Invoice Rejected? Find the Error and Resubmit with Evidence

Ask what "rejected" actually means

A portal may reject an unreadable attachment, an invoice that exceeds the purchase order or work the customer disputes. Those problems need different people and different evidence.

Ask accounts payable for the rejection code or exact wording, the affected line or field, and the document it was checked against. Save the email or portal message, including its date and submission reference. "Invoice incorrect" isn't detailed enough to act on.

The WA Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage lists specific rejection causes in its supplier guidance, including an invalid purchase order, a duplicate invoice number and naming an employee instead of the buying entity. Those are concrete examples from one buyer, not proof that every customer's system follows the same rules. Read its rejection reasons.

Match four pieces of evidence

Put the invoice beside the accepted quote or agreement, purchase order and delivery or completion record. Check:

1. Customer: does the buying entity match, or have you billed a site name or employee?
2. Order: is the reference correct, open and intended for this job? Does it cover the amount and period billed?
3. Line items: do quantity, description and price match what was actually supplied and agreed?
4. Evidence: has the customer received the delivery docket, approved timesheet or acceptance record it requested?

ASBFEO recommends comparing an invoice with the purchase order and delivery receipt and clarifying any uncertainty. Its efficient invoicing guide is a useful starting check. For the document's GST fields, refer separately to tax invoice requirements.

Fix the source of the mismatch

Suppose a fictional maintenance supplier invoices $2,400. The order covers ten units at $200 each: $2,000. Two extra units account for the remaining $400, and the supplier has the customer's written approval for them. All amounts use the same total-payable basis.

The invoice may be accurate while the order needs updating. Ask the buyer to confirm the variation and correct its purchase order. Cutting the invoice to $2,000 merely to get it through would leave the extra work unexplained. If the extra units were never approved, the owner needs to resolve that question with the customer; the bookkeeper shouldn't manufacture approval.

If the invoice itself is wrong, use your accounting system's appropriate correction process. Ask your registered BAS agent or accountant which document is needed where the amount, GST or reported transaction changes. This guide's correction log records the decision; it doesn't decide the tax treatment.

Assumptions: Fictional customer records and references. Customer-specific processes are examples, not universal requirements.

Invoice and rejection	Evidence and correction owner	Resubmission record	Payment-date confirmation
3107: PO covers $2,000; invoice $2,400	Owner obtains approved $400 variation; buyer updates PO	9 Sep: same invoice reference with amended PO; portal receipt R-91	10 Sep: accounts payable confirms expected payment 21 Sep; agreed due date retained
3108: buyer shown as site manager	Accounts administrator checks accepted order; requests correct customer document	10 Sep: corrected document linked to original; receipt R-94	Awaiting response; owner to query on 14 Sep
3109: delivery attachment absent	Job supervisor supplies signed docket D-44	10 Sep: docket attached to existing submission; receipt R-95	11 Sep: expected payment 24 Sep confirmed; record agreed due date separately
3110: duplicate warning	Bookkeeper checks earlier portal receipt and customer ledger	No second invoice created; asks buyer which copy is active	Awaiting confirmation of active copy and payment date

Original ASBG fictional example. Use the assumptions above when replacing these figures with your own.

Preserve the original reference and submission history

Keep the original issued document, original due date, rejection message, correction reason and authorised response. Link a replacement or adjustment document to the original if your correction process creates one. Record which copy the customer should process.

Resending a PDF isn't another sale. Don't create a second sales invoice just because the first upload failed. A duplicate warning calls for checking the customer's earlier receipt before uploading anything else.

Use a log entry such as "9 September: PO amended by customer; invoice value unchanged; existing invoice resubmitted; receipt R-91". The next person can then see what happened before opening the supporting attachments. Add the staff member responsible and the next follow-up date while the issue is unresolved.

Ask about the due date explicitly

Keep three dates visible: the agreed due date, the correction submission date and the customer's expected payment date. A new upload date doesn't, by itself, settle what the agreement says about payment.

Some agreements tie payment timing to a correctly rendered invoice or another condition. Read the actual terms before accepting a restarted clock or insisting nothing can change. business.gov.au's payment-detail guidance explains why payment timing and invoicing requirements belong in the agreement. If the parties disagree about the effect of a correction, obtain contract advice rather than making an assumption in your ledger.

Here is a practical accounts-payable message:

Invoice [reference] was rejected on [date] because [specific reason]. We have [correction/action], supported by [document reference]. The resubmission receipt is [reference]. Please confirm this is the active copy for processing, whether anything remains outstanding, and the expected payment date. Our records show an agreed due date of [date]; please identify any term you believe changes that position.

Close the issue after acceptance, then watch for payment

Save the acceptance reply and update your cash forecast if the realistic receipt date has moved. Acceptance into a payment system isn't money in the bank. Check the receipt when it arrives using your normal bookkeeping routine.

Once the processing problem is resolved, any overdue balance can move to the appropriate unpaid invoice follow-up. Keep genuine disputes visible rather than recycling the same rejection fix. Our cash flow and getting paid hub brings those tasks together.

Next, find the approval hold and save proof of each submission.

Key takeaways

• Get a specific invoice rejection reason and preserve the original message.
• Check whether the invoice, purchase order or supporting evidence actually needs correction.
• Track resubmissions without recording the same sale twice.
• Record the agreed due date and expected payment date separately until any difference is resolved.

Where to get help

• ASBFEO: efficient invoicing for evidence checks.
• business.gov.au: prepare a contract for payment-term questions to resolve in the agreement.
• The customer's accounts-payable team for the rejection; your registered BAS agent for a GST correction; a lawyer for disputed payment rights.