Error Reports/Administrative Message
  • Loblaws sends out administrative messages when an invoice has passed EDI validation, but has been rejected at the business end. This is a business rejection, NOT AN EDI rejection, therefore it is the supplier's responsibility to interpret the errors and react to any such rejections. Any business related rejections will not be processed. Using the information on the SPS website as well as information from Loblaws, we've compiled a list of possible errors and how to resolve them.

  • Loblaws EDI department cannot help you with these errors because they are not EDI errors. This means that their EDI system accepted the invoice, but their finance/business department rejected it.

  • Suppliers must review and, if applicable, correct and retransmit documents for which these rejections were issued. The supplier must wait until a 24 hours has elapsed before retransmitting the corrected document.

  • It is imperative that only charges or allowances listed in the software are submitted at item level. Charges or allowances transmitted that are not on the list will not be recognized by Loblaws and may cause them to reject the invoice. The tax verification component in Loblaw’s system has been programmed to expect any of the allowance codes to reduce the pre-taxable amount of an item and any of the charge codes to increase the pre-taxable amount of an item.

  • Invoices should balance, however invoices will not be rejected if they fall in a 1% tolerance or less than a $1 difference.

  • In order to correct and retransmit invoices, they cannot be in "sent" status. Restore the invoice by clicking on Restore so that the status changes to New. Correct the invoice, save the changes and resend. You will find specific information on restoring/editing/resending here.

Error Message Description of Error Action to take / How to resolve the problem
AMOUNT IN THE SUM SEGMENT IS NOT MATCHING TO CALCULATED AMOUNT
  • An invoice was transmitted with detail calculations not matching or equaling the summary total.

    Note: The Faxinating Solutions software warns you when your totals do not balance. If you bypass the error and send your invoice anyway, you will get this type of rejection from Loblaws unless your total is off by a under a dollar. Loblaws accepts a discrepancy of $0.99 or less. This is indicated in the Loblaws Business Rules.
  1. Each of the following must be verified as any of these can cause this error. For DSD, only retransmit if within 7 days of the delivery.
    1. Line item taxes are not = to total summary taxes. Manually add the line item tax amounts and verify they equal the total tax amount at summary level.
    2. Verify that no allowances/charges are being transmitted. Allowances or charges for Direct to Store invoices must be included in the item cost amount.
    3. Verify that Registration Fees are being transmitted at the item level.
    4. Bottle deposits and the ecology tax must be transmitted at item level in the allowance/charge section. Verify that a charge is used for the Bottles left at the store and an allowance is used for bottles picked up from the store.
    5. Verify that no credits for returned products are being transmitted. Credits should be sent as using the Lobaws DSD Credit module.
  2. If a, b, c, d and e are correct then calculate that the total invoice is correct by doing the following:
    1. Multiply each item quantity by item cost.
    2. Add bottle returns and ecology tax.
    3. Add registration fees.
    4. Add total taxes (after you confirmed that item taxes equal the total tax amount).
Note: Loblaws is unable to assist you further other than what is provided as Action Required. The error is not caused by Loblaws system or Faxinating Solutions.
BAD INVOICE DATE
    An invoice is future dated by more than 48 hours or has an invalid date format.
    Correct the invoice and retransmit.
CANCELLED OR INVALID PO #
  • An invalid purchase order number was transmitted.
  • The PO # does not exist in Loblaws' system or PO was cancelled.
  • For a DSD invoice, the supplier needs to ensure that the PO is 10 digits maximum and that they have filled in the correct PO # and ship-to store number and then retransmit; otherwise the system assumes this is a warehouse invoice.
  • Only retransmit if within 7 days of delivery.
CHARGE CODE USED NOT AUTHORIZED
    The charge code chosen is not recognized or is not authorized.
  1. Ensure that you are authorized to use this charge.
  2. Choose the correct code description from the list in the software or if you are importing, choose the correct code from the list in the Import File Format.
  3. Retransmit invoice with the correct code / description.
CUSTOMER IS BLOCKED
    The customer is no longer affiliated with Loblaw.
CUSTOMER NOT FOUND
    The ship-to store number entered on the invoice is invalid.
  1. If it was entered incorrectly, fix it and resend the invoice.

  2. If Loblaws has changed the number, contact Faxinating to ensure we have the number in our database before you resend, or your invoice will get rejected. Click here for the procedure.
DEPARTMENT NUMBER NOT FOUND/NOT VALID An invoice / credit was transmitted with a department number that:
  • is not valid for the category to which they sell.
  • the supplier does not have authorization to sell to that dept.
  • or other reasons... (i.e.: SAP account errors)
Suppliers can find useful information about dept. numbers here.
  • You can access the department number list on the SPS website.
  • If your invoice was rejected, but you used the same department # that appears on the PO, contact your Loblaw Category Representative.
  • To find out of you are authorized to sell to a specific dept., contact CDMVendorSetup@Loblaw.ca.
DUPLICATE INVOICE NUMBER
  • A duplicate occurred and the initial invoice was processed.
  • The delivery occurred more than 7 days ago. Loblaw has processed a non-EDI payment based on the goods receipt created by the store.
  • If it is a duplicate then no additional action is required.
  • If an incorrect invoice number was used then correct the document and retransmit.

    As per Loblaws’ policy, the same invoice number cannot not be reused during the current year or within the previous full calendar year.
DUPLICATE TAX CODES FOR THE LINE ITEM
    Invoice transmitted with more than one occurrence of GST/HST for the same item.
    Check each line item and the corresponding tax charge or allowance which will be found in Allowance/Charge section. Every allowance/charge segment should contain only one of the following codes per line item and at summary level. DSD invoices can only be retransmitted if within 7 days of delivery.
ENTER VALID SITE NUMBER
    The store number sent on invoice is not consistent with store number on the PO.
  • If you made a typo, fix the store number and resend the invoice. If not, you can access the Loblaws’ Store number list on the SPS Portal to obtain and correct the store. Retransmit only if within 7 days of delivery.
  • Store numbers must be 5 numeric characters in length. If a store number is 899, enter 00899.
GST AMOUNT DISCREPANCY
    Loblaws EDI and SPS have no info on this error.
INVALID TAX CODE 501
  • Backhaul / crossdock with incorrect tax code.
  • PST should not be charged (other than QST for Quebec).
INVALID SHIPMENT DATE
  • The shipment date is not consistent with the expected delivery date.
  • Validate if the PO number that is referenced is correct.

  • Ensure that the delivery date is correct.
INVALID TAX REG NUMBER
  • Your tax registration number(s) are not found in Loblaws' master file.

  • They were expecting another (or a different) tax and you did not enter it so the tax code was not sent and/or the wrong tax code was sent.
  • Contact Loblaws to resolve this issue: Vendor.inquiry@Loblaw.ca.

  • If the problem was that you were sending invalid tax reg. codes, once Loblaws confirms that everything is okay, send these numbers by email to Faxinating so that we may change the tax numbers we have in your account match exactly what Loblaws has.
 Once Faxinating confirms, you can resend the invoice(s).
INVALID UPC
    The UPC transmitted on invoice does not match UPC on PO.
  • DSD vendors should not retransmit the invoice. The invoice will be short paid for this item. You will receive an 812 (Debit/Credit Adjustment) related to this error.
  • Refer back to UPC on PO. If in disagreement contact the applicable Loblaw Category Department.
INVALID VENDOR
    The vendor on invoice does not match the vendor on the PO.
  1. Validate that the correct PO number has been referenced on the invoice.
  2. If the correct PO number has been referenced, reach out to CCS_Maintenance@loblaw.ca for further details.
INVOICE CONTAINS BOTTLE DEPOSIT FOR ARTICLES NOT RELEVANT FOR INVOICE #
    A validation is done on ecology fees and bottle deposit against the PO issued.
INVOICE DATE IS NOT IN THE SPECIFIED RANGE An invoice was transmitted which:
  1. contains a delivery date 30 days prior to the transmission date .
  2. is future dated by more than 48 hours.
  1. If the invoice delivery date is more than 30 days old then the supplier should contact: vendor.inquiry@loblaw.ca to determine the next course of action.
  2. If the delivery date is future dated, wait until the actual delivery date before retransmitting.
MANDATORY VALUES MISSING FOR VARIABLE WEIGHT LINE...
    Loblaws requires the pack quantity, pack size and pack UOM for variable weight items.
    Chances are you are getting this error because you only entered the pack quantity. Go into each item that has variable weight and enter the missing data in the applicable fields. See example here.

    Note: If Loblaws said line 4 is missing data - line 4 would mean the 4th item on the invoice. This error doesn't mean that only that only line 4 is wrong. Check them all or you could end up with yet another rejection.
PO # IS ALREADY INVOICED WITH REF & DATE
  • This error is triggered when a purchase order is created at the store at the time of delivery and the payment is systematically generated based on the quantity/article received. Payment already posted for this PO number. Loblaw will only accept one invoice for each PO.

  • The delivery occurred more than 7 days ago. Loblaw has processed a non-EDI payment based on the goods receipt created by the store.
  1. If this is a duplicate transmission, no further action required.

  2. If this a DSD invoice and current date is past 7 days from delivery, no further action is required.

  3. If this is a correction to the original invoice transmitted, please contact vendor.inquiry@loblaw.ca.
PO NUMBER IS MISSING
    You sent an invoice without a PO number. Suppliers who are invoicing SAP converted stores or who receive POs via EDI must indicate the PO number and date on the invoice.
  1. If you simply forgot to enter the PO number and date, do so now and resend the invoice.

  2. Delivery to SAP stores: Until you are setup to receive POs via EDI, ask the store for a PO number at the time of delivery. When you have this number, enter it and the PO date in their respective fields and resend the invoice.
    Exception - VMI DSD suppliers only: If no PO number received, enter the invoice date for PO number and the invoice date for PO date.

  3. If you don't have a PO number and want to know how you will get paid for these rejected invoices, speak to your Loblaw Accounts payable representative by contacting reception at 905-459-2500. You should ask for the extension of your Accounts Payable Representative and give the specific delivery type (DSD), product type (Grocery, General Merchandise, Meat, or Produce), and also your company name.

  4. To find out how why you are not receiving POs via EDI and how to start receiving them this way, send an email to Supply Chain Store Support @ SupplyChainStoreSupport@loblaw.ca. Give them your company name, supplier number or SAP number, and tell them that the EDI flag is enabled in SAP so why are you not receiving POs via EDI?
QST BUT THE PROVINCE IS NOT QUEBEC
    An invoice was transmitted for a store outside the Province of Quebec, but contained QST.
    Check the province of the store that is being invoiced. If the store is not in Quebec OR has not been cross-docked/picked up in Quebec, then there should not be a QST charge or allowance. Correct and retransmit the invoice only if within 7 days of delivery.
QST WITH NO GST FOR LINE NUMBER
    An invoice was transmitted with QST, but is missing a GST line for the same item.

    ** Take note: QST is calculated based on item cost plus GST amount, therefore both charges are applicable if invoicing a store in the Province of Quebec.
  1. Verify the province of the store that is being invoiced. If the store is in Quebec then correct the invoice by adding GST and retransmit only if within 7 days of delivery.

  2. If the invoice is for a location outside Quebec, remove the QST charge and ensure that the appropriate tax is applied. Retransmit only if within 7 days of delivery. Note: An item in a Quebec store may be only GST applicable. In this case, no rejection will be generated if only the GST is applied.
REJECTED DUPLICATE This error occurs when any of the following happens:
  1. If seven days pass after receiving of product, Loblaws system will automatically pay the invoice if the invoice isn’t received (or doesn’t come through correctly) via EDI.
  2. An invoice was transmitted twice within a 24 hour period.
  3. An invoice with this number was already received this year.
  1. To ensure you do not receive these errors, send your EDI invoice within 7 days.
  2. Never retransmit a rejected invoice in a 24-hour period. If you made an error and need to resend, wait 24 hours.
  3. As per Loblaws’ policy, invoice numbers should not be reused during a one year period.
SHIPMENT DATE FOR PO CANNOT BE VALIDATED
  • The shipment date is not consistent with the expected delivery date.
  • Validate if the PO number that is referenced is correct.

  • Ensure that the delivery date is correct.
TAX REGISTRATION NUMBER MISSING
    Tax registration is missing on invoice.


  • When you registered with Faxinating, you filled out a registration form that asked for your tax numbers. If you did not put those numbers on the form, this could be the cause of the rejection because when you send taxes on an invoice, Faxinating grabs the tax numbers from your account. Contact Faxinating via email and include those numbers. If we do not have them, we will add them. The numbers must match exactly to how Loblaws has them set up in their system or Loblaws will reject the invoices. Once we confirmed, you can resend.

  • Contact Loblaws if you tax registration numbers have changed. You must then contact Faxinating to give them the new numbers. Do not resend until Loblaws and Faxinating have confirmed the changes.
TAX VALUE EXCEEDS THE TOLERANCE
    The invoice transmitted with incorrect tax calculations for an item(s) after taking into consideration the province where the product was shipped plus any allowances/charges that may impact an items pre-tax amount. This rejection type will occur if any expected tax amounts for any item on the invoice is greater than our allowable 1% tolerance or $1 variance.
  1. Verify that you have selected the correct tax type i.e. HST or GST or QST. This enables validation of correct tax for item.

    • Cross-Dock: If the tax rate has been adjusted to reflect a location other than the purchasing DC, then verify that the “Ship To” Duns number includes the corresponding 2 digit number where the order is being routed through. Refer to Cross-Dock section for “Location Table” with further explanation and example. If the DC# on the purchase order is the same as the Ship to Duns number’s last 2 digits then continue onto to #2.

  2. Check the province of the store where the purchase order was shipped and ensure taxes were calculated at item level based on the appropriate tax rate for the specific province that Loblaw took possession of the product and by taking into consideration any charges/allowances that may increase or decrease the cost of the item before tax. These allowances and charges can be found in the Allowance/Charge section after each line item with one of the following codes listed below. These allowances / charges should not contain any decimals or negative signs. Obtain the subtotal of each line by taking the quantity shipped x the item’s cost minus or minus any of the allowances / charges shown below.

    • Allowances: Full Truckload, Warehouse, Trade Discount, Distribution Allowance ON, Freshness/Leaker, Swell, Pickup

    • Charges: Freight Charges, Ecology for West (increases the item’s pre-tax amount)

    • The following have no impact to item cost: Bottle deposit for West & Bottle deposit for Quebec/Atlantic.

  3. Retransmit document when corrected.
UPC NOT IN LOBLAWS' SYSTEM
    The UPC transmitted is not in Loblaws' system.
  • DSD vendors should not retransmit the invoice. The invoice will be short paid for this item. You will receive an 812 (Debit/Credit Adjustment) related to this error.
  • Review the UPC transmitted and ensure it is correct for future invoices.
  • Ensure that the item has been listed in article workflow with the correct UPC and a Loblaw article number has been obtained.
UPC NOT ON PO
    The UPC transmitted on invoice does not match UPC on PO.
  • DSD vendors should not retransmit the invoice. The invoice will be short paid for this item. You will receive an 812 (Debit/Credit Adjustment) related to this error.
  • Refer back to UPC on PO. If in disagreement contact the applicable Loblaw Category Department.
WRONG UNIT OF MEASURE ON INVOICE LINE NUMBER
    The unit of measure (UOM) at the line item level on your invoice does not match the UOM on the purchase order.

    * The line number with the error is displayed at the end of the message.
  • Correct the unit of measure to match the purchase order. DSD invoices can only retransmit if within 7 days of delivery.

  • To avoid this error, do not change the original UOM on the PO line when sending your invoice. The UOM used at Loblaw are the following: CA, EA,DP, KG, PL. For catch weight items, the UOM on the invoice is KG.