Many suppliers send two documents for one purchase: an invoice when you’re billed, then a receipt once the payment goes through. Both show the same amount on the same date, but often with different numbers, such as an invoice number and a receipt number.
If you approved both, the same expense would be counted twice. So Billfetch checks for this before you approve.
When a document is flagged
A document is held for you to check when another document in your account:
- is from a supplier with a matching name (small differences such as “Inc.” or punctuation are ignored), and
- has the same currency, the same total and the same date.
Billfetch never throws either document away on its own, because two genuine purchases on the same day for the same amount do happen. The decision is yours.
Where you’ll see it
- On This month, the Awaiting approval tile tells you how many documents may be a second document for the same payment.
- In the task list, the document has a Check label. Flagged documents are left out of bulk approval, so you look at each one yourself.
- In Review, the card explains why it’s waiting and names the other document, for example: “Another document from this supplier has the same date and amount (Invoice-1234.pdf). It may be the invoice and receipt of one payment — approving both counts the expense twice.”
What to choose
Open the flagged document in Review and compare it with the one named in the message. You can open the other document from Records › Documents.
It’s the same purchase. Keep one document as the expense — usually the invoice, as it normally shows the VAT details. For the extra copy, select Not business. It stays in your vault but is excluded from your reports, so the expense is only counted once. It’s listed in This month as a document marked not the company’s, and you can send it back to review from there if you change your mind.
They’re two separate purchases. Check the details and select Approve as normal. Both expenses count.
Not sure? Select Skip → and come back once you’ve checked your bank statement. If there’s only one payment in the bank for that amount, it’s almost certainly one purchase.
Tip: If you approved something by mistake, select Undo straight away to send the document back for approval.
If you approved both earlier
The check applies to documents as they arrive. Billfetch doesn’t go back and change documents you approved before. If you spot an invoice and receipt that were both approved, let your accountant know so the expense isn’t counted twice in your accounts.