The quick answer
Review the supplier invoice, create a new standalone Bill, enter the vendor and item details, and save it. Then verify the saved record’s amount, reference, date, memo, location, and Approval Status without approving or paying it. Find the same bill in the vendor’s transaction history.
The screenshots show sample data. Person and operating-company names are fictional. Use your own records and values when following the steps.
Before you start
Have the supplier invoice and permission to create vendor bills. Confirm that the vendor, item, subsidiary, payable account, location, and accounting period are available; field names and approval behavior vary by form and account configuration.
01. Review the supplier invoice
Use the prepared invoice as the source for the bill entry. Record the vendor, reference number, date, terms, due date, item, quantity, rate, and displayed total before entering the transaction.
02. Start a standalone Bill
From the NetSuite home page, choose Bill from the Create New menu. The blank form is a new Bill, so it isn’t being created from a purchase order and won’t inherit purchase-order lines.
03. Check the new bill form and defaults
Confirm that the form shows Bill and that the payable account, currency, due date, date, posting period, and approval status have populated as expected. These values are account- and form-dependent, so review them before adding the line.
04. Enter the vendor and header details
Select Alder Office Systems in Vendor, then enter AOS-6842 in Reference No. and use the invoice date shown on the source document. Enter Monitor for the customer service desk in Memo, and review the populated payable account, currency, due date, and subsidiary. The source invoice is dated September 7, 2026, with Net 30 terms and an October 7 due date. Check those values and the applicable posting period.
05. Set the bill location
Select Portland in the header Location field. Review any separate line-level classification your form requires.
06. Add the item line
In the Items section, select Vista 27-inch Monitor. Enter a quantity of 1 and a rate of 315.00, then use Add to commit the line; no tax, shipping, discount, or other charge is demonstrated in this example.
07. Check the calculated total
Review the committed line and the displayed total before saving. The replay shows quantity 1, rate 315.00, line amount 315.00, and Total 315.00; these are displayed transaction values, not an independent accounting validation.
08. Check the saved bill status
After saving, review the Bill record rather than approving or paying it. The saved record shows the vendor, reference, date, memo, location, item line, amount, and Approval Status of Pending Approval for this account configuration.
09. Find the bill on the vendor record
Open Alder Office Systems and go to Financial → Transactions. Match the bill’s reference AOS-6842, date, and 315.00 amount, then open it to confirm you have the same saved bill.
Check the result
- The saved Bill shows Alder Office Systems as the vendor and AOS-6842 as the reference.
- The item line shows Vista 27-inch Monitor with quantity 1, rate 315.00, and displayed total 315.00.
- The saved record shows Approval Status as Pending Approval; no approval or payment is performed.
- The vendor’s transaction history links to the same bill.
Common questions
How do I enter a standalone vendor bill in NetSuite?
Open a new Bill, select the vendor, enter the invoice reference and date, then add the charge using the Items or Expenses sublist. Review vendor defaults such as subsidiary, currency, terms, payable account, classifications, and total before selecting Save. Available fields and required values vary by role, transaction form, features, and account configuration.
What is the difference between entering a bill and paying it?
Saving a vendor bill records the supplier’s charge and the amount owed. It does not create a payment. The saved approval status depends on the account’s workflow. Approval routing, payment holds, accounting periods, and other account-specific controls may affect when the bill can be paid.
Where can I find a saved vendor bill?
Open the vendor record and review its financial transaction history, such as Financial > Transactions, if that sublist is available. Match the bill using the vendor, reference number, date, amount, or transaction number; if the sublist is hidden by the form or role, use the available vendor transaction list or transaction search.
Why is my newly saved vendor bill still pending approval?
The account may use a vendor-bill approval workflow that places new bills in Pending Approval after saving. Saving confirms that the record was created, not that it was approved or paid; the exact status and available actions depend on approval configuration, role permissions, subsidiary, form, and other account settings.