DUKAANMATIC BUSINESS GUIDES
How to reconcile supplier bills, payments and returns
Your supplier says ₹18,000 is outstanding. Your ledger says ₹15,500. Paying the larger amount may create an overpayment; paying the smaller amount without checking may leave a real bill unsettled. Reconciliation is the short investigation that explains the difference before money changes hands.
Agree the period and opening balance
Ask for a statement covering a clear start and end date. Compare the opening balance first. If both sides disagree before the current month begins, matching only this month’s invoices cannot solve the problem. Keep the disputed opening amount visible and trace it back to earlier bills, payments or credits. Use the supplier’s account identity and GST details where applicable to avoid mixing similarly named businesses.
Match bills by reference, not just amount
Check the supplier invoice number, invoice date, amount and your purchase document reference. Two bills can have the same total. One bill can also appear twice if a paper copy and an emailed copy were both entered. Mark matched documents and list missing ones separately. If goods arrived in more than one delivery, confirm how the supplier billed them before assuming a delivery slip is another invoice.
Allocate partial payments carefully
Imagine an opening payable of ₹10,000 and a new bill for ₹12,000. You pay ₹8,000 and receive an agreed return credit of ₹1,500. The expected closing payable is ₹12,500. If the supplier statement shows ₹14,000, the missing credit is a likely explanation. Confirm the credit document before treating it as accepted. A requested return is not necessarily a credit the supplier has agreed to issue.
Separate bank timing from a missing payment
For every unmatched payment, keep the transfer date, bank reference and amount. A transfer made late in the day may reach the supplier’s records later. Also check whether one transfer covered several bills or whether an advance was left unallocated. Do not enter the same payment twice simply because the supplier has not yet matched it. Share the reference and ask for confirmation against the correct account.
Close with a short difference list
Use DukaanMatic purchase and supplier ledger records to assemble the comparison. Finish with three lists: matched entries, items you need to correct, and items waiting for the supplier. Give each open item a reference and a next action. Keep the statement and reconciliation together. This makes the next payment decision easier and gives an accountant a clear trail instead of a collection of messages, screenshots and unexplained balances.