Link Existing Bill Item To Purchase Order

Thanks! This was exactly what I needed. It ended up duplicating the line that was already in there but I deleted the incorrect one and all was well. 

Hi BobMc98. Thanks for the reply. I'm glad to hear it helped. Let me know if you need anything else. Have a great weekend. 

I found this solution when searching for the same problem.  When following those steps, I get an error that the "transaction is not in balance".

What would cause this and how do I correct it?

ETA: What I'm trying to do is enter bills for items on a PO that are paid for when they are ordered.  Then I can pay the bill so the account balance is correct.  Then receive the items when they arrive...

I couldn't really tell why the transaction isn't in balance without seeing the transaction, but I would venture a guess that, when connecting the PO, it duplicated some lines as mine did. Check all your transaction detail for any dupes.

Bob Mc.

I hear ya, I've already deleted the payment and the bill and re-did the bill applying to the PO.  When doing it this way, I feel I'm asking QB to do something it wasn't designed for.  To me, it seems like a basic and desirable feature to be able to pay for an order and then receive the items later.  I have net30 accounts, but at times I order from new vendors or off of eBay or Amazon and pay with a credit/debit card.  I'd like to be able to create bills and pay them to keep the account up to date, and then receive the items later....

  I may set up a company file just to play with and see if this is "just how it works" of if it's a fluke that it gave me this error, this time.

What are the ramifications if you don't link purchase orders to the bills. (1) Our business does not really rely on QBO for inventory ie., matching PO's to bills. (2) I was getting an error when I originally tried to "create that link", create a bill from the PO, so I never did that. I assumed that there would be no major ramification for COGS, since that happens on the sales side. I figured to take the time here, to check on this assumption.

Hi,@Paras1.

Thank you for reaching out to us and for allowing us to assist you with your concern about purchase order.

 A purchase order will remain open when it isn't linked to a bill. Let me show you how to close or change its status:

1. Go to the Inventory menu.
2. Then select Purchase Order Management Worksheet.
3. Select the PO Progress tab.
4. Select the purchase order you want to update.

You can also maximize the first answer in this article: Purchase order and bill. From there, you'll be able to link a purchase order to a bill.

Please let me know if I can be of any additional assistance. Stay safe and have a wonderful day!

I have recently experienced a very similar situation after recently upgrading to QB Enterprise M&W 21.0.  We had a PO that was created while using version 20.  The item was received prior to upgrading to version 21.  Now, I received the bill for the product (after the upgrade) and when I go to record the bill, only the Item Receipt shows up in the list to select from.  If I create the bill from the item receipt, it does not link the PO to the bill, leaving the line item showing as unbilled.  The Item Receipt is linked to the PO and the bill is linked to the Item Receipt, but the bill is not linked to the PO.

I rebuilt the company file and then tried deleting the bill and item receipt and re-created both with the same results. Not sure where to turn next.  Tech Support was unable to figure out the issue either.  Any suggestions?

Hello there, JES88.

Currently, we have an ongoing investigation about receiving the item receipt for the already paid bills for these items, and the item receipt remains in the open transactions. Rest assured that our system engineers are investigating this issue to identify what's causing this behavior. Still, I recommend contacting our support team to add your company details to one of the affected users. 

You'll be notified about the status of the investigation. This is the ID number of the investigation INV-51527.

1. Go to this link: What can we help you with?
2. Choose your QuickBooks Product.
3. Select your QuickBooks edition.
4. Click Continue.

To learn more about the workflow of the Account Payable, you can check this article: Accounts Payable workflows.

Please let us know if you have any questions related to QuickBooks. Take care always.

What is a bill was entered and paid? I entered a bill and did not connect it to a PO. The accountant at my company has since paid this bill. Can I still attach this PO? 

Hi Jessica2300!

Thanks for joining us here. Let me how to attach a PO to a paid bill.

Let's find and open the bill first. Then, click the Select PO icon or the Select Related Transaction button. There'll be a pop-up where you can select an existing PO. Find the PO and tap OK to link it.

If it adds new line items instead of replacing the old ones, you can simply remove the old line items. Make sure that the total is still the same amount and has a Paid status. Then, tap Save & Close.

You'll want to check this link: Accounts Payable workflows in QuickBooks Desktop. This will show you how to track the money you owe your vendors.

Do you need vendor-related reports? Here's an article for you: Customize vendor reports.

Keep on posting here if you have other concerns. Take care!

Where can I find the PO icon? Please see attached screenshot.

Thank you!

Hello there, king-demeterandc!

You can locate the Select PO icon on the Bill page. Let me guide you with these steps:

1. From the Vendors menu, select Vendor Center.
2. Select the customer's name.
3. On the Transactions tab, select the bill.
4. Click the Select PO icon.
5. Continue with the on-screen instructions.

Also, feel free to pin these articles as your guide in viewing vendor reports and tracking money you owe:

•  Accounts Payable workflows in QuickBooks Desktop
•  Customize vendor reports

There you have it. Fill me in if ever there's anything that I can help with. Keep safe!