What is a non-PO invoice?
By Tim White · Glossary · Last updated
A non-PO invoice is a supplier bill with no purchase order behind it, so there's nothing pre-approved to match it against. Utilities, subscriptions, professional services and small one-off purchases usually arrive this way. Without a PO, the approval step has to confirm the spend was expected.
Why non-PO invoices carry more risk
A PO invoice can be matched against an order someone already approved. A non-PO invoice has no such anchor. Nobody agreed to a price or quantity in advance, so an inflated or fake bill has one less check to get past. Phantom invoices tend to aim at exactly this gap.
Handling them well
Send each one to the budget owner who can confirm it was expected. Compare recurring bills with last month's: a utility bill that doubled deserves a question. Check for duplicates, since there's no PO number to catch a second copy.
Many businesses set a threshold, such as 2,500 dollars, above which a PO is required. Below it, a non-PO invoice with an approval is fine. InvoiceJet flags exact duplicates whether or not there's a PO, and email approvals record who signed off.
Common questions
Should we require purchase orders for everything?
Rarely worth it for a small business. A threshold keeps routine spend moving while larger commitments get a PO.
Sources
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