Vendor Transaction #
Use a Vendor Transaction when you need to post a vendor accounting entry directly to your general ledger accounts — to record an expense, an adjustment, or to process an incoming invoice. Most vendor invoices reach this form automatically through the Document Inbox, pre-filled and ready for review.
Navigate to AP → Transaction to create or open a vendor transaction.
Document Inbox and automated transactions #
When your team uploads vendor invoices through Document Management → Inbox (or forwards them to the dataset’s inbox email), Neo-Ledger reads and processes them automatically. Each document lands as a ready-to-review Vendor Transaction with the vendor, amounts, dates, and accounts already filled in. The original PDF stays attached. Review the transaction, correct anything the AI got wrong, and post — or send it to a workstation for sign-off.
Before you begin #
To create a vendor transaction you need:
- At least one vendor set up in the system (AP → Vendors)
- At least one AP record account in your chart of accounts (an account with the AP link — see Record In below)
- At least one payment account configured (an account with the AP_paid link — see Payments below)
Header section #
Vendor #
Select the vendor from the dropdown. Type to search by name or number. When a vendor is selected, their address, credit limit, and remaining credit are shown below the field.
- Click the pencil icon to edit the vendor record without leaving the transaction.
- Click the + icon to create a new vendor on the spot.
Bank Account #
Visible only when the selected vendor has at least one bank account on file. Choose which of the vendor’s bank accounts this transaction should be paid to. Neo-Ledger uses this account when the transaction is later picked up on the Payments page.
If the bank account is a Swiss QR-IBAN, a badge appears next to the IBAN. QR-IBANs require a valid structured DCN — see DCN below.
Invoice Number #
Auto-generated from the sequence configured in System → Defaults → Number Sequences. If the sequence is locked, the number is assigned automatically when you save. Click New Number to reserve the next available number early without saving.
Order Number #
An optional reference to a purchase order or internal order reference.
Invoice Date #
The date of the transaction. Defaults to today. Changing the invoice date also recalculates the due date based on the vendor’s payment terms.
Due Date #
Calculated automatically from the invoice date plus the vendor’s payment terms. Can be overridden manually.
Execution Date #
The date you want the bank to execute the payment. Used by the Payments page when scheduling the outgoing payment file. Leave blank to pay on the due date.
Currency #
Defaults to your base currency. If foreign currencies are configured (System → Currencies), you can select a different currency. The exchange rate field appears when a non-base currency is selected.
Exchange Rate #
Visible only when a foreign currency is selected. Shows the rate used to convert the amount to your base currency. You can override it manually.
If your base currency is CHF, click the arrow icon to auto-fetch the official monthly average rate from the Swiss Federal Customs Administration (BAZG).
Record In #
The AP control account this transaction is posted to. Only accounts with the AP link in the Chart of Accounts appear here. The default is taken from the vendor record, or the first available AP account if none is set on the vendor.
To add an account to this list, go to System → Chart of Accounts, open the account, and assign the AP link.
Description #
A brief description of the transaction.
DCN #
Visible only for vendor transactions. The Debtor/Creditor reference number carried by Swiss QR-bills. Neo-Ledger validates the DCN format — if the vendor bank account is a QR-IBAN, an invalid or missing DCN will block this transaction from being selected on the Payments page.
Reference Documents #
Attach supporting files (the original invoice PDF, contracts, scanned documents, etc.) by clicking Add Reference Documents. Files are stored and can be downloaded from the transaction at any time. Vendor transactions created through the Document Inbox arrive with the original document already attached here.
Department #
Visible only if departments are configured. Allocates the transaction to a specific department for reporting.
Line items #
Each line represents one accounting entry. Lines here post directly to general ledger accounts, giving you full control over which expense or asset accounts are affected.
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Description | A description of this line item. |
| Account | The expense or asset account to post this line to. Only accounts with the AP_amount link in the Chart of Accounts appear here. |
| Amount | The amount for this line. |
| Project | Visible only if projects exist for the transaction date. Assigns this line to a specific project. |
| Tax Account | Visible only if line-level tax is enabled. Select the applicable tax account. |
| Tax Amount | The tax amount for this line. Calculated automatically when a tax account is selected, but can be adjusted manually. |
Adding and removing lines #
- Click Add Line (the + icon at the top of the line items section) to add a new blank line.
- Press Enter on any field to jump to a new line automatically.
- Click the delete icon (bin) on a line to remove it.
- Lines can be reordered by dragging the handle on the left side.
Notes and totals #
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Notes | Text visible on the transaction document. |
| Internal Notes | Notes only visible to your team; not printed. |
| Tax Included | When checked, amounts are treated as tax-inclusive (tax is extracted from the totals rather than added on top). |
| Subtotal | Sum of all line amounts before tax. |
| Tax lines | One row per applicable tax rate, calculated automatically. |
| Total | Final total including tax. |
Payments section #
The payments section records money you’ve paid to the vendor against this transaction. You can record a payment at the same time as the transaction, or leave it empty and pay later through Payments.
Each payment line takes a date, source, account (from accounts with the AP_paid link), amount, exchange rate (if foreign currency), and an optional memo. The outstanding balance is shown as you go — once it hits zero, the transaction is fully paid.
Actions #
Save #
Saves the transaction and keeps it open. The PDF is generated when the transaction is saved or posted. Saving is only allowed if the transaction date is outside the closed period (System → Defaults → Settings → Closed To).
Post #
Posts the transaction to the ledger and redirects away. Use this when the transaction is final.
Post as New #
Posts the current transaction as a new one, ignoring any existing ID. Useful for duplicating an existing transaction. Use New Number first to assign a fresh number before posting.
New Number #
Fetches the next available number from the sequence without saving. Useful to reserve a number early.
Delete #
Deletes the transaction. Only available if the transaction date is outside the closed period.
Reversal #
Creates a counter-entry that mirrors the current transaction, reversing all postings. The reversal must be reviewed and posted to take effect.
Approve #
If your organisation requires sign-off before transactions are finalised, vendor transactions support an approval step. A transaction in pending status shows an Approve button. Clicking it marks the transaction as approved and posts it to the ledger. See Approvals below.
Approvals #
When workstations are configured, vendor transactions can be placed in pending status instead of being posted immediately. This gives your team a built-in review step before anything hits the ledger.
- A transaction in pending status is saved but not yet posted.
- The Approve button appears in the actions row for any pending transaction.
- Approving posts the transaction to the ledger.
- For AP, approval permissions are configured per workstation and can include a maximum transaction amount — transactions above that limit cannot be approved by that user, keeping large payouts under tighter control. Admins set this on Manage Workstations; approvers see the queue on Approvals.
Sending to a workstation #
If your team reviews transactions before they’re finalised, you can route a saved vendor transaction to a colleague’s workstation directly from the transaction — no emails or handoffs needed outside the system.
The workstation panel appears below the actions row once a transaction has been saved. To transfer:
- Select a station from the dropdown.
- Optionally add Transfer Notes to give the recipient context.
- Click Send.
The Transfer History section shows a timeline of every station the transaction has passed through, including who transferred it and when.
The workstation panel appears when at least one workstation for AP is configured in your system. See Manage Workstations for admin setup and Approvals for the receiving end.
Print view #
After saving, existing vendor transactions open in print view by default. This shows the generated PDF on the left and recent transactions on the right. Use the toolbar in the sidebar to:
- Edit — return to the edit form
- Reverse — create a reversal
- Download — download the PDF
PDF generation and templates #
The PDF is generated and stored each time the transaction is saved or posted. If you update a template after a transaction has been saved, open and re-save the transaction to regenerate its PDF with the latest template.
The vendor transaction template is ap_transaction.tex in System → Templates. This is separate from the AR transaction template — changes to one do not affect the other.
Recent transactions #
At the bottom of the edit view and in the print view sidebar, the Recent Transactions panel shows the five most recent vendor transactions. Click any entry to open it.