Deleting a purchase order and its cascading impact

Sometimes you need to delete a purchase order—if you entered it by mistake, canceled the order with a supplier, or no longer need it. However, deleting a purchase order can affect related records (receipts, bills, inventory). This guide explains when deletion is allowed and what happens downstream.

Before you start

• You have a purchase order you want to delete
• You understand the deletion permissions (your administrator may restrict deletions)
• You are aware of any related transactions (goods receipts, bills, payments) that may be affected

When can you delete a purchase order?

Allowed:

• A purchase order with no goods receipts and no bills can usually be deleted freely.
• A purchase order that is not fully received (some quantities still due) can be deleted if there are no linked bills or invoices.

Not allowed or restricted:

• A purchase order with any goods receipt usually cannot be simple-delete because it breaks the link to inventory.
• A purchase order that has been invoiced (bill created) cannot be deleted without first deleting or voiding the bill.
• A purchase order with a completed payment should not be deleted without administrator approval.

How to delete a purchase order

1. Go to Purchase Orders and find the purchase order you want to delete. Open in Usystems

2. Open the purchase order detail page.

3. Locate the Delete button or action (usually at the top of the page, sometimes in a menu).

4. Click Delete. The system will check for related records:

   • If the order is safe to delete, it will ask for confirmation.
   • If the order has receipts, bills, or payments, the system will prevent deletion or warn you of cascading effects.

5. If prompted, confirm the deletion. The purchase order is removed from the system.

What happens when you delete?

If there are no related records:

• The purchase order is simply removed; no other records are affected.

If there are goods receipts (with a warning or error):

• The system may prevent deletion, or it may reverse the receipts.
• If receipts are reversed, inventory is decreased by the quantities received.
• Any journal entries from the receipt are reversed.

If there are bills (with a warning or error):

• The system will not allow deletion unless the bill is also voided or deleted first.
• Delete or void the bill first, then try deleting the purchase order.

If there are payments:

• The system will not allow deletion without administrator approval.
• Contact your administrator to handle this safely.

Tips & common mistakes

• Do not delete a PO if a supplier has already delivered. Instead, contact the supplier and document the cancellation. Then work with your administrator on the accounting impact.
• Deleting a PO with a bill? The system usually prevents this. Delete the bill first (if possible), then the purchase order.
• Accidentally deleted? Ask your administrator to check the audit trail or restore from a backup. Deletions are hard to reverse on your own.
• Best practice: instead of deleting, cancel the order with the supplier and leave the PO in the system marked as canceled. This maintains a full audit trail.