The payment instruction matches the invoice, but the supplier sends a receipt for less. Purchasing wants to transfer the difference immediately so the goods can leave. Finance first needs to establish whether the gap is a bank charge, a conversion difference or an invoice-allocation problem. Another transfer before that check can create another unresolved payment.
This is a fictional, generalised purchasing situation. This article is general information, not legal, tax or investment advice. Charge instructions do not guarantee an exact beneficiary credit on every banking route.
Read the charge instruction before sending
OUR, SHA and BEN describe how transfer charges are allocated. In general, OUR assigns charges to the remitter; SHA splits responsibility, with the sender paying its bank and the beneficiary bearing other applicable charges; BEN assigns charges to the beneficiary. A bank's published charge-option notice identifies these labels and distinguishes its own fees from intermediary and receiving-bank fees.
Ask your sending bank to explain its actual implementation, including any upfront charge and later adjustment. The label in a form is not a substitute for a route-specific answer. Keep that answer with the approved instruction, especially if the supplier expects the full invoice amount as cleared funds.
OUR is an instruction, not universal protection
The sending bank can charge you separately without every downstream bank handling the instruction as you expect. A bank tariff explanation notes that some clearing systems do not recognise OUR and that correspondent banks may change the charge type on certain routes. That is a route caveat, not evidence that your own transfer suffered that change.
Before payment, ask whether the quoted arrangement targets an exact supplier credit or only a transfer amount. If using a service rather than your own bank, ask which charges are included, which remain outside the quote and who investigates a discrepancy. Do not equate a service fee with all possible bank deductions.
Reconcile the gap from records
Collect the approved invoice, payment instruction, sending-bank debit, transfer reference and supplier receipt. Ask the supplier to identify the credited currency, gross receipt where available, separately booked fees and amount allocated to this invoice. A screenshot of a balance is less useful than a transaction record tied to the payment.
Then ask the bank or provider to trace the payment and explain the difference. The payment-proof guide separates funding evidence from beneficiary receipt. Keep possible explanations open until the records support one: do not accuse a bank of taking a fee merely because two totals differ.
Agree who bears a confirmed shortfall
Read the contract's fee allocation and discuss any confirmed deduction with the supplier. If the buyer owes an additional amount, document the reason, currency, amount and invoice reference. If the supplier accepts the lower receipt as full settlement, obtain that acknowledgement instead of leaving an informal promise in a chat.
Avoid grossing up by guesswork. Ask how a small corrective transfer will be charged and what supplier credit it is expected to produce. A correction that suffers another deduction can leave the invoice open again. The partial-payment guide helps keep each credit and remaining balance visible.
Keep payment-detail changes separate
A complaint about fees does not justify a sudden account change. If the supplier offers a different beneficiary to “avoid charges,” verify it through an established contact and obtain approval for the revised arrangement. Do not use a personal account or a new wallet merely because it appears cheaper.
The changed-detail checklist explains that verification step. If the original transfer is rejected rather than credited short, use the rejection guide and establish its status before sending a replacement.
Set the receipt expectation for the next instalment
Update the payment file with the agreed charge allocation and the supplier's expected invoice credit. Reconfirm those details for the balance rather than assuming the deposit's route and fees still apply. Preserve the investigation result so accounting can explain both payments.
Use pay an invoice to ask A2vanta about the proposed supplier payment, quote and receipt calculation before funding. Obtain current terms for the actual route; a charge label alone does not tell you what the supplier will receive.