AP & AR
Three-way match
For UAE companies with a purchase order process, we check the purchase order, delivery note and supplier invoice against each other before a bill is approved, catching a price or quantity error inside Xero, QuickBooks Online or Zoho Books before payment goes out.
Aged receivables
Illustrative client · August 2026
AED
| Customer | Current | 1-30 | 61+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customer A | 18,400 | - | - | - |
| Customer B | 9,250 | 4,100 | - | - |
| Customer C | - | 6,780 | 2,200 | - |
| Customer D | 12,600 | - | - | - |
| Customer E | - | - | - | 1,450 |
| Total | 40,250 | 10,880 | 2,200 | 1,450 |
Illustrative. An example of the document, not a client's figures.
The check that happens before money moves, not after
The purchase order, the delivery note and the supplier's invoice get compared side by side before a bill is cleared for payment. A quantity that does not match what was actually delivered, or a price that has crept up from what was agreed, gets caught here rather than surfacing three months later in a margin review nobody can trace back to its source.
Where it earns its keep
A trading company moving stock through a JAFZA or DMCC-linked supply chain, or a holding structure buying across several operating entities, sees more value from this than a pure services business with no physical goods changing hands, simply because more steps exist for something to go wrong between an order, a shipment and an invoice.
Bills without a matching order do not sail through
A bill with no purchase order behind it gets held for your review rather than approved on the strength of trust alone, and a running exceptions list makes a recurring pattern with one particular supplier easy to spot rather than easy to miss.
Starting without a formal process already in place
A purchase order system helps but is not a prerequisite. Where none exists yet, a simple order-and-delivery-confirmation workflow gets set up inside whatever accounting software, Xero, QuickBooks Online or Zoho Books, the business already runs, sized to the actual number of suppliers and orders each month rather than built for a volume that does not exist yet.
Services without a delivery note
Where there is no physical delivery to check against, such as a professional services bill, the match runs against the purchase order and your own sign-off instead, keeping the same control without forcing a goods-based process onto work that never involved goods.
Questions
Frequently asked questions: Three-way match
Do we need a formal purchase order system already running?
It helps, but is not required to start. We can help set up a simple purchase order and delivery-confirmation process if you do not have one yet.
What variance counts as worth flagging?
We agree a threshold with you at onboarding, such as any price or quantity difference over a set amount or percentage, so small rounding differences do not trigger unnecessary reviews.
What happens when a bill fails the three-way match?
The bill is held rather than approved for payment, and the discrepancy is flagged to whoever owns supplier relationships on your side. Nothing is paid until the mismatch is resolved or you explicitly approve the exception.
Does this work for services as well as physical goods?
A three-way match fits physical goods most naturally. For services without a delivery note, we typically match the bill to the purchase order and your sign-off instead.
Do we need formal purchase orders already in place for this to work?
It helps, but is not required to start. We can help set up a simple purchase order process if you do not have one yet.
What counts as a variance worth flagging?
We agree a threshold with you during onboarding, such as any price or quantity difference over a set amount or percentage, so small rounding differences do not trigger unnecessary reviews.
How is three-way match priced?
Pricing for three-way match depends on your transaction volume, the software you use, and how much cleanup is needed before ongoing work starts. Current ranges are published on the pricing page, and your exact fee is confirmed in writing before anything begins.
What software works with three-way match?
Three-way match runs inside QuickBooks Online or Xero, whichever you already use. If you are not yet set up in either, we can configure a file in your name so you keep ownership of it once the engagement is under way.
Next step
Talk to the team that would run your books
A short call covers your setup, your software and what a first month would look like. You get a written scope and price after it.