Duplicate supplier invoices: how they happen and how to catch them
Paying the same invoice twice is one of the easiest mistakes in accounts payable, and one of the most avoidable. Suppliers resend invoices for innocent reasons: a reminder, a statement run, a copy to a different inbox. Each copy looks like a new bill.
In short
- Suppliers resend invoices for innocent reasons: a reminder, a statement run, a copy to another inbox. Each copy looks like a new bill.
- Before paying, look for the same supplier and invoice number, even written slightly differently, then the same total on a nearby date.
- Paid one twice? Ask the supplier for a credit note or a refund, with both payments' dates and amounts.
How duplicates arrive
The same PDF sent to the site manager and the office. A reminder with the original attached. A copy sent again after an address change. An invoice re-issued by the supplier's system with a fresh date. Most are honest; all of them cost money if paid twice.
What to compare
Before paying, look for any earlier invoice from the same supplier with the same invoice number, even if it's written slightly differently (INV-1042 and 1042). Then look for the same total on a nearby date. A match on either is worth a closer look before the payment run.
If you've already paid it
Ask the supplier for a credit note or a refund, with both payments' dates and amounts. Keep the correspondence with the invoice records.(ATO: Overview of record-keeping rules for business)
How CostCode catches them
CostCode holds an invoice that is the same file as one it has already seen, or that carries the same supplier and invoice number, so it is in front of a person before the payment run. Other near matches are kept for a person to look at rather than raised with the supplier, because an honest re-issue shouldn't read as an accusation.
Questions
Why do suppliers send the same invoice twice?
Usually for innocent reasons: reminders, statements with copies attached, or the same invoice sent to more than one inbox.
What's the quickest duplicate check?
The same supplier and invoice number in what you've already paid, allowing for small differences in how the number is written.
What if we've already paid a duplicate?
Ask the supplier for a credit note or refund, with the dates and amounts of both payments, and keep the correspondence with your records.