# What do the purchase order statuses mean?

> A PO moves Draft → Submitted → Approved → Received → Billed, with Rejected, Partially Received, Partially Billed and Cancelled along the way. POs under your auto-approval threshold are approved the moment they are submitted.

- Product: WorkSkedge
- Section: Purchase Orders & Vendors
- Canonical: https://workskedge.com/help/purchasing/purchase-order-statuses-and-approvals
- Updated: 2026-08-31T22:05:16.788479+00:00
- Source: PURCHASE-ORDERS.md, api/purchase-orders.md, FINANCE-SETTINGS.md
- Keywords: purchase order status, PO approval workflow, partially billed, auto approval threshold, PO lifecycle, construction purchase order approvals

## Steps

1. Open Finances → Purchase Orders.
2. Use the All / Open / Received / Billed tabs or the Status filter to find the POs you care about.
3. Click a PO to open it and read its current status next to the PO number.
4. Submit a draft when it is ready for review.
5. Approve or reject submitted POs, adding a reason on a rejection.
6. Check the Activity tab to see who changed the status and when.

Every purchase order carries a status that tells you exactly where it sits between "someone typed it in" and "we have paid for it". The main path is **Draft → Submitted → Approved → Received → Billed**, with a payment recorded at the end. Rejections, partial receipts, partial billing and cancellations branch off that path.

## Status flow

```
Draft → Submitted → Approved → Received → Billed → [Payment Recorded]
              ↘ Rejected        ↘ Partially Billed → Billed
                   ↘ Cancelled (from most statuses)
```

| Status | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| **Draft** | Work in progress, not yet submitted for review |
| **Submitted** | Sent to a manager for approval |
| **Approved** | A manager has approved the PO |
| **Rejected** | A manager has declined the PO |
| **Partially Received** | Some items have been received |
| **Received** | All items or services received |
| **Partially Billed** | One or more bills recorded, but total billed is under the PO total |
| **Billed** | Fully billed — bills total at least 99% of the PO total |
| **Cancelled** | Cancelled, no further action |

## Approval thresholds

Approval behaviour is set in **Settings → Finance → Purchase Orders**:

- **Require approval threshold** — POs at or above this amount need a manager''s approval.
- **Auto approve below threshold** — POs under that amount are approved automatically when they are submitted.
- **Reimbursement approval threshold** — the equivalent ceiling for reimbursement requests.

## Who gets told

WorkSkedge notifies people at each key point: the manager when a PO is **submitted**, the requester when it is **approved or rejected**, the relevant team when it is **received**, and a confirmation when a **payment is recorded**.

## Notes and limits

- A PO can be cancelled from most statuses, so a mistake never has to be worked around.
- Rejections can carry a reason so the requester knows what to change.
- Every status change is written to the PO''s **Activity** tab as an audit trail.
- Reimbursement POs skip receive and bill entirely — they jump to **Billed** on approval.

## Common errors

- **PO stuck in Partially Billed** — the bills recorded so far add up to less than 99% of the PO total. Record the remaining vendor invoice, or adjust the line items.
- **PO went straight to Approved** — it was below your auto-approval threshold. Lower the threshold if you want every PO reviewed.

## Screenshots

- Purchase order detail showing the Billed status badge and the Overview, Bills, Payments, Credits, Files and Activity tabs: https://workskedge.com/api/public/help-image/app/v2/purchasing-po-detail.webp

## FAQ

### Do I have to receive a PO before I can bill it?

No. POs in Approved, Partially Received, Received or Partially Billed can all be billed. Receiving is a record of goods arriving, not a gate on billing.

### When does a PO become Billed instead of Partially Billed?

Once the bills recorded against it total at least 99% of the PO total. Below that it stays Partially Billed.

### Can a purchase order be approved automatically?

Yes. If your company sets an auto-approval threshold in Settings → Finance → Purchase Orders, any PO below that amount is approved as soon as it is submitted.

### Can I cancel a purchase order?

Yes — cancellation is available from most statuses. A cancelled PO takes no further action and the record is preserved for audit.

### Who is notified when a PO is submitted?

The approving manager. The requester is then notified of the approval or rejection, and the relevant team members are notified when the PO is received.