Manage vendor bills

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Managing vendor bills keeps track of what a business owes its suppliers and when payments are due. In Odoo, a vendor bill can be created at different points in the purchasing process depending on the bill control policy chosen in the Purchase app.

Set the bill control policy

Go to Purchase > Configuration > Settings and scroll to the Invoicing section.
Under Bill Control, choose Ordered quantities (a bill is created as soon as the purchase order is confirmed) or Received quantities (a bill can only be created once some or all of the order has been received). This is the default for new products, but it can be overridden on an individual product’s Purchase tab.

Optional: enable 3-way matching

In the same Invoicing section, tick 3-way matching to ensure bills are only paid once the purchase order, the bill and the receipt agree. This only works with the Received quantities policy.

Create a vendor bill from a purchase order

Ordered quantities

In the Purchase app, click New, add a Vendor, then Add a line to select products and quantities.
Click Confirm Order to turn the RFQ into a purchase order.
Click Create Bill, add a Bill Date, and click Confirm.
Once paid, click Register Payment, fill in the details, and click Create Payment.

Received quantities

Create and confirm a purchase order as above.
Click the Receipt smart button, then Validate to confirm the received products.
Return to the purchase order and click Create Bill, then confirm and register payment as above.

Attempting to create a bill before anything has been received under this policy shows an error message.

Create a vendor bill directly in Accounting

Go to Accounting > Vendors > Bills and click New.
Add a Vendor, a Bill Date, and products under Invoice Lines, then click Confirm.
Check Journal Items, and add a Bill Reference or Credit Note if needed.
Click Register Payment, then Create Payment.

Use the Auto-Complete dropdown before confirming to pull details from a related purchase order into the bill.

Process bills in batches

In Accounting > Vendors > Bills, select several bills using the checkboxes, then click Register Payment. Choose a Journal, Payment Date and Payment Method, and tick Group Payments to combine them into a single payment if batch payments are enabled. Click Create Payment to finish.

Tips

With 3-way matching enabled, always check the bill against the purchase order and receipt before confirming payment.
Draft bills can still be edited before they are confirmed.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between the two bill control policies?

Ordered quantities creates a vendor bill as soon as a purchase order is confirmed, while Received quantities waits until products have actually arrived.

Can I set a different policy for one product?

Yes, override the default on the product’s Purchase tab in the Control Policy field.

Can vendor bills be created without a purchase order?

Yes, go to Accounting > Vendors > Bills and click New to create one directly, or use Auto-Complete to link it to an existing purchase order.

Need help?

Need help setting up vendor bill workflows in Odoo? Contact support@thoughtlogik.com or see our Odoo implementation services.

Manage vendor bills