A vendor balance looks wrong

A vendor's balance should always equal the sum of all unpaid bills and outstanding payments you have made to them. If the displayed balance looks wrong, use these steps to identify and fix the problem.

Symptom

The vendor balance shown in Usystems does not match what you expect. For example:

• The balance shows you owe money when all bills are marked paid.
• The balance is higher or lower than it should be.
• The balance was correct yesterday but changed without explanation.
• Your vendor statement does not match the balance in Usystems.

Likely causes (ordered by probability)

1. A bill was deleted or its status changed. When a bill is cancelled or reversed, its amount is removed from the balance. Check the vendor's bill list to confirm all bills are still there and have the status you expect.

2. A payment was not assigned to this vendor. If someone recorded a payment but selected the wrong vendor or left the vendor blank, this vendor's balance will not decrease. Check the Payments list to see if there are any unallocated payments or payments assigned to the wrong vendor.

3. A payment was reversed or deleted. If a payment to the vendor was marked as cancelled, the vendor's balance will go back to what it was before that payment was recorded.

4. Exchange rate changes affected the balance. If the vendor has bills or payments in a currency other than your default, changes in exchange rates can make the balance appear different. Balances are always shown in the currency of the vendor's country, not your home currency.

5. A bill was partially paid but the payment was not assigned. If you paid part of a bill but did not assign the payment to it, Usystems shows the full original bill amount as due. The payment sits as a credit on the vendor's balance instead.

6. A data entry error or duplicate. Rarely, a bill or payment may be recorded twice, or an amount may be entered incorrectly.

Fix for each cause

Bill status issue:

1. Go to Contacts → Vendors Open in Usystems

2. Click the vendor's name to open their profile.

3. Scroll to the Bills section and check that all bills are present and have the correct status (Unpaid, Partially Paid, or Paid).

4. If a bill is missing, use the Date filter to search for bills from that period. If you find it, check whether it was cancelled or if there was an error.

5. If a bill status is wrong, open it and check its payment history or contact your administrator.

Unallocated or misdirected payment:

1. Go to Payments → Pay Vendors Open in Usystems

2. Check for any payments marked as Unallocated (showing no vendor or bill). These decrease the company's cash but do not reduce any vendor balance.

3. If you see an unallocated payment that belongs to this vendor, open it and click Edit. Change the vendor and/or assign it to the correct bills.

4. Check the payments list for any marked with the wrong vendor name. If found, edit them to correct the vendor.

5. After you fix the payment vendor or bills, save it. The balance will update immediately.

Reversed or deleted payment:

1. Go to Payments → Pay Vendors Open in Usystems

2. Filter by the vendor's name and look for any payments marked Cancelled or Reversed.

3. If you see one that should not have been reversed, click it and check the history or remarks. If it was cancelled in error, ask your administrator to restore it or create a new payment with the same amount.

Currency or exchange rate issue:

1. Go to Contacts → Vendors Open in Usystems

2. Open the vendor's profile and look for the Country or Currency field. Confirm it matches the currency used on their bills.

3. If the balance is denominated in a currency other than your home currency, check the current exchange rate. The balance shown in Usystems is always accurate; the difference you see may be from the exchange rate on the date the payment was recorded.

4. If the vendor's country is wrong, edit it. The balance will recalculate.

Partial payment not assigned:

1. Go to Contacts → Vendors and open the vendor's profile.

2. In the Bills section, look for any bills marked Partially Paid. Open one.

3. Check the Payments section within the bill to see which payments have been assigned. If a payment you made is not listed, the payment is unallocated.

4. Go to Payments → Pay Vendors and find the unallocated payment. Edit it to assign it to the correct bill.

5. After saving, the bill status will update and the vendor balance will decrease.

Duplicate or incorrect entry:

1. Go to Contacts → Vendors and open the vendor.

2. Check the Bills and Payments sections for any exact duplicates (same date, same amount, same description).

3. If you find a duplicate bill, ask your administrator to delete it.

4. If you find a duplicate payment, edit it to change the amount to zero or delete it.

5. Go to the Transactions report to see the general ledger impact and confirm the correction.

When to contact support

Contact your administrator or support if:

• The balance is still wrong after checking all bills and payments.
• You see conflicting data (a bill shows as paid but the balance is still due).
• A deleted bill cannot be recovered.
• You need a balance audit going back several months.
• Your vendor statement shows a different amount than Usystems, and the discrepancy is large.

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