Skip to main content
Pending validationOdoo 20.0Community and Enterprise

How to enter a supplier invoice

What is it for?​

Entering a supplier invoice records the debt to the supplier, the expense (or the investment) and the VAT the company can deduct. Odoo uses confirmed invoices to calculate the period's deductible VAT, the withholding tax to pay over and what is still owed to each supplier.

When to use it?​

  • You received a purchase invoice on paper or by e-mail and want to record it.
  • The invoice came as a PDF and you prefer to type it in by hand, or automatic reading did not recognise it.
  • An invoice was left as a draft and must be completed and confirmed.
  • The invoice has withholding tax, or comes without VAT because the company accounts for it (reverse charge): a supplier from another European Union country, or a Portuguese supplier of construction work, scrap and other cases with a reverse-charge reason. Follow the same steps and see “When there is withholding tax or reverse charge”. For reverse charge in Portugal, the reason is chosen in step 4, before the lines. With reasons M42 (real estate) and M43 (gold), first read the warning in that section: today, this procedure does not work for them.

Where to find it?​

Accounting › Record › Supplier invoices (in the Purchases group). The list opens with the filters To pay and Vendor Bill or Receipt (Faturas de Fornecedor ou Recibo).

Before you start​

  • Your profile is Accountant or Fiscal officer.
  • The supplier exists in the contacts, with its tax number (NIF). If it does not, choose Create and edit... in the Supplier field and fill in the NIF.
  • The invoice is made out to the company, with the company's NIF, and has the elements of an invoice (number, date, supplier NIF, amounts and VAT rates). Without them the VAT is not deductible, even if Odoo calculates it. Pending validation by a certified accountant: formal conditions for deduction (VAT Code (CIVA), art. 19, no. 2, and art. 36).
  • You have the invoice in front of you: number, date, amounts excluding VAT and the VAT rate of each line.

How to use it​

  1. In the list, click New. The invoice opens as a draft, in the Purchases journal, with Vendor Bill chosen at the top. Leave it that way: Receipt, next to it, is for another type of document and is not covered here.
  2. In Supplier, type part of the name and choose it, for example Papelaria Central, Lda. The address and NIF appear below.
  3. In Bill Reference, type the supplier's invoice number exactly as it appears on paper, for example FT A2026/318.
  4. Leave Motivo de isenção do fornecedor? (supplier exemption reason) empty, unless the invoice comes without VAT and states a reverse-charge reason: in that case choose it here, before the lines, because it sets the VAT rate on each new line (see “When there is withholding tax or reverse charge”). Below the dates is the collapsed Special operations section, with Classificação intracomunitária?, Tipo de transação SAF-T?, Completar Automaticamente?, Data de pagamento/colocação à disposição do rendimento? and Comissão de intermediação?. For an ordinary purchase, like the one in the example, they stay empty. Pending validation by a certified accountant: for which purchases each Special operations field is filled in. Deduzir o IVA de caixa no período seguinte? (deduct cash VAT in the next period) does not appear on the invoice of a company outside the cash VAT scheme (see “Important notes”).
  5. In Bill Date, type the invoice date, for example 27/10/2026. The Accounting Date is set to today (29/10/2026): it is the date of the journal entry and of the VAT period. The Due Date becomes the invoice date (27/10/2026). If the invoice has payment terms, type the due date shown on paper or choose the terms in the field next to it, after “or” (for example 30 Days).
  6. In Invoice Lines, click Add a line. The columns are, in this order, Product, Expense category, Account, Quantity, Unit, Price, Taxes, Deductible, Deductible VAT and Value. Leave Product empty when you buy something that is not in the product list and type the description, for example Papel de fotocópia A4 (20 resmas).
  7. Choose the Expense category or the Account:
    • the Expense category fills in the Account and, when the category has one, the Deductible percentage; an Expense category window opens and says what changed, for example “The account 6228 Outros was replaced by 6242 Combustíveis, the account of the category "Combustível: gasóleo".” Close it with Close;
    • without a category, choose the expense Account, for example 6233 Material de escritório. The list starts with the purchase and expense accounts.
  8. In Price, type the amount excluding VAT (100,00). In Taxes, type 23 and choose 23%, the VAT rate shown on the invoice. The list opens with the VAT rates (23%, 13%, 6%, 0%…) and, when you type 23, it also shows other taxes with 23, such as Retenção IRS 23% — trabalho independente (art. 151.º): only choose a withholding tax when the invoice has one.
  9. Save and check Deductible (100%) and Deductible VAT (23,00 €) on the line, and the totals box: Untaxed Amount 100,00 €, IVA 23% 23,00 €, Total 123,00 €. The total must match the paper invoice. Until you save, Deductible VAT shows 0,00 €.
  10. Click Confirm.

Expected result​

  • The invoice becomes Posted and gets the purchase journal number, in the example FTF/2026/00046. The Pay, Credit Note and Reset to Draft buttons appear at the top.
  • On the Journal items tab: 6233 Material de escritório debit 100,00 €, 2432 IVA - Dedutível debit 23,00 € and 2211 Fornecedores gerais credit 123,00 €.
  • The invoice enters the supplier's To pay list.
  • Next to the number, the red label “Overdue for 2 days” appears: the Due Date was set to the invoice date (27/10/2026), which has already passed. It is not an error in the entry; it means that, for fiscaldoo, the invoice should already be paid. To avoid it, type the due date or the payment terms in step 5.

Demonstration video​

The video starts on the new invoice, already opened with New (step 1), and shows steps 2 to 10 with the article's example: Papelaria Central, Lda, FT A2026/318 of 27/10/2026, the line Papel de fotocópia A4 (20 resmas) on account 6233 with 100,00 € and 23%, the totals (123,00 €) and Confirm. It does not show the Expense category nor the Deductible VAT column, which does not fit in the video's width.

No telemóvel, rode-o para a horizontal e veja o vídeo em ecrã inteiro: o texto do ecrã fica legível.

Enter a supplier invoice · 34 s · sem som, com legendas · legendas (WebVTT)
Transcrição

    When there is withholding tax or reverse charge​

    • Withholding tax. When the supplier states a withholding on the invoice (for example self-employed work or rents), choose it in Taxes, next to the VAT rate. Withholding is calculated on the amount excluding VAT, and the Total is the amount excluding VAT, plus VAT, minus the withholding. With the Professional fees (Honorários) category, the line already comes with Retenção IRS 23% — trabalho independente (art. 151.º): check it against the invoice. On an invoice without withholding, do not choose any. The two cases in the demo, with professional fees of 500,00 € from Ana Ferreira:

      • with VAT, invoice FR 2026/42 (the most common situation): in Taxes, Retenção IRS 23%… and 23%. The totals are IVA 23% 115,00 €, Withholding tax -115,00 € and Total 500,00 €. In Journal items: 6224 Honorários debit 500,00 €, 2432 IVA - Dedutível debit 115,00 €, 242 Retenção de impostos sobre rendimentos credit 115,00 € and 2211 Fornecedores gerais credit 500,00 €. The withholding is 23 % of 500,00 €, not of the total with VAT (615,00 €);
      • without VAT, invoice FR 2026/41 from a VAT-exempt supplier, who states this on the invoice: only the withholding in Taxes. The result is Withholding tax -115,00 € and Total 385,00 €; in the lines, 500,00 € debit to 6224 Honorários, 115,00 € credit to 242 and 385,00 € credit to 2211.

      Pending validation by a certified accountant: on which invoices the company must withhold (Personal Income Tax Code (CIRS), art. 101; Corporate Income Tax Code (CIRC), art. 94), the rate for each case and when a VAT-exempt supplier is also exempt from withholding (CIRS, art. 101-B).

    • Reverse charge from a European Union supplier. For a service bought from a company in another EU country, the supplier invoices without VAT and the company accounts for it and deducts it. With an EU supplier that has a VAT number (in the demo, Software Berlin GmbH, DE123456704), Odoo fills in the Fiscal Position “Intra-comunitário (UE)” (Other Info tab) and puts the 23% EU S rate on the line. The “EU S” (services) and “EU G” (goods) rates only appear in Taxes on these suppliers' invoices: on a Portuguese supplier's invoice, searching for 23 does not show them. Check the rate against the invoice: 23% EU S for a service, 23% EU G for goods. In the demo, a 200,00 € service on account 6221 with 23% EU S gave IVA 23% 0,00 € and Total 200,00 €, and the Journal items were:

      • 6221 Trabalhos especializados debit 200,00 €;
      • 2432 IVA - Dedutível debit 46,00 €;
      • 2433 IVA - Liquidado credit 46,00 €;
      • 2211 Fornecedores gerais credit 200,00 €.

      The list also has 23% AUT UE, which Odoo did not propose. Pending validation by a certified accountant: when to use 23% EU S, 23% EU G or 23% AUT UE (CIVA, art. 2, no. 1, sub-paragraph e), and art. 6, no. 6, sub-paragraph a); RITI for acquisitions of goods).

    • Reverse charge in Portugal (scrap, construction work, greenhouse gas emission allowances, cork and electricity, under CIVA, art. 2, no. 1, sub-paragraphs i) to n), with reasons M30 to M34; and the cases of Decree-Law (DL) no. 21/2007, real estate, with reason M42, and of DL no. 362/99, gold, with reason M43): the supplier invoices without VAT and states the reason, and the company accounts for the VAT on that purchase and deducts it. The following steps only apply to M30 to M34; for M42 and M43, see the warning “Real estate (M42) and gold (M43)” below. Do as follows:

      1. In step 4, before adding the lines, choose in Motivo de isenção do fornecedor? the reason stated on the invoice. The list shows M30, M31, M32, M33, M34, M42 and M43, all “IVA - autoliquidação”. In Search more..., the Legal article column gives the law for each one: M30 to M34 are sub-paragraphs i), j), l), m) and n) of “Artigo 2.º n.º 1 … do CIVA” (j), M31, is the one for construction work). The DP IVA field column next to it says “Campo 8 — isentas com direito a dedução” for every reason: that is the return field of the person selling without VAT, the supplier, not the field for your purchase. For the purchase, the field is the one the invoice line shows (in the example below, “campo 102”). Pending validation by a certified accountant: fields of the periodic VAT return for the supplier (field 8) and for the buyer in reverse-charge purchases.
      2. With M30 to M34, each new line comes with the reason's “AUT” rate. In the demo: M30, 23% AUT sucata; M31, 23% AUT construção; M32, 23% AUT emissões GEE; M33, 23% AUT cortiça; M34, 23% AUT eletricidade. Check it against the invoice and change it if it is different (for example, 6% AUT construção for building work at 6 %). Lines that existed before you chose the reason do not change: choose the rate on them by hand.
      3. Save and first check the line's Taxes column: it must have an “AUT” rate. Without a rate, the Total is also the amount excluding VAT, but the VAT is not booked. Then check the totals box: IVA 23% is 0,00 €, because the VAT due and the deductible VAT cancel each other out, and the Total is the amount excluding VAT, which is what you pay the supplier. Then click Confirm.

      In the demo, invoice FT CR2026/13 from Construções Rápidas, Lda, for 1.000,00 € on account 6221 Trabalhos especializados, with M31 and 23% AUT construção, ended with Total 1.000,00 € and number FTF/2026/00048. The lines, checked in Accounting › Review › Ledger (October 2026), were:

      • 6221 Trabalhos especializados debit 1.000,00 €;
      • 2432 IVA - Dedutível debit 230,00 €;
      • 2433 IVA - Liquidado credit 230,00 €;
      • 2211 Fornecedores gerais credit 1.000,00 €.

      The line's optional Reverse charge nature column shows “Serviços de construção civil (CIVA art. 2.º n.º 1 j)) - campo 102”. Pending validation by a certified accountant: treatment of each case of CIVA, art. 2, no. 1, sub-paragraphs i) to n); the rate for each construction job (23 % or 6 %); deduction of self-assessed VAT (CIVA, art. 19 and art. 20); fields of the periodic VAT return where each amount goes.

    Important notes​

    • Deductible VAT and period. The VAT in the Deductible VAT column goes to account 2432 and enters the VAT settlement of the Accounting Date period. If the invoice belongs to a period already settled, the settlement becomes out of date. Pending validation by a certified accountant: deduction period for the VAT on an invoice received after the month of its date (CIVA, art. 22 and art. 98).
    • VAT that is not deductible (Deductible below 100 %). For some expenses only part of the VAT, or none, is deductible (for example fuel, passenger cars, entertainment expenses). The Expense category proposes the percentage: in the demo, Fuel: diesel set Deductible to 50% and, for 60,00 € + 13,80 € VAT, Deductible VAT of 6,90 €. The Professional fees category window warns when the category has no percentage: “… the line keeps 100 %. Check CIVA art. 21.º and set the percentage by hand if the VAT is not fully deductible.” Pending validation by a certified accountant: deductible percentage for each type of expense (CIVA, art. 21).
    • Today, check the journal items when Deductible is below 100 %. In the diesel example, the non-deductible VAT (6,90 €) went to 6228 Outros with the description “parte privada (impostos)”, and half of the amount excluding VAT (30,00 €) moved from 6242 Combustíveis to 6228 Outros (“parte privada”). The total expense (66,90 €) is right, but the split is not that of a company expense. Do not use these lines as they are for company expenses without reviewing them with your certified accountant.
    • Autonomous Region rates. The Taxes list has the Madeira rates (marked “MA”) and the Azores rates (marked “AÇ”), as well as the mainland ones. Choose the rate shown on the invoice. Pending validation by a certified accountant: for which purchases an Autonomous Region rate applies.
    • Cash VAT. Deduzir o IVA de caixa no período seguinte? is for a company under the cash VAT scheme: the VAT on that purchase is deducted in the period of the supplier's receipt (the payment period), or in the following period if you tick the option. For a company outside that scheme, like the demo company, the field does not appear on the invoice, nor under Special operations. Pending validation by a certified accountant: when to tick the option (cash VAT scheme, DL no. 71/2013).
    • A confirmed invoice is not changed by hand. If the supplier issued a credit note, record it with Credit Note. If it was a booking error, talk to your accountant before using Reset to Draft.
    • With the invoice PDF, the list's Load bill (PDF, photo or QR) button prepares the draft from the file. Always check the data against the document before confirming.

    Common problems​

    The invoice has no VAT (Total equal to the Untaxed Amount)​

    • Cause: the line's Taxes column was left empty. On a line without a product from a Portuguese supplier, Odoo only proposes the rate when a reverse-charge reason from M30 to M34 was chosen before the line; otherwise, in the demo, the column stayed empty. With M42 and M43, it also stays empty.
    • What to do: before confirming, choose the rate in Taxes and check the Total against the paper. For reverse charge, the Total really is the amount excluding VAT, but the “AUT” or “EU” rate must be on the line (see “When there is withholding tax or reverse charge”). With M42 and M43 there is no “AUT” rate in the list: do not confirm the invoice and ask your certified accountant to book it.

    The Total includes VAT on an invoice with a reverse-charge reason​

    • Symptom: the invoice has a reverse-charge reason in Motivo de isenção do fornecedor?, but the Total is higher than the amount excluding VAT. In the demo, with M31 and the 23% rate, 500,00 € gave IVA 23% 115,00 € and Total 615,00 €, and Confirm posted the invoice without any warning.
    • Cause: the line has a normal rate instead of the reason's “AUT” rate. This happens when the reason is chosen after the line exists (the line's rate does not change) or when the rate is changed by hand. Odoo gives no warning.
    • What to do: before confirming, choose the reason's “AUT” rate in Taxes and check that IVA 23% is 0,00 € and that the Total is the amount excluding VAT. If the invoice has already been confirmed, talk to your accountant before using Reset to Draft.

    “This document may be a duplicate of …”​

    • Symptom: when you save an invoice with the Bill Reference of another invoice from the same supplier, the top shows “Este documento pode ser um duplicado de FT A2026/318 at 123,00 €” (this document may be a duplicate of …).
    • Cause: there is already an invoice from that supplier with the same reference.
    • What to do: look for the invoice with that reference in the list. If it is the same one, discard the draft; do not enter the same invoice twice, because the VAT would be deducted twice.

    “Some required fields are empty”​

    • Symptom: when you save or confirm, you see “Some required fields are empty. Fill in the fields marked in red to be able to save.”
    • Cause: a required field is missing; in the test, the Bill Date.
    • What to do: fill in the field in red and save again.

    The draft invoice shows “… days since the end of the month this entry refers to”​

    • Symptom: yellow banner at the top, for example “121 days since the end of the month this entry refers to (limit of CIRC art. 123.º n.º 3). Post it or review its date; nothing is blocked.”
    • Cause: the invoice has been a draft for more than 90 days counted from the end of the month of its date.
    • What to do: check and confirm the invoice. See Which documents are late in being recorded.
    Versions: Odoo 20.0Community and Enterprisefiscaldoo 20.0 (master 54a9f5f03)ID DOC-0073
    Was this page helpful?