How to audit your restaurant's supplier invoices (checklist)
An invoice audit is not an accounting project. It is a short list of checks that catch most of the money that leaks between the order guide and the bank account.
The checklist
| Check | What to look for | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Price changes | Any item whose per-unit price moved since the last invoice or your quote | Weekly |
| Pack size | Same item number, smaller pack or net weight at the same price | Weekly |
| New fees | Fuel, delivery, small-drop, split-case or "misc" lines that weren't there last month | Weekly |
| Credits | Every short, damage and return has a matching credit for the right amount | Weekly |
| Catch weight | Price per pound, and weight × price = extended | Weekly |
| Duplicates | Same invoice number paid twice, or the same delivery invoiced twice | Monthly |
| Totals | Line items add up to the invoice total | Monthly spot check |
For bookkeepers
If you do books for several restaurants, you already see every invoice. A monthly one-page summary per client ("$X in price increases, $Y in new fees, $Z in missing credits") is a simple value-add service. FeeHawk has a bookkeeper plan built for this.
Getting started
Start with your last three months. The first audit usually finds the most, because nobody has looked yet. After that, a weekly check keeps it from building up again.
Related guides: price creep · fuel surcharges · split-case fees · short-ships and credits · catch weight
Get a free invoice audit
Upload your last 3 months of supplier invoices (PDFs or phone photos). FeeHawk lists every price increase, new fee and missing credit, with a dollar total and what to dispute. A person checks every report before it is sent.
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