Duplicate Invoice Checker
Invoices are paid twice when a supplier resends them, a number is keyed differently, or the same supplier is set up under two names. Paste a year of paid invoices to find them, clean up the vendor master, and download recovery letters.
- Fuzzy vendor matching
- Invoice number normalisation
- Recovery letters
- Data stays in your browser
Likely paid twice
$9,526
From 5 high-confidence matches (80%+)
Pairs to review
7
2 lower confidence
Vendor name variants
2
Same supplier set up more than once
Invoices scanned
583
$1,273,056 paid
01Paid invoices
invoice_number,vendor,invoice_date,amount
583 invoices read · stays in your browser
02Matching rules
For same-amount matches
03Vendor master clean-up
These names look like the same supplier. Merging them stops duplicates from slipping through as different vendors.
- Coastal Foodservice · Coastal Foodservice Inc
- SYSCO Corp. · Sysco
04Suspected duplicates
- Same vendor, invoice number and amount99%
First
INV-0010577
Pacific Meats
Mar 30, 2026 · $3,912.40
Second
10577
Pacific Meats
Apr 6, 2026 · $3,912.40
- Same vendor, invoice number and amount99%
First
INV-10412
Metro Facility Parts
Feb 10, 2026 · $2,380.00
Second
INV-10412
Metro Facility Parts
Feb 22, 2026 · $2,380.00
- Same vendor, invoice number and amount99%
First
INV-10777
Coastal Foodservice
May 31, 2026 · $842.10
Second
INV-10777
Coastal Foodservice Inc
Jun 16, 2026 · $842.10
- Same vendor and amount, near-identical invoice number86%
First
SY54321
Sysco
May 1, 2026 · $1,286.75
Second
SY54312
SYSCO Corp.
May 8, 2026 · $1,286.75
- Same vendor and amount, near-identical invoice number86%
First
VF-88231
Valley Fresh Produce
Aug 19, 2026 · $1,104.55
Second
VF-88213
Valley Fresh Produce
Aug 22, 2026 · $1,104.55
- Same vendor and invoice number, different amount70%
First
INV-10690
BrightTech IT
Jun 21, 2026 · $4,815.00
Second
INV-10690
BrightTech IT
Jun 28, 2026 · $4,185.00
- Same vendor and amount within days55%
First
INV-12001
Apex Kitchen Equipment
Jul 21, 2026 · $6,240.00
Second
INV-12019
Apex Kitchen Equipment
Jul 29, 2026 · $6,240.00
Recovery letters include matches of 80% confidence and above, one letter per vendor.
$9,526 already paid · recovery takes letters and follow-up
Finding a duplicate after payment means asking for the money back. Blocking it before payment means there is nothing to recover.
Bollard checks every incoming invoice against the PO, the receipt and invoices already paid, across all sites and vendor records, and holds suspected duplicates before payment.
Method
What counts as a match
Invoice numbers are compared after removing case, punctuation, INV-style prefixes and leading zeros, so INV-0010577 and 10577 match. One-character typos and swapped digits are caught when the vendor and amount also match.
Vendor names are compared after removing punctuation and legal suffixes, then by Jaro-Winkler similarity, so “Sysco” and “SYSCO Corp.” are treated as the same supplier.
Matches of 80% confidence and above count towards the “likely paid twice” total. Each duplicate is counted once, at the amount of the later invoice.
From one site to every site
Recovering a duplicate payment takes letters and follow-up. Blocking it before payment takes one automated check.
Bollard checks every incoming invoice against open POs, receipts and invoices already paid, across every site and vendor record, and holds suspected duplicates for review before they reach a payment run.
- Duplicate checks on every incoming invoice
- Invoices matched to POs and receipts first
- One vendor master shared by all sites
- Audit trail for every held invoice
Questions
Frequently asked
How do duplicate payments happen?+
Suppliers resend invoices they think are unpaid, invoice numbers are keyed differently (INV-00412 vs 412), a digit is mistyped, or the same supplier exists twice in the vendor master (Sysco and SYSCO Corp.). Each version can pass an exact-match check and get paid.
How does the checker match invoices?+
It normalises invoice numbers (case, punctuation, INV prefixes, leading zeros) and vendor names (punctuation and suffixes such as Inc or LLC), then compares names with Jaro-Winkler similarity. Matches are scored by type: identical, same invoice under two vendor names, near-identical number, same number with a different amount, and same amount within a few days.
Why are some matches lower confidence?+
The same amount from the same vendor a few days apart can be a genuine second order, and the same invoice number with a different amount can be a corrected invoice. These are listed for review but not counted in the “likely paid twice” total.
Will recurring charges show up as duplicates?+
Usually not. Monthly fees with sequential invoice numbers are a month apart, outside the default 14-day window. Adjust the window and minimum amount to suit your data.
What columns do I need?+
invoice_number, vendor and amount; invoice_date is strongly recommended. Most AP systems can export a paid-invoice report with these fields.
Is my data uploaded?+
No. The scan runs entirely in your browser, and the letters are generated on your device.
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Free tools
Calculators and document builders for organisations that buy across many sites.
Runs in your browser
I. Spend & Leakage
II. Purchasing Documents
III. Inventory & Stock
IV. Governance & Controls
Free tools, no sign-up. Your figures are processed in your browser and are not uploaded to a server unless you ask us to email you a result. Results are estimates for planning and do not constitute financial, legal or tax advice.