EDI 860 Purchase Order Change: What It Is and How to Handle It
The buyer changing an order they already sent: quantities, dates, ship-to, added or cancelled lines, or the whole order.
- Document
- X12 860: Purchase Order Change Request (Buyer Initiated)
- Sent by
- Buyer
- Sent to
- Supplier
- In NetSuite
- Changes to an existing sales order
(01)What it is
An 860 changes a purchase order after it has been sent. Buyers use it to add or cancel lines, change quantities or dates, move the ship-to location, or cancel the whole order. It refers back to the original PO number.
Changes are where suppliers most often get caught out, because the order may already be picked, packed or shipped. Some partners expect a reply to an 860, usually an 865, accepting or rejecting the change.
(02)What it carries
- 01The original PO number and a change sequence or date
- 02What kind of change: add, cancel, replace or change quantity, price or date
- 03The affected lines and their new values
- 04Header changes such as a new ship-to or a cancelled order
In plain language. Each trading partner’s implementation guide sets the exact fields it requires.
(03)Where it fits
Documents usually exchanged before and after the 860.
(04)In NetSuite
Apply an 860 to the existing NetSuite sales order, matched by the PO number, never as a new order. If the order is already partly fulfilled, the change needs a rule or a person to decide what happens to the lines that have shipped and the ones that haven’t; a quantity cut below what already shipped can’t simply be applied.
(05)Common mistakes
- 01Importing an 860 as a new sales order, so the buyer gets the original and the changed order.
- 02Applying a change to an order that already shipped, then sending an ASN and invoice that don’t match either version.
- 03Processing changes out of order when two 860s arrive close together.
(06)Questions
What is an EDI 860?
The EDI 860 is a buyer-initiated purchase order change: it modifies or cancels a purchase order (850) that was already sent.
Do I have to respond to an 860?
Some trading partners require a response, usually an 865 purchase order change acknowledgment; others only expect you to follow the change. Check the partner’s implementation guide.
(07)More ordering documents
- EDI 850Purchase OrderThe buyer’s order: what they want, how many, at what price, and where and when to ship it. It starts almost every EDI trading relationship.
- EDI 855Purchase Order AcknowledgmentThe supplier’s reply to an 850: accepted, changed or rejected, line by line, so the buyer knows what will actually ship.