Invoicing and tie-out

Generate invoices for a period from approved work on Invoices. The ERP tie-out panel then proves that what you invoiced equals what was approved, to the cent, before you send invoices to accounts payable (AP), either straight into your AP system or as a spreadsheet file.

Who can do this#

All staff roles can generate invoices, record tie-out snapshots, push invoices to AP and export CSV files: Program Admin, Hiring Manager, Finance / AP, HR / Compliance and Executive. Workers can't open Invoices. Billing entities see their own invoices in the supplier portal.

Generate invoices#

1. Set the period#

   Open Invoices. In Generate invoices, set Period start and Period end.

2. Select Generate#

   Select Generate. New rows appear under All invoices with a Number, Type, Billing entity, Period, Total and Status.

3. Check the tie-out#

   Read the ERP tie-out panel before you send anything on. See Read the tie-out.

Only approved work is invoiced. Anything still in draft, awaiting approval or rejected is left out. Work is invoiced once per billing entity and period, so generate after all time for the period is approved. Generating again for the same period doesn't create duplicates.

Grouping and numbering#

Invoices follow the invoice rules in your program settings:

• Invoice grouping: consolidated (one invoice per billing entity), per org unit, or per worker. Different currencies always go on separate invoices.
• Numbering: a prefix and a running number with leading zeros. The default looks like INV-000123.
• Zero-amount groups: skip them, or produce a zero-amount invoice.
• Supplier requirement: recommended on. When it's on, generation stops if a line has no supplier, so every invoice reaches a supplier's portal. Workspaces created through the trial setup may start with it off, so check it in Invoice rules.

Change these rules in Config.

When generation is blocked#

If an approved timesheet in the period can't be priced, Generate fails and no invoices are created. Check the Timesheets queue for rows marked Can't price:, resolve them, then generate. See Timesheets that can't be priced.

Read the tie-out#

The ERP tie-out panel compares what was invoiced with what was approved for the most recent invoiced period. VendOrca works it out each time the page loads, and the two must match exactly, with no rounding difference allowed.

Discrepancies are listed with their Kind, Source, Amount and Reason. The kinds are Approved, not invoiced, Blocked, Currency mismatch and Can't be priced. An amount of — means unknown, not zero. With nothing to fix, the panel reads Every approved row is invoiced — no discrepancies.

Record a snapshot#

A snapshot is a saved copy of the tie-out figures for your records. Viewing the page saves nothing. Generating new invoices saves a snapshot automatically. To save one at any other time, select Record tie-out snapshot. You can't record one while some approved work can't be priced.

Corrections and credit notes#

Invoices can't be edited, voided or deleted in VendOrca. For a correction, a Program Admin can email info@vendorca.com.

Credit note is one of the invoice Type values, alongside Invoice. In the supplier portal and its totals, credit notes count as negative amounts.

Credit notes don't go through Push to AP or the CSV file. For help getting one to your AP team, a Program Admin can email info@vendorca.com.

Unassigned-supplier invoices#

An invoice with no billing entity matches no supplier. Staff can see it, but no supplier can see it in the portal. When any exist, an Unassigned-supplier invoices section appears above the main list with a count and a warning. Its Billing entity column reads —. The same invoices also appear in All invoices.

They come from work on an assignment that carries no billing entity, when Supplier requirement is off. To prevent them:

• Keep Supplier requirement on in Invoice rules. Generation then stops instead of producing unassigned invoices.
• Check the Billing entity column on Assignments before time is recorded.

If unassigned invoices have already been produced, a Program Admin can email info@vendorca.com for help with them.

Push invoices to AP#

Once VendOrca is connected to your AP system, you can send an invoice straight into it with one click. VendOrca creates the bill in your AP system, and your AP team approves and pays it there under your own controls, as they do today. VendOrca never moves money.

Before you start#

• Arrange the integration. VendOrca connects your AP system to your workspace. To arrange it, a Program Admin contacts info@vendorca.com.
• Match your suppliers. During setup, each supplier in VendOrca is matched to its vendor record in your AP system, so every bill lands under the right vendor.
• Check the tie-out. Push once Balanced reads Yes — penny-exact for the period.

Push an invoice#

All staff roles can push invoices: Program Admin, Hiring Manager, Finance / AP, HR / Compliance and Executive.

1. Open Invoices.
2. Find the invoice under All invoices. Push to AP appears in the Actions column on invoices of type Invoice, next to Export CSV.
3. Select Push to AP.

What happens next#

VendOrca creates a bill in your AP system under the matched vendor, for the invoice's exact total, with its invoice number, currency and period. Then:

• The invoice's Status changes from Issued to Pushed to AP.
• The AP push column shows the result of the latest push: pushed once your AP system confirms the bill. A dash (—) means the invoice hasn't been pushed.
• The supplier sees the invoice as In customer AP in their supplier portal.
• VendOrca keeps a record of every push, including who made it and when.

Each invoice becomes one bill. Selecting Push to AP again on an invoice that's already Pushed to AP doesn't create a second bill.

If a push doesn't go through#

The AP push column shows failed with a short reason in brackets, and the invoice stays Issued. To resolve it:

1. Read the reason. A common one is a supplier that isn't matched to a vendor in your AP system yet, for example a supplier you added after setup. A Program Admin can ask VendOrca (info@vendorca.com) to add the match.
2. If your AP system didn't clearly confirm the bill, VendOrca shows the push as failed so that someone checks. Look for the bill in your AP system before you push again.
3. Select Push to AP again. Each attempt is kept, so the history shows the earlier result and the new one.

How pushing fits with the tie-out and CSV export#

Pushing sends the same invoices, for the same totals, that the ERP tie-out panel checks, so a balanced tie-out means what reaches your AP system matches approved work to the cent. CSV export stays available for standard invoices, so you can always download a file. Use one route per invoice, either Push to AP or a CSV file, so each invoice is entered in your AP system once.

Export CSV for AP#

A CSV file is a spreadsheet file that any AP or accounting system can import. Export is always available, for any system, alongside Push to AP.

• One invoice: select Export CSV in the Actions column. It shows on invoices of type Invoice.
• A whole period: select Export period CSV in the ERP tie-out panel to get every invoice in the tie-out period as one file.

The file's totals match the tie-out when Balanced reads Yes — penny-exact. For the file layout and how to load it, see Invoice CSV export.

Common questions#

What goes into an invoice?#

Approved timesheets whose whole period falls inside the invoice period, plus their expenses. Each timesheet is priced with the program rules that applied when it was started.

Why does Balanced say Undetermined?#

Some approved work can't be priced yet, so VendOrca can't yet prove a match either way. Once that work can be priced, the panel updates. See Timesheets that can't be priced.

Next steps#

• Invoice CSV export
• Connect VendOrca to your other systems
• Supplier portal
• Report on invoiced totals