| AwaitingPayment | The order is complete but payment has not been made |
| Other | A catch-all status for situations not covered by the standard options |
You can manually change the processing status from the PO form to keep it current as the order progresses through your workflow.
Billing Statuses
The billing status tracks the financial side of the PO through its linked bill. These statuses are managed automatically based on payment activity and due dates:
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
| New | The bill has just been created with no payment activity |
| Pending | The bill is awaiting processing |
| Due | The bill is due for payment based on the terms |
| DueSoon | The bill's due date is approaching within the near-term window |
| DueToday | The bill is due today |
| Overdue | The bill's due date has passed without full payment |
| Paid | The bill has been fully paid — payments equal or exceed the balance |
| Balance | A partial payment has been made but a balance remains |
| Unpaid | No payment has been made and the bill is active |
| Refunded | The bill has been refunded |
| Cancelled | The bill has been cancelled |
Billing statuses are color-coded throughout the application for quick identification: green for Paid, red for Unpaid or Overdue, orange for DueSoon, blue for New, and grey for Cancelled.
Automatic Bill Creation
One of AccuArk's key design principles is that every purchase order automatically creates and maintains a linked accounts payable bill. This happens inside the same database transaction when you save a PO, so there is never a situation where a purchase exists without corresponding AP tracking.
When you save a PO:
- If no bill exists yet, a new bill record is created linked to this PO and vendor
- If a bill already exists (from a previous save), it is updated to reflect any changes to totals, returns, or payments
- The bill's due date is calculated from the order date plus the payment terms (e.g., Order Date + 30 days for Net 30 terms)
- The billing status is recalculated based on the current payment state and due date
You can view and manage bills from the vendor's Bills tab or from the PO form directly.
Making Payments
To record a payment against a PO:
- Open the PO and click Save & Pay, or click the Pay button if the PO is already saved
- The payment form opens, showing the current balance
- Before showing the payment form, the system checks whether the vendor has any available credits. If credits exist, you are offered the option to apply them toward this payment first.
- Enter the payment amount and payment details
- Save the payment
The payment updates the PO's paid amount and recalculates the billing status. If the payment covers the full balance, the status changes to Paid. If it is a partial payment, the status changes to Balance.
Balance Calculation
The PO balance is calculated as:
Balance = (Order Total - Returned Amount) - (Payments - Refunds and Credits)
This formula accounts for all financial activity on the PO:
- Order Total includes items subtotal plus shipping minus discounts
- Returned Amount reduces what you owe because you sent items back
- Payments are what you have already paid
- Refunds and Credits reduce the net amount paid (refunds are money returned to you; credits are applied from vendor credit balances)
A positive balance means you still owe money. A zero balance means the PO is fully settled. A negative balance means the vendor owes you money.
Handling Negative Balances
A negative balance occurs when the vendor owes you money. This can happen when:
- You overpaid a PO and the excess exceeds any remaining balance
- You returned items after the PO was already partially or fully paid
- Vendor credits or refunds exceeded the outstanding balance
When a PO has a negative balance, the Manage Negative Balance button appears on the form. Clicking it presents four options:
| Option | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Hold for Later | Leaves the negative balance on the PO for future resolution. No immediate action is taken. |
| Apply Vendor Credit | Creates a vendor credit for the negative balance amount. The credit is added to the vendor's credit pool and can be applied to future PO payments for this vendor. |
| Request Refund | Initiates a vendor refund request for the negative balance amount. This creates a VendorRefund record with status "Initiated" and links it to this PO. |
| Offset Against Other POs | Applies the negative balance as a credit against other outstanding POs for the same vendor. |
Choose the option that best fits your vendor relationship and accounting workflow.
Browsing Purchase Orders
The PO browser provides a list view of all purchase orders with filtering and pagination:
- Vendor filter — Show POs for a specific vendor or all vendors
- Status filter — Filter by processing status, billing status, or both
- Date filter — Narrow results to a date range
- Pagination — POs load with infinite scroll for performance on large datasets
Double-click any PO in the browser to open it in the full PO form for viewing, receiving, or payment.
Tips
- Keep processing statuses current — Updating the processing status as orders move through your workflow helps your team know which POs need attention
- Watch for Overdue billing statuses — Overdue bills mean missed payment deadlines. Review these regularly to maintain good vendor relationships.
- Use vendor credits instead of refunds when possible — Vendor credits are applied instantly to future purchases, while refunds require a multi-step workflow. If you plan to continue buying from the vendor, credits are simpler.
- Review negative balances promptly — Negative balances represent money the vendor owes you. Do not let them sit unresolved.
- Payment terms drive due dates — Setting accurate terms on the PO ensures the billing status transitions (DueSoon, DueToday, Overdue) fire at the right times