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3-Way Match Checker

Drop in the purchase order, goods receipt and invoice as PDF, Excel or EDI. See every quantity, price and freight mismatch, and what to do about it, before you pay.

PDFs, photos and pasted emails are sent to OrderSync and read by an AI model. Spreadsheets and EDI files are read in your browser and never leave it.

Try a sample:

Purchase order

The order you sent the supplier.

Drop a PDF, photo, Excel, CSV or EDI file

Goods receiptoptional

Goods received note, delivery note, packing slip or ASN. More than one delivery? Add every delivery's lines; repeats of an item are added together.

Drop a PDF, photo, Excel, CSV or EDI file

Invoice

The supplier's invoice for this order.

Drop a PDF, photo, Excel, CSV or EDI file

Tolerancesnone: every difference is flagged

A difference inside the tolerance is noted, not flagged. Many AP teams allow 2 to 5% on quantity and 1 to 2% on price; the larger of the price percent and the per-unit amount applies.

3 of 3 free AI reads left today. Each PDF, photo or email uses one, so 3 covers a full match of three PDFs. Spreadsheets, EDI files and typed lines are read in your browser and do not count.

What a 3-Way Match Checks

A 3-way match compares three documents before an invoice is paid: the purchase order (what you agreed to buy, at what price), the goods receipt (what actually arrived) and the supplier's invoice (what you are asked to pay). An invoice passes when every line agrees on the item, the quantity billed is no more than was received, and the price is the price on the PO. For the background, see our guide to how three-way matching works.

2-way, 3-way and 4-way matching

MatchDocumentsCatches
2-wayPO and invoiceWrong prices, items nobody ordered, billing more than ordered. Used for services and low-value orders.
3-wayPO, goods receipt and invoiceEverything a 2-way match does, plus billing for goods that never arrived or arrived short. Common for stock and inventory purchases.
4-wayPO, receipt, inspection report and invoiceAlso stops payment for goods that arrived but failed quality inspection. Common in food, pharma and manufacturing.

Common exceptions and what to do

  • Short shipment billed in full. Pay for what arrived and ask for a credit note for the rest.
  • Price above the PO. Pay at the PO price unless the buyer approved the increase in writing.
  • Freight not on the PO. Check your terms. On delivered pricing the supplier pays freight.
  • Unit of measure changed. 10 cases on the PO billed as 120 each can hide a price change; convert before you compare.
  • Item not on the PO. Do not pay it until the buyer adds it to the order.

If you trade by EDI, the EDI 3-way match compares 850, 856 and 810 files directly, including carton-level ship notices. To pull the data out of a single document, use the invoice scanner or the PO extractor. Need a receiving document to match against? The packing slip and delivery note generator makes one. For how ERPs set matching up, see NetSuite's overview of three-way matching.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I do a 3-way match?

Put the purchase order, the goods receipt (or delivery note) and the supplier's invoice side by side. For each line, check the item is the same, the quantity billed is no more than the quantity received, the quantity received is no more than ordered, and the invoice price equals the PO price. Then check the invoice adds up and any freight was agreed. This tool does those checks for you and lists each difference with what to do about it.

What documents do I need for a 3-way match?

The purchase order, a record of what arrived (a goods received note, delivery note, packing slip or advance ship notice), and the invoice. With only the PO and the invoice you get a 2-way match, which checks prices and quantities against the order but cannot tell you whether the goods arrived.

What file types can I use?

PDFs and photos of documents, Excel (.xlsx) and CSV exports, cells copied from a spreadsheet, invoice or order emails pasted as text, and EDI files (X12 850, 856 and 810, EDIFACT ORDERS, DESADV and INVOIC, TRADACOMS). Spreadsheets and EDI are read in your browser. PDFs, photos and emails are read by an AI model, three a day for free.

What is a normal tolerance for a 3-way match?

There is no standard. Many AP teams allow 2 to 5 percent on quantity for goods sold by weight or with rounding, and 1 to 2 percent or a few cents a unit on price. Start at zero to see every difference, then set the tolerance your finance policy allows. Differences inside it are noted, not flagged.

How are lines matched when item numbers differ?

First on the item number, ignoring case, spaces and dashes. When the invoice uses the supplier's own item numbers or a delivery note has none, lines are matched on the description instead, and the result says so, so you can check each pairing. You can correct any line under Check and edit and the match updates as you type.

Can I match one invoice against several deliveries?

Yes. Add the lines of every delivery note to the goods receipt, by file or under Check and edit. Lines for the same item at the same unit and price are added together and matched as one, and the result says it did so. An invoice that bills only part of what arrived is fine to pay; the rest shows as a note so you can watch for the next invoice.

What about credit lines and units of measure?

A negative line on the invoice is treated as a credit: it is listed for you to check and it reduces what you pay, rather than being flagged as an item not on the PO. Spellings of the same unit (EA, each, pcs) count as one unit. A real change of unit, such as cases on the PO and eaches on the invoice, holds the line, because quantities and prices in different units cannot be compared until you convert them.

Is this 3-way match tool free?

Yes, with no signup. Spreadsheets, EDI files and the samples are unlimited and never leave your browser. Reading a PDF, photo or email uses one of three free AI reads a day.