Common DA invoice errors, and how to spot each one
When a distributor's depletion allowance invoice and your deal lines refuse to tie, the cause is almost always one of eight patterns. Here is what each looks like, how to find it, and what to do about it.
None of these imply bad faith. Invoices are built from large sales systems, often exported and edited by hand, and small differences between the distributor's product names and yours are normal. The goal is to find the difference quickly and decide what to do, not to assume either side is wrong. If you need the background first, read what a depletion allowance is and the step-by-step reconciliation guide.
1. A mistyped price
What it looks like: one row priced far from every deal you run. For example, 30 cases of a product at $8.00 when every deal for it is between $35 and $42. At a DA of $7.80 those 30 cases are $234 of allowance that cannot land on any deal line.
How to spot it: after grouping the invoice by product, price and DA, sort the price column. Any price that belongs to no deal on file stands out. A missing digit or decimal (4.20 for 42.00) is the most common version.
What to do: confirm the correct price with the distributor and ask for a corrected row or note it on the approval. Do not quietly move the cases to the nearest deal; you would be approving a number the invoice does not show.
2. A rate a few cents off the deal
What it looks like: the invoice bills a product at DA 3.50, and your deal list has it at 3.55. Or 4.72 against 4.73, which is usually rounding.
How to spot it: the cases exist, the price matches, the flavor matches, but no line at that exact rate. The dollar difference is cases times the rate gap, which is small per case and adds up across a month.
What to do: separate rounding (a cent) from a real rate difference (five cents or more). Be careful: some deal lists hold two genuine tiers only five cents apart, so "close enough" is not a safe rule. Decide per line, and record the decision.
3. Product names that don't match
What it looks like: the invoice says "Tea" or "Raspberry Tea"; your deal list says "Iced Tea" and "Raspberry Iced Tea". Or the distributor abbreviates, truncates, or adds the brand name in a different place.
How to spot it: a deal line with zero cases while the invoice has an unplaced row at the same price and DA. On one real bill this single naming difference hid about $11,700 of cases.
What to do: map the name once and write it down. The same naming will be back next month.
4. Pack-size confusion: loose cans vs 4-packs
What it looks like: your deal list has the same flavor twice at the same price, once as a 24-1 (24 loose cans) and once as a 24-4 (six 4-packs). The invoice shows "6/4 pack" in one row and "24 loose" in another, or does not state the pack at all.
How to spot it: the same invoice total appears to fit two lines. If you key it on both, you have double counted.
What to do: read the pack from the invoice name wherever it is stated, and never let one invoice total fill two deal lines. When the invoice truly does not say, ask.
5. Variety packs split by flavor
What it looks like: your deal list has one variety pack line per brand and price tier. The invoice splits the variety pack into several products by flavor or theme.
How to spot it: several small unplaced rows at the variety pack's price and DA, and an empty variety pack line.
What to do: add every variety pack product for that brand at that price and DA into the one line, and make sure none of them were also keyed on a single-flavor line.
6. Duplicate deals
What it looks like: the same deal appears twice in your deal list with slightly different descriptions, for example "10+ MAR26" and "10+ MAR 2026", same product, price and DA.
How to spot it: two lines that are identical apart from the description.
What to do: put the cases on one line only and leave the copy empty. Flag the duplicate to whoever maintains your deals.
7. Credits and negative quantities
What it looks like: rows with negative cases, from returns, corrections or re-bills of an earlier month.
How to spot it: filter the cases column for anything below zero before you build totals.
What to do: keep them in the totals so the net matches the invoice, but note any credit that refers to a previous period so it is not double counted against that month.
8. A deal that isn't on file
What it looks like: invoice rows at a price and DA combination that matches no deal line at all, for example a product sold at a rate your brand never set up for that distributor.
How to spot it: it survives every check above. It is still unplaced after names, packs, rates and variety packs are handled.
What to do: find out whether the deal was approved and just not entered, or not approved. Either way it needs a decision from someone, not a guess.
A quick triage order
- Confirm the invoice's own total adds up (cases times DA across all rows).
- Group by product, price and DA.
- Look for prices that match no deal (error 1).
- Match names, packs and variety packs (errors 3, 4, 5).
- List what is left: rate differences (2), duplicates (6), credits (7), missing deals (8).
Depletion Reconciler runs this triage for you. Its totals check compares what the invoice says with what Tradeparency will calculate, and lists every invoice row not on a line and every rate difference. It handles pack sizes, variety packs and small rate differences, never fills one invoice total into two lines, and asks once when it cannot tell. Use the month-end DA checklist to keep the steps in order.
Try it on the sample files
The sample files include planted errors like these, a mistyped price and a product with no deal line, so you can see the totals check find them.
Tradeparency is a trademark of its owner. Depletion Reconciler is an independent tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Tradeparency or Andavi Solutions.