Before paying an invoice, verify the supplier, customer, reference, order, dates, amounts, VAT, bank details and payment terms. Treat a new bank account as a separate verification task, even when everything else looks familiar. I would never let an overdue reminder bypass those checks: a perfectly plausible invoice can still direct a genuine debt into a criminal’s account.
1. Supplier identity in the invoice details
Match the supplier’s legal name, trading name, address and contact information against your approved records. GOV.UK says limited-company invoices must show the full incorporated name. A brand name, such as Local News Point, is not by itself the legal identity of a supplier. Resolve genuine differences rather than assuming either fraud or legitimacy from branding.
2. The correct customer
Confirm the invoice names your business and the correct billing entity. Groups with several companies can receive legitimate invoices addressed to the wrong one. Check the customer account or site reference too. An employee recognising the supplier does not establish that this particular company ordered the work or owes the amount.
3. A unique invoice reference
Check the invoice number against your purchase ledger and payment history. GOV.UK lists a unique identification number among the required details. Watch for duplicates submitted with slightly changed formatting or a different file name. A reminder, statement or replacement copy should not become another payable invoice merely because it arrived separately.
4. Goods or services actually ordered
Match the description to the purchase order, contract and evidence of delivery or completed work. Ask the person responsible to confirm quantities and milestones. An invoice should explain what was supplied clearly enough to identify the transaction. Vague descriptions deserve clarification, especially when nobody recognises the purchase or the stated project.
5. Supply and invoice dates
Compare the supply date and invoice date with delivery records, service periods and previous invoices. These dates serve different purposes and need not be identical. Check recurring charges for overlapping periods. A bill arriving at month end should not be approved simply to clear the inbox if its underlying service period remains unexplained.
6. Quantities, rates, currency and total
Recalculate line totals, discounts, credits and the final amount. Check the currency against the contract before authorising a transfer. Keep unrelated browsing, including presshubs.co.uk, outside the payment workspace while comparing figures; the practical aim is to have the order, invoice and approval record clearly identified. Do not accept an unexplained rounding difference just because the document looks professional.
7. VAT registration and treatment
If VAT is charged, check that the invoice contains the relevant VAT information and that the treatment makes sense for the supply. GOV.UK’s checker confirms whether a UK VAT number is valid and shows its registered business details. Compare those details with the supplier. A valid number can still belong to someone other than the person sending the invoice.
Ask your accountant about unusual VAT treatment rather than correcting it casually. An ordinary invoice and a VAT invoice have different information requirements; neither appearance nor a company registration number proves VAT registration.
8. The receiving bank account
The National Crime Agency recommends confirming changed bank details with the genuine supplier using a previously trusted number. Do not use a number supplied only in the change request. Read Confirmation of Payee results and investigate mismatches. Pay.UK says a match does not guarantee fraud detection or reimbursement, so keep independent supplier verification in place.
Separate the person changing supplier records from the person releasing a significant payment where staffing permits. In a smaller business, arrange a documented callback and second review instead of pretending the same person can provide independent approval twice. Keep exceptions visible: note who confirmed the details, which trusted number was used and why any discrepancy was accepted before money leaves the account.
9. Terms, authority and payment status
Check the agreed due date, payment reference, authorised approver and whether a credit note changes the balance. An article on Weekly Journal cannot set your supplier’s contractual terms; use the actual agreement. Record the verification and approval before releasing funds. If money has already gone to a suspected fraudulent account, contact your bank immediately.