Why Does My Purchase Order Appear as Open?

Question: Why do I have supplier purchase orders that show as open in QuickBooks Premier even though I know I have paid them?

Answer: There could be two explanations.

First, there are times that your supplier purchase order does not mark all items as closed even though they are paid. To check this, open the purchase order. In the right-hand column, make sure every “closed box” contains a check. Then refresh the report. The PO should now be correct.

The second possibility is that you may have missed a QuickBooks prompt. When you create a bill or select a supplier to pay with a check or credit card, QuickBooks prompts you with “open purchase orders exist for this vendor” and “Do you want to receive against one or more of these orders?”

Yes, “receive against one or more of these orders”, which is the step you may have missed. After “Yes,” select the correct purchase order and record the bill or payment. Only then will the supplier purchase order be closed.

This prompt prevents your overpaying a supplier and keeps your supplier purchase orders current and correct. (It also auto-populates the next step in the process.)

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