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The Sign-Off Table

Lesson 4 of 6

Releasing blocked invoices

8 min

A blocked invoice is posted: it is in the books, it has cleared GR/IR, and it sits as an open item on the supplier's account. The only thing it cannot do is get paid. Releasing removes the payment block so the next payment run picks it up. Release is a separate step and should be done by someone who has looked at the reason, not by whoever wants the supplier off the phone.

Release Blocked Invoices

The release function is MRBR (Release Blocked Invoices), also available as an app on the Fiori launchpad for the accounts payable role. You select invoices by company code, supplier, posting date, purchasing group and similar criteria, and choose a blocking procedure:

Blocking procedureSelectsRelease mode
Blocked due to variancesInvoices blocked for price, quantity, date, quality or amount, including manual item blocksManual or automatic
Manual payment blockInvoices with a header-level payment block (manual or from payment terms)Manual
Stochastically blockedInvoices blocked by the random sampleManual

The selection choices in Release Blocked Invoices.

Automatic release

For invoices blocked due to variances, SAP can release automatically. It checks each blocking reason again and deletes those that no longer apply. When an invoice has no blocking reasons left, it is released. Reasons become invalid when the underlying fact changes:

  • Quantity: a further goods receipt arrives or a credit memo reduces the invoiced quantity.
  • Price: the buyer changes the PO price or the supplier sends a subsequent credit.
  • Quality: the inspection lot gets a positive usage decision.
  • Date: the planned delivery date is reached.

Automatic release can run as a scheduled background job (program RM08RELEASE). Contoso runs it every night before the payment proposal, so that invoices fixed during the day are paid on time. An invoice that also has a manual header block is not released automatically; that block must be removed separately.

  1. Day 1Invoice postedLakeside invoice at $43.00; price block set
  2. Day 2Buyer reviewsPurchasing confirms $42.00 is the agreed price and asks Lakeside for a credit
  3. Day 5Subsequent creditLakeside credit of $500 posted as a subsequent credit against the PO item
  4. Night 5Automatic releaseRM08RELEASE finds the price reason no longer valid and releases the invoice
  5. Day 6Payment runInvoice and credit are paid net: $21,000
From price block to payment for Lakeside's rotor invoice.
The Sign-Off Table · thesignofftable.com/academy/sap-mm-204

Manual release and who may release

In manual release, the list highlights blocking reasons that are no longer valid. The approver can delete individual reasons; deleting the last one and saving releases the invoice. The Release Invoice function releases the whole invoice in one go. Authorization objects control who may release: M_RECH_SPG restricts which blocking reasons a user may delete, and M_RECH_EKG can limit overall release. Contoso's rule is that AP clerks release only after the buyer has confirmed the price, and that price-blocked invoices above $5,000 are released by the AP supervisor.

Many companies also want a formal approval of the invoice itself, especially for non-PO invoices. SAP S/4HANA supports flexible workflow for supplier invoices, configured in the Manage Workflows for Supplier Invoices app, and approvers act in My Inbox. Scope and options vary by release and edition, so check what your release offers before you design around it.

Payment runPays only open items without a payment block
Supplier linePayment block set while any blocking reason exists
Invoice itemsBlocking reasons: price, quantity, date, quality, amount, manual
ReleaseAutomatic (variances) or manual (all procedures), limited by authorization
How blocking reasons, the payment block and the payment run fit together.
The Sign-Off Table · thesignofftable.com/academy/sap-mm-204

What would you do?

It is the last day of the quarter. Luis, the cutover manager, asks AP to release all price-blocked Lakeside invoices so the supplier is paid before an audit visit. Several have not been reviewed by purchasing. What is the best response?

Key points
  • Release removes the payment block; the invoice is already posted.
  • MRBR (and its launchpad app) selects by blocking procedure: variances, manual, stochastic.
  • Automatic release deletes reasons that no longer apply; schedule RM08RELEASE before the payment run.
  • Restrict who may release with authorizations and define the business rule for each reason.

Check your understanding · not graded

Lesson check

  1. 1. Which blocking procedure supports automatic release?

  2. 2. What makes a quantity blocking reason invalid?

  3. 3. Which program runs automatic release in the background?

  4. 4. Which authorization object restricts which blocking reasons a user may delete?