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.
Updated August 31, 2026 · Verified against PURCHASE-ORDERS.md, api/purchase-orders.md, FINANCE-SETTINGS.md
Steps
- 1Open Finances → Purchase Orders.
- 2Use the All / Open / Received / Billed tabs or the Status filter to find the POs you care about.
- 3Click a PO to open it and read its current status next to the PO number.
- 4Submit a draft when it is ready for review.
- 5Approve or reject submitted POs, adding a reason on a rejection.
- 6Check 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.
What it looks like in WorkSkedge
Frequently asked questions
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.