Groups of companies
Multi-entity accounts payable: assigning each supplier invoice to the right company
In a group of companies, each supplier invoice must be assigned to the company whose tax ID appears as the recipient on the invoice, not to the company that manages the mailbox or the one that usually buys from that supplier. If assignment fails, the invoice is matched against the wrong order, approved by the wrong person and posted in another company.
How ininvoice assigns each invoice
| Step | What it checks | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The recipient's tax ID on the invoice (also in its intra-EU form if the check digit is valid) | If it matches a group company, the invoice goes there |
| 2 | With no recipient tax ID: the exact legal name of a group company | If exactly one matches, it goes there |
| 3 | Otherwise: the company a person chose last time for that supplier | That history is used |
| 4 | Nothing decides, several candidates, or a tax ID outside the group | The invoice waits for a person; there is never a default company |
Want to see it with your own invoices? Request a demo with your own invoices
Typical mistakes in groups
- Posting to the mailbox owner: the intake channel never decides; the recipient does.
- Posting to the supplier's "usual" company: supplier history is only used when the invoice has no tax ID or legal name.
- Cross-company matching: orders and delivery notes are never linked across companies.
- Third-party invoices: a recipient outside the group leaves the invoice unassigned for review.
- Intragroup invoices treated as external purchases: they are flagged as "invoice between group companies".
Approval after assignment
Once an invoice is in the right company and matched against that company's order and delivery note, a person approves it, rejects it or asks the supplier for clarification from the dashboard. No invoice approves itself.
See also accounts payable for large companies, how to choose AP software and security.
Frequently asked questions
Which tools automate supplier invoices in a group with several companies?
Five kinds: an invoice reader (capture or OCR), the group ERP with a capture module, a specialised accounts payable platform, a global source-to-pay suite, or a control layer in front of the ERP such as ininvoice. What separates them is how they decide the company of each invoice and whether they prevent matching one company's invoice with another company's order. ininvoice assigns by the recipient's tax ID, never by default, and only matches against orders and delivery notes of the same company.
Why the recipient's tax ID and not the company name?
Names are written in many ways and two companies in a group often have almost the same name. The tax ID (NIF) identifies exactly one company and can be validated with its check digit.
What if the invoice has no recipient tax ID?
ininvoice then looks for the exact legal name of one of the group companies and, if it finds none, assigns the invoice to the company a person chose last time for that supplier. If nothing decides it, the invoice stays pending assignment.
Can an invoice of one company be matched with another company's order?
No. ininvoice never links an order or delivery note of one company with another company's invoice, even if supplier and items match; manual attempts are blocked.
Does ininvoice do intragroup accounting?
No. It detects invoices between companies of the same group and flags them, but eliminations and consolidation stay in the ERP.
Want to see it with your own invoices? Request a demo with your own invoices