What's a Match Exception?
When your Workday purchase order lines and corresponding supplier invoice lines do not have the same price and/or quantity or your purchase order totals and invoice totals do not have the same price and/or quantity, you get a match exception.
It's important to be proactive with match exceptions -- don't ignore the notifications you receive about one of your invoices being under match exception, because invoices under match exception can't be paid. This means the suppliers you use won't receive payment.
Fortunately, the reasons for match exceptions are usually fairly easy to investigate and identify.
Help for Match Exceptions
Avoiding Match Exceptions
To avoid match exceptions, we recommend the following best practices:
- Ensure that the PO and invoice details (full name of supplier, price, and quantity) match.
- Submit invoices in PDF format.
- Encourage suppliers to pay attention to response emails to invoice submissions, in case more information is needed.
If you have a match exception, you will need to determine the cause of the exception and initiate the correction for the match exception.
Determining the Cause of Match Exceptions
To determine the cause of the exception:
- From viewing the supplier invoice in Workday, you can see the reason for the match exception on the Invoice Lines tab in the Line Match Exception field
- Drill into the invoice lines (e.g., click the PO number to identify the quantity and/or price difference, review business documentation to view the original invoice) to better determine the cause of the variance.
Initiate Correction of Match Exceptions
To initiate the correction of the exception:
- Initiate Change Order: If you need to increase the quantity of the Purchase Order, you can submit a Change Order request.
- Initiate Invoice Correction: If you need to make significant changes such as changing the structure of the invoice or Purchase Order (needing to add or delete lines or adjust the price), you will need to submit an Invoice Correction Form
Training Resources
Match Exception Investigation & Correction Quick Reference Guide: This Quick Reference Guide (QRG) is designed to walk a Procurement Shopper through the investigation of a supplier invoice match exception, determine the cause of the exception, and initiate the correction for the match exception. By the end of this QRG, you will be able to successfully find the supplier invoice in a match exception status, determine the cause of the match exception, and initiate the correction of the match exception.
Math Exception Frequently Asked Questions: This FAQ contains frequently asked questions pertaining to Match Exceptions. Use the table of contents to control + click to go directly to that question and answer. For step-by-step guidance on how to find and address a match exception, review the Match Exception Investigation and Correction QRG
Match Exceptions: Overview and Handling: Presented by Addie Coe to Fiscal Administrators Group in March 2024. Nine slides of helpful information, including a process overview. Access the slides.
Need More Help with a Match Exception?
Book some Time with a Trainer! Jack Jensen has calendar time reserved specifically to help users with these issues. See his availability and book a time on the UVAFinance Workday Training page (scroll down a bit and you'll see "Time with a Trainer").