Releasing Blocked Invoices

To start the invoice release transaction, choose the following path from the SAP Easy Access screen:

Logistics → Materials Management → Logistics Invoice Verification → Further Processing → Release Blocked Invoices (MRBR).

The transaction offers you various selection options to limit the release to specific invoices. In the Selection area, select the invoices that you wish to process. In the Processing area, specify whether you want to release invoices manually or automatically, and whether the cash discount days in an invoice are to be moved during the release.

In the time between the blocking and releasing of an invoice, the cash discount period could expire. When you release an invoice, you can move the cash discount days - not the baseline date - in order to extend the payment period.

If you want to release invoices manually, in the Blocking Procedure area you can select the blocked invoices that the system should list:

• Blocked due to variances:

  In this situation, select invoices that are blocked due to quantity or price variance (for example). The invoice that is blocked manually at item level is also selected.

• Manual payment block:

  In this situation, select invoices that have undergone a manual payment block at header level, or invoices for which the payment block originates from the terms of payment.

• Stochastically blocked:

  This restriction selects only stochastically blocked invoices.

Automatic release is only possible for the Blocked due to variances blocking procedure.

For automatic release, the system checks each blocking reason to see whether it is still valid. This system check can occur for invoices that were automatically blocked due to quantity, price, or date variances, or due to quality checks. If a blocking reason is invalid, the system deletes it. If all blocking reasons for an invoice are deleted, the invoice is automatically released.

A blocking reason will become invalid in the following cases:

• If you receive a further delivery or a credit memo, blocking because of quantity variance (blocking reason Quantity) may no longer apply. With goods receipt (GR)-based invoice verification, the GR must be entered as a subsequent delivery for the material document of the first GR. Only then can the assignment be made between the invoice and GR.
• If you change the PO price or receive a subsequent credit, blocking because of price variance (blocking reason Price) may no longer apply.
• The blocking reason Quality becomes invalid due to a positive usage decision.
• The blocking reason Date becomes invalid as soon as the delivery date is reached.

Invoices that contain both blocking reasons and a manual payment block set in the document header are not released during automatic release, even if the blocking reasons in all items are no longer valid. Invoices with a manual payment block in the header must be released separately.

You can also let automatic release run in the background. Use program RM08RELEASE for this.

For manual release, you decide which invoices you want to process by selecting the Blocking Procedure. If you execute the selection, the system displays a list of the blocked invoices according to your selection values. This list contains a lot of information and you can organize it to suit your requirements. If invoices still contain blocking reasons that are no longer valid, these blocking reasons are highlighted in yellow in the list. From this list, you can delete individual blocking reasons or release an entire invoice.

You can delete blocking reasons in single invoice items by placing your cursor on a blocking reason and choosing Blocking Reason. When you delete the last blocking reason of an invoice and save your changes, the system releases the invoice for payment.

If you want to release an invoice as a whole, choose one line of the invoice and then choose (Release Invoice). As a result, all other items of the invoice are also selected. The system releases the invoices whenever you save your changes. When you release the invoice as a whole, the payment block is deleted from the vendor line. However, the blocking reasons in the items are not changed as a result.