Why it matters for builders
- Variations arrive as separate claims. A claim that includes variation work with no approved variation order is the most common way a job goes over budget.
- Retention is held back on each claim. If the retention line is wrong, you pay out money you were meant to hold until practical completion.
For builders in Sage 300 CRE
- Subcontracts and purchase orders post to different payable accounts. Set the Commitment Payable account and the PO Payable account in AP Settings > GL Entry Settings. If either is blank Accounts Payable uses the Accounts Payable account.
- The retainage part of an invoice posts to the Retainage Payable account from the same GL Entry Settings. If it is blank the Accounts Payable account is used.
- If you use Sage 300 CRE Purchasing, run Tasks > Post Orders to Job Cost to send commitments to Job Cost. Check the Post Orders Log. Then run Tasks > Post Invoices to Accounts Payable and check the Send Invoices Log.
What Sage 300 CRE does on its own
Invoices are applied to a purchase order or subcontract commitment at entry. Invoices applied to a commitment post to the commitment payable account. A warning can fire when the total or units invoiced go above the commitment. Sage 300 CRE has no receipt based three-way match in base Accounts Payable.
A tolerance applies to the commitment total, not to each line. When an invoice sent from Procore goes over it, the import fails with the error: amount invoiced exceeds approved amount plus tolerance.
What you need and the setup steps: PO matching for Sage 300 CRE.
Example
Example Concreting Pty Ltd holds a subcontract commitment of $80,000 ex GST for slab works on job 214. Claims 1 and 2 already total $55,000 ex GST. Claim 3 arrives for $30,000 ex GST.
| Line | Amount | What the check finds |
|---|---|---|
| Claim 3 slab pour, level 2 | $30,000.00 | Claim brings the total to $85,000, which is $5,000 over the order |
| Retention held at 5% | -$1,500.00 | Matches the retention rate on the order, so this line is fine |
Claims to date now pass the order value by $5,000. The claim goes to the project manager to confirm a signed variation before it is approved.
Common mistakes
- Matching each claim to the full order value instead of the balance left after earlier claims.
- Paying a variation line because the work was done on site, with no signed variation order behind it.
Step-by-step guides for Sage 300 CRE
- How to match a vendor invoice to a purchase order in Sage 300 CRE
- How to handle a partial delivery against a purchase order in Sage 300 CRE
- How to set a price tolerance on purchase order matching in Sage 300 CRE
What Pulsify adds
Pulsify matches each bill line to a commitment line and flags extra quantity, a different price or lines not on the commitment. Pulsify connects to Sage 300 CRE. We set up the connection for you. More about PO matching in Pulsify or Pulsify for builders.
More help
- PO matching in Sage 300 for builders
- PO matching in Sage Intacct for builders
- PO matching in Dynamics 365 Finance for builders
- Invoice approvals in Sage 300 CRE for builders
- Line item coding in Sage 300 CRE for builders
- Invoice fraud checks in Sage 300 CRE for builders
- Duplicate invoice checks in Sage 300 CRE for builders
- All Sage 300 CRE how-to guides
Sources
Last checked 2026-10-19.
- us-kb.sage.com/portal/app/portlets/results/viewsolution.jsp?solutionid=223924850045770&hypermediatext=null
- docs.sage.com/docs/en/customer/300cre/25/open/ReleaseNotesAcctMgmt_25.pdf
- www.nsw.gov.au/housing-and-construction/compliance-and-regulation/security-of-payment/responding-to-a-payment-claim
- www.qld.gov.au/securityofpayment
Common questions
Which payable account does a Sage 300 CRE subcontract invoice use?
The Commitment Payable account in AP Settings > GL Entry Settings, when the invoice is applied to a Subcontract commitment. Purchase order commitments use the PO Payable account. Where an account is blank, Sage 300 CRE falls back to the Accounts Payable account.
Can I match a progress claim to a subcontract order?
Yes. Match it against the order's remaining balance, not its total. Each claim should be checked against the value claimed to date, any approved variations and the retention rate agreed in the subcontract.
Does Sage 300 CRE do three-way match?
Sage 300 CRE has no receipt based three-way match in base Accounts Payable. Invoices are applied to a purchase order or subcontract commitment and checked against its total.
Pulsify setup guides
Want this done for you?
Book a call to see how Pulsify handles PO matching in Sage 300 CRE for builders.