Why are Paid and closed Purchase Orders still show an outstanding balance?

Hey there, Confidential Agent.

We're receiving reports that other users are getting this issue as well. We would like to inform you that this has already been escalated to our Engineering Team. While they do, I would advise you to get in touch with our QuickBooks Support.

This way our engineers can add your account information to the list of affected users and attach your case to the ongoing investigation. Any progress will be communicated via email.

As a way around, you can toggle the purchase orders (PO) to modify the information. Here's how:

1. Open the same PO, then add a new Item with no amount / QTY, then click on Save.
2. From the same PO, delete the newly added line item.
3. Go to Reports menu > Purchases > select Open Purchase Orders and the closed PO should no longer show up on the report.

You can reach us out from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM on weekdays and from 6:00 AM until 3:00 PM on Saturdays. To ensure we address your concern on time, check out our support hours. Here's how to contact us:

1. Go to https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/contact.
   
2. Choose your QuickBooks Product.
3. Select your QuickBooks version.
4. Give a brief description of your issue and click Continue.
   
5. Then choose a way to connect.
   

I recommend customizing the report to get the specific details you need. You can also memorize it to save its current customization settings. It serves as your record and helps you quickly access it for future use.

Please extend your patience while we're working on the permanent fix. Don't hesitate to drop me a line if you need other help with QuickBooks. Have a good one.

Has there been any resolution to eliminate closed PO's from showing up on the open PO report?  I am currently using QB Desktop Enterprise 2021.  I am constantly getting into hot water by my boss because closed PO's are reflecting on an open PO report.

Hi there, BillieJoOwen.

Welcome back to the QuickBooks Community. This isn't the kind of reaction that I'd like you to have about closed POs that keep showing up on the open PO report. We also know how much time it can take when something isn’t working the way you need it. With this, I'll be sharing details about the status of the issue.

This matter is still tagged as ongoing and we're unable to provide an exact time frame when this will be fixed. Rest assured that our engineers are working to identify the cause of this issue to provide a solution. Please make sure to contact our QuickBooks Desktop Support Team so they can add you to our notification list. This will help our engineers determine the number of affected users. You'll also receive an update through email once this has been resolved. 

On the other hand, the information shared by my peer above is the current workaround to eliminate closed PO's from showing up on the open PO report.

Please click this article to see details on how to set up Scheduled Reports that allow you to send reports on a regular and recurring scheduled time: Set up and modify Scheduled Reports.

Don't hesitate to tag my name in the comment section below if you have other concerns or questions about PO in QBDT. I'm always ready to help. Have a nice day.

Has there been a resolution on POs showing an open balance when they have been received and paid? It is on the Vendor Information page, but not on the Open POs. I'm using QB Enterprise Manufacturing & Wholesale V22.

I appreciate you reaching out to the Community to get updates about purchase orders in QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT), @woieur.

To further check your concern and to come up with the right resolution, can you provide me with a screenshot of your vendor information and of the specific transaction you meant? Providing this information is much appreciated.

I added some links that you can check if you need help with receiving inventory.

Keep me posted to help you sort out your concerns with QuickBooks. Stay safe!

Hello:

Yes, I'm having the same problems with QB Desktop and final deliveries of Purchase Orders.

While partial deliveries occur, the Purchase Order reflects the remaining balance and this is good.  But upon that final delivery, suddenly the Purchase Order springs back to the beginning as if there were never *any* deliveries at all. 

It makes for an ambiguous and confusing vendor ledger.

In a different post, I was told first to do a "Verify Data" operation which I've now performed.  The directions said if you get a message that "QuickBooks detected no problems with your data," no further action is needed".

Well, alas, I did the Verify Data, I got this "no problem" detected pop-up, but the problem still persists.  If QB can't find the problem, it makes me wonder if it can fix a problem it doesn't even acknowledge exists? 

Has anyone had success resolving this problem?  My next step is the more serious Rebuild which I'm hesitant to do because thats above my pay grade knowledge base.  I've made a back-up copy but still it makes me feel like I'm on a high wire without a net.  Thanks

Hello, Jain.

Before we do anything big, I'd like to chime in and address the outstanding balances on your completed purchase orders. 

I checked our system and I see that we have a reported issue where users are getting balances on their closed purchase orders. At the time of this writing, our engineers are working to fix the issue as soon as possible. 

In the meantime, I do have a workaround to address the outstanding balance issue on your purchase orders. 

We can refresh the purchase order form by adding a new line item, then deleting it from the form itself. Here are the complete steps: 

1. Open the affected purchase order.
2. Add a new line item. Make sure to remove the amount and the quantity (zero for both columns). 
3. Click Save. 
4. After saving, right-click on the new line item, then select Delete Line. 
5. Hit Save again.
6. Check the open purchase order report for the balances. 

I would also recommend contacting our support, so they can add you to the list of affected users. They'll get your contact details securely through the phone or chat. This way, you'll be able to receive updates on the investigation. 

Here's how to contact them: 

1. In QuickBooks, press the F1 key.
2. On the Have a Question? window, click the Contact Us button. 
3. On the text box, type something like "closed purchase orders with outstanding balances."
4. Proceed with Continue.
5. Choose how you want to reach us (phone or chat). 

When the issue is fixed and all of your deliveries are fulfilled, do you need help closing out the current accounting period with reconciliation?

I'll add this article in case you need help with it in the near future: Reconcile an account in QuickBooks Desktop. 

We appreciate your patience as we're working to get the purchase order balances back to normal. I can still address any other concerns you might have about your vendors, sales entries, or reports. Just drop by here again or create a new thread and I'll be right there with you. 

Greetings:  Appreciate the creative work around but, alas, its still not working.

Each time I look at the Vendor's Ledger (located to the right side of the screen on the Vendor List in QB Desktop) that is where the problem is most glaring. 

When there's partial deliveries --- all is good.  For a $100K Purchase Order where maybe $25K worth of goods have been delivered, on the Vendor Ledger it will show a $75K open balance which would be true and accurate.

But once that final delivery fulfills the Purchase Order --- whammo! --- the full Purchase Order springs back to life like Frankenstein ("its alive!" LOL),  giving the impression there was never any delivery of items from that Purchase Order when it fact it was fully delivered.

I tried the work around recommendation but it did not alter the results. 

One colleague said I might have to try the 99 cent/$1.01 solution, meaning that when the PO is close to full delivery add in a penny for something that will never get delivered (because its fictitious) and then the PO will only show there's just a one cent open balance which is better (?) than showing a full $100K open balance once the PO has been fully satisfied.

Meh, not thrilled with that solution.

So that is, for me, the annoyance with this issue.  My people are more inclined to glance at the Vendor Ledger along side the Vendor List than to run a report when they need to spot check on a specific transaction from a specific Vendor.

I'm still open to any other potential solution!  Thanks and happy holidays in the meantime.  Cheers

It's been a year and a half since this thread started, has this issue been addressed? We still have this issue almost daily.

I'm running Quickbooks Accountant 2012 and this issue is present even there. The Amount and the Aging columns in the Vendor detail are still showing a balance when a PO is closed or received in full.

Since Inuit has apparently been "working on it"  for 14 years, it's a safe bet that they have no idea how to fix it.

We recognize your efforts in following through on this issue. Rest assured, this has not gone unnoticed. Let me ensure you get properly assisted.

I've checked our records and there's no reported case about this one. To better isolate the issue, we can update your QuickBooks Desktop to the latest release to ensure you'll have the best experience with the software. Refer to this article for the detailed steps: Update QuickBooks Desktop to the latest release.

Once done, run the Verify Data and Verify Rebuild tools to help identify the issues within a company file and resolve them using Rebuild Data. The steps in the article may or may not work since you're using an outdated version of QuickBooks Accountant 2012. You may want to upgrade to a newer version of QuickBooks Desktop Accountant within the program. 

If the issue persists, we can refresh the purchase order form by adding a new line item and then deleting it from the form itself. Here are the complete steps: 

1. Open the affected purchase order.
2. Add a new line item. Make sure to remove the amount and the quantity (zero for both columns).
3. Click Save.
4. After saving, right-click on the new line item, then select Delete Line.
5. Hit Save again.
6. Check the open purchase order report for the balances.

Once done, please contact our Technical Support Team. They'll access your account in a secure environment and investigate what's causing this issue.

As the purchase order is part of the Accounts Payable (A/P) workflow in QBDT, you can check out this article for more insights about this one: Accounts Payable workflows in QuickBooks Desktop.

The Community is always available if you have questions about managing your purchase orders or any Vendor reports-related concerns. You have a good one.