Field note
Vendor credits that never clear
Open credits are polite ghosts: everyone knows they exist, few can say which property still owns them.
Multi-property groups often post credits at the purchasing entity while consumption happens elsewhere. Financial auditing for hospitality expense governance has to follow that mismatch. Export aging for credits older than 45 days, then match each line to a purchase order, a receiving note, and—if relevant—a banquet event code.
Ask AP for the last chase note, not just the balance. Silence is a finding. If the vendor confirms the credit but your GL still shows it open, decide whether to apply, reclass, or write off with owner visibility. Document who approved the decision.
A simple weekly ritual helps: controllers rotate “credit office hours” for thirty minutes, clearing the oldest five items. Cloudflowpro cohorts that adopted this habit reduced stale credits without hiring extra staff—mostly by refusing to let the list grow between closes.
Do not treat every credit as fraud risk. Many are timing. Your workpaper should separate confirmed timing delays from unexplained balances so leadership can prioritize.