Managing Partial Receipts and Backorders in Odoo Purchasing

Partial Receipts and Backorders in Odoo#

Vendors don't always deliver all ordered quantities in one shipment. Odoo handles partial deliveries by creating backorders - keeping the original PO active and tracking the outstanding quantities until fully received.

Receiving a Partial Delivery#

When a vendor delivers 60 of 100 ordered units:

Purchase → [PO] → Receipt:

1. The receipt is pre-filled with 100 units (demand)
2. Change quantity to 60 (actually received)
3. Click Validate
4. Odoo prompts: "Some products have not been received. What do you want to do?"

- Create Backorder: keeps the remaining 40 units pending

- No Backorder: closes the receipt (remaining quantity is lost - use only if intentional)

Select Create Backorder → a new receipt is created for 40 units with a linked PO reference.

Backorder Visibility#

Purchase → [PO] → Receipt button: now shows 2 receipts:

• Receipt 1: 60 units - Done
• Receipt 2 (Backorder): 40 units - Waiting

The PO status remains In Progress until all quantities are received.

Setting Expected Delivery Dates on Backorders#

Open the backorder receipt:

• Scheduled Date: update to the date the vendor committed to delivering the remaining 40 units
• Add a note in the chatter: "Vendor confirmed remaining 40 units on 2027-10-05"

Operations can track the outstanding backorder on the receipt calendar.

Partial Invoice Matching (3-Way Match)#

When the vendor bills for the 60 units delivered:

• Create a vendor bill for 60 units at the PO price
• Match to the partial receipt: 60 units @ $10 = $600
• The bill can be posted without waiting for the backorder

When the remaining 40 units arrive and the vendor bills:

• Second bill for 40 units
• Matched to the backorder receipt
• 3-way match complete for the full PO

Closing Backorders#

If the vendor cannot fulfill the remaining quantity:

• Open the backorder receipt → Validate with quantity = 0
• Select No Backorder → the receipt closes
• Update the PO if the vendor permanently reduces the quantity: PO → [Line] → Quantity → 60
• PO status becomes Fully Billed after the 60-unit invoice is posted

Reporting on Open Backorders#

Purchase → Reporting → Purchase Analysis → filter by Receipt Status = Partial:

• All POs with outstanding backorders
• Quantities remaining per product
• Scheduled date for backorder completion

Use this to follow up with vendors on outstanding deliveries and plan production or sales around expected stock arrivals.