Invoice Matching at Home Depot
Home Depot strives to pay all invoices on time and without the manual intervention of its Accounts Payable team.
Their invoice match process is driven by the following set of criteria:
- Purchase order number (valid 8-digit PO # with 2 leading zeros or 10-digit PO number)
- Facility or Store number (valid 4-digit number)
- Payables Vendor Number (P-Vendor #)
- Dollar amount
- Invoice number (10-digit limit)
- Invoice date
- Valid shipment tracking information: SCAC carrier code, BOL number, Pro number, or Small Package Tracking number
If the information above is incorrect or missing from the supplier invoice, then the HD Accounts Payable system will not be able to automatically match and pay the invoice.
At that point, HD's Accounts Payable team will need to conduct further research. This will likely cause a delay in payment and could lead to a chargeback or require Proof of Delivery.
Invoices with Exceptions Explained
In Merchandise Payables - Self Service Portal (MPSSP), check the Paid List, Open
List, or the Invoice with Exceptions List to locate an invoice.
The Paid List will show all invoices that have been successfully paid. The Open List shows all invoices that are to be paid in the future. The Invoice with Exceptions list shows all invoices that were not able to be systematically matched or are pending match.
If an invoice cannot be found in any of these locations, and it is within terms, follow up with your EDI partner to request the status of the invoice. Invoices that receive a 997R are not accepted by Home Depot and must be corrected.
Invoices found in the Invoices with Exception List will be researched and resolved by the Home Depot's AP department prior to the invoice due date, as calculated from the actual keyrec (goods receipt) date in the HD's system.
There are four statuses found in the Exception List:
- 864
- MOT
- NMF
- POD Dispute
864
Review the Error messages (EDI 864) preventing successful transmission. Work with your EDI team to resolve the error message and resend the invoice.
Invoices will remain on this list until successfully transmitted and received by Home Depot. It is important to resolve the error via your EDI team. Until you correct the error and resend the invoice via your EDI solution, your invoice will remain unpaid.
MOT
MOT invoices have a discrepancy that requires manual resolution by the Home Depot Accounts Payable department. A supplier's invoice will remain MOT until resolved by THD's AP department.
A Chargeback Dispute package may be distributed as a result. Or, if the MOT no longer appears as an MOT, a manual POD Dispute package may be required.
NMF
NMF invoices are waiting for keyrec. If keyrec does not occur, supplier invoice will move to a POD Dispute, based on invoice date plus 5 days transit time, plus terms for the PVendor number.
POD Dispute
Once your invoice has aged past its due date without payment from Home Depot, a POD Dispute Package will be distributed.
Suppliers will need to verify or update any required information on the POD Dispute package and add attachments in order to dispute.
If an invoice cannot be found on the MPSSP Portal in any queue, then a manual POD Dispute Package can be created and submitted by the supplier.
Invoices less than $50 will not be found on the Exception list. Once an invoice for less than $50 is past due, Suppliers should submit a "Contact Us" message via Merchandise Payables.
Disputing POD Invoices
Disputing POD invoices is a fairly elaborate process. Follow the steps below to make sure you get it right.
1. Launch MP-SSP app, once in locate the "Invoices" section on the left side navigation. Then click into "Invoices with Exceptions.”
2. On the Invoice with Exceptions page, any Exception Status showing as "POD Dispute" will link you directly to create a POD Dispute Package with pre-filled information:
- Invoice #
- PO #
- Invoice Date
- Location #
- Department #
- Disputed Amount
3. Additionally, you can provide the following:
- Keyrec #
- Freight Carrier: drop down list of HD Core Carrier
- Tracking/BOL #: checkbox to add an additional Tracking/BOL# (only one additional allowed). You are provided a list of their "Core" carriers to pick from. If you did not use a core carrier you select Vendor Truck.
- Attachments: You can add as many PDFs (pdf only) as you want; user and time stamp are tracked; The file size is limited to 20MB per attachment.
- Comment
4. Await HD response. They say on their site, that response can take 10-14 days most of the time, longer for edge cases. Allegedly, all should be resolved within 18 days.
- You can view pending disputes from the Activity Center on the Home Page either under "Packages Pending my Resolution" or "Packages Pending Home Depot Resolution."
5. You either get paid back OR denied. If a dispute is denied, and you wish to re-dispute, continue on to next step. Otherwise, expect payment to show up on remit within 5-7 days.
6. Once a dispute is "Closed" and "Denied" you can request the dispute be re-opened by creating a Dialog on that package:
- Click on the "Send to Home Depot" check box if you want the message to go to The Home Depot.
- Enter the message subject line.
- Enter the message text in the blank text field below the subject line.
- Click on |send| below the text field; or click on |clear| to clear the fields.
- You can reply to the dialog message by replying to the message.
7. Suppliers should be able to create a dialog for re-disputing as many times as they want. If after continued denial, and you feel that supporting documentation proves the deduction invalid, you do have the option to use the "Contact Us" page and further escalate the issue, proving all steps taken to research.
POD Disputes Proof Documents
When doing POD Disputes, it’s helpful to think of supporting documentation in two ascending levels of preference:
1. GOOD: In official THD documentation, the following documents are required for disputing a POD Invoice:
- For Core carriers (HD's approved list), you just need the Carrier (selected from the drop-down), and then the corresponding BOL, PRO Number or tracking number.
- For carriers not listed in the drop-down box, Prepaid or Vendor Truck: a signed Proof of Delivery (POD), Bill of Lading, and/or Delivery Receipt, depending on FOB Origin or Destination terms, is required.
2. BETTER: In practice, it is better to include the following:
- For Core carriers (HD's pre-approved list), the Carrier (selected from the drop-down), and then the corresponding BOL, PRO Number, or tracking number
- BOL
- POD
- Invoice
- Packing Slip