AP & AR
Three-way match
For US businesses, Finbryn checks the purchase order, receiving record and vendor invoice against each other before a bill is approved for payment, catching price and quantity errors, then routes matched bills into your normal Bill.com or Melio approval flow.
Aged receivables
Illustrative client · August 2026
USD
| 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.
What a three-way match actually checks
A vendor invoice on its own only tells you what the vendor says you owe. Comparing it against the purchase order, what you agreed to buy, and the receiving record, what actually arrived, is what catches an overbilled quantity, a price that crept up from the quoted rate, or an invoice for goods that never showed up.
Where this matters most
Businesses with any inventory, equipment purchasing or subcontractor work tend to see the most value here, because the dollar amounts per transaction are larger and the room for a billing error is wider. A construction company checking a subcontractor invoice against a signed work order is running the same logic as a retailer checking a supplier invoice against a receiving report.
What happens when something does not match
A variance over the threshold we agree with you during onboarding, whether in price or quantity, holds the bill out of the normal approval queue and goes on a short exceptions list instead. You decide whether to approve the difference, go back to the vendor, or reject the bill outright.
Setting this up without slowing down payables
Three-way match adds a check, not a delay, when the purchase order and receiving data already exist in your system. For businesses without a formal purchase order process yet, we can help set up a lightweight version rather than forcing a full procurement system on a small team.
Feeding into bill pay
Once a bill clears the match, or you have approved a flagged variance, it moves straight into bill pay for scheduling and payment, so the control does not add a separate manual handoff.
Questions
Frequently asked questions: Three-way match
Do we need a formal procurement system for three-way match to work?
No. A simple purchase order log and a record of what was received are enough to start. A full procurement system helps at higher volume but is not required.
What counts as a variance worth stopping a payment for?
We set a threshold with you, such as a dollar amount or percentage difference, so ordinary rounding does not trigger a review while a real overbilling does.
Is this only useful for inventory-based businesses?
No. Service businesses using subcontractors or purchasing equipment against a quoted price see the same benefit whenever a vendor invoice can be checked against what was actually agreed and delivered.
What does three-way match actually include, month to month?
Three-way match covers purchase order, receiving record and vendor invoice compared line by line, along with quantity and price variances flagged before a bill is approved. The work runs inside QuickBooks Online, Xero, NetSuite or Bill.com, the file stays under your own subscription, and a senior principal reviews the output before it reaches you each period.
What access do you need to start three-way match?
View or edit access to QuickBooks Online, Xero, NetSuite or Bill.com is enough to begin; nothing about your existing subscription or login changes on our side. Any additional access needed for a specific deliverable, such as a bank portal or receipt inbox, is agreed with you first, and the scope is set out in your engagement letter.
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.