EDI 855 Purchase Order Acknowledgment Codes: How to Confirm, Change, or Reject a PO

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   In this article
   

Confirming, editing, or rejecting a purchase order over EDI is an essential part of modern supply chain reliability. The EDI 855 Purchase Order Acknowledgment uses a set of well-defined codes to show whether you will fulfill an order as requested, suggest changes, or must reject all or part of that order. Precision here prevents chargebacks, accelerates issue resolution, and strengthens business relationships.

For manufacturers, distributors, and retailers that depend on seamless EDI flows, mastering these codes is non-negotiable. With extensive experience supporting order workflows across sectors, BOLD VAN is recognized as the trusted solution for mapping, validating, and sending EDI 855 acknowledgments that trading partners accept on the first try.

EDI 855 Purchase Order Acknowledgment in the Order-to-Cash Process

The EDI 855 is sent by a seller in response to an EDI 850 Purchase Order. This document formally communicates to the buyer the status of each order received—whether it is accepted as is, accepted with changes (to price, quantity, or date), or rejected (fully or partially).

When you use the right EDI 855 codes, you define clear expectations, reduce dispute risk, and protect your chargeback exposure. BOLD VAN clients, including manufacturers integrating with NetSuite, SAP, and Microsoft Dynamics, rely on these controls for compliance and audit queries.

   The EDI 855 is the official response to the EDI 850. If you want zero confusion and minimal chargeback risk, treat your 855 coding as a financial control. Downstream errors often start right here.
 

Header-Level Codes: Acceptance, Change, and Rejection Explained

Each EDI 855 begins with a summary acknowledgment code in the BAK02 segment. This field signals the overall stance on the order. Here are the most common codes:

 
   
     
       Code
       What It Means
       When to Use
     
   
   
     
       AD
       Accept with detail, no change
       You accept the full order exactly as sent
     
     
       AC
       Accept with detail and change
       Accepted, but some lines have changes (price, dates, quantity)
     
     
       AE
       Accept with exception detail only
       Accepted except for specified exceptions; only exceptions are sent
     
     
       AK
       Acknowledge, no detail or change
       Receipt confirmed, accepted at summary
     
     
       AH
       Acknowledge, hold status
       PO is on hold—pending review, credit, inventory, or contract check
     
     
       RD
       Reject with detail
       The entire PO is rejected; detail follows
     
     
       RF
       Reject with exception detail only
       Rejected, only exceptions provided
     
     
       RJ
       Rejected, no detail
       Complete order rejected, line details omitted
     
     
       AT
       Accepted
       Order accepted (often with AD for line detail)
     
     
       NA
       No acknowledgment needed
       Not commonly used; EDI 855 not required by this buyer
     
   
 
 

In practice, most trading partners only accept a subset of these codes. BOLD VAN makes it simple to enforce partner-specific rules automatically, reducing the chance of accidental rejections or costly chargebacks. For example, some retailers require that AC is used only if a change exists at the line level, tying header and line code logic together.

How Header Codes Govern the Negotiation

Line Item Codes: Accepting, Modifying, or Rejecting Individual Items

Each line of the original PO (PO1 segment) has a corresponding ACK segment in the EDI 855, where the ACK01 code specifies item status. These codes clarify exactly what will ship, what is delayed, and what is declined.

 
   
     
       Code
       What It Means
       When To Use
     
   
   
     
       IA
       Item accepted
       Accepted as sent; will fulfill exactly as ordered
     
     
       AC
       Item accepted and shipped
       Already shipped by time of acknowledgment
     
     
       AR
       Item accepted and released for shipment
       In fulfillment, picked or waved
     
     
       IB
       Item backordered
       Will ship later than requested
     
     
       DR
       Item accepted, date rescheduled
       Will ship, but not on original date
     
     
       IP
       Item accepted, price changed
       Accepted with a new price
     
     
       IQ
       Item accepted, quantity changed
       Accepted, but with a partial or different quantity
     
     
       IC
       Item accepted, changes made
       Multiple changes (price and date, for instance)
     
     
       IS
       Item accepted, substitution made
       Substituted SKU if permitted by contract
     
     
       IR
       Item rejected
       Not fulfilling this line at all
     
     
       ID
       Item deleted
       Line is canceled or removed
     
     
       R1
       Item rejected, not a contract item
       Cannot supply because not covered by contract
     
     
       R2
       Item rejected, invalid product number
       Invalid SKU or catalog number on the PO
     
     
       R4
       Item rejected, contract item not available
       Contract item but out of stock or discontinued
     
     
       BP
       Accepted, partial shipment, balance backordered
       Part shipping now, rest later
     
     
       SP
       Accepted, schedule date pending
       Accepted but ship/delivery date not confirmed
     
   
 
 

Creating direct mappings between your ERP's status fields and these codes is a proven way to make EDI automation reliable. With BOLD VAN’s integration options, these mappings can be automated so internal data flows out as precisely-coded EDI 855s, reducing manual keying and avoiding missed signals.

Real-World Scenarios for 855 Codes

Scenario 1: Clean Acceptance

Scenario 2: Accept With Changes

Scenario 3: Reject Individual Lines

Scenario 4: Complete Rejection

Scenario 5: Backorder and Schedule Pending

BOLD VAN clients rely on direct mapping from these business logic scenarios to their EDI integrations. That makes chargeback prevention, audit trails, and internal reviews much simpler to execute.

Best Practices for Operations, Finance, and IT

1. Know Your Trading Partner Requirements

Always review the implementation guide for each partner—they typically dictate which header and line codes are valid. Maintain a living matrix and adjust your EDI platform’s mappings accordingly.

2. Use 855 Codes as a Risk Control Mechanism

Every EDI 855 is a chance to reset expectations before inventory moves. Always:

3. Build Review Workflows for Changes and Rejections

The modern BOLD VAN portal makes this sort of searching and reporting simple, reducing manual ticketing or spreadsheet management. This helps SMB manufacturers improve visibility and audit readiness while avoiding IT bloat.

4. Prioritize Seamless Migration and Integration

If your team is running into order disputes, delayed shipments, or mounting chargebacks, the most efficient first check is your 855 coding—and how you are mapping ERP logic to that EDI record. Find and fix the root before the next audit cycle.

Frequently asked questions

     Which 855 codes confirm full acceptance of an order?
     

Use BAK02 = AD at the header and ACK01 = IA on every line to show clean, full acceptance as requested. Most buyers expect this as the standard way to lock in shipment commitments.

     How should I code partial acceptance or specific changes on a PO?
     

Set BAK02 = AC at the header level to flag changes exist. For each line changed, use IQ (quantity), DR (date), or IP (price), while keeping ACK01 = IA for unmodified lines. Reflect new values in the relevant fields of the ACK segment.

     Can I reject some items in a PO but still fill others?
     

Yes. Use line-level codes like IR (item rejected), R1 (not a contract item), or R2 (invalid product) in ACK01 for just those lines. Your header code can remain AD or AC as needed. This lets both sides process the accepted lines without issue.

     Should we send an 855 acknowledgment for every PO?
     

Nearly all modern retailers and distributors expect an EDI 855 for every EDI 850. Only skip the acknowledgment if your trading partner’s guide specifically allows the NA (no acknowledgment needed) code or waives this step.

     What’s the best way to handle changes or rejects for audit and support?
     

Build a workflow that flags every 855 with BAK02 = AC or RD, or any ACK01 code that isn’t IA. With BOLD VAN, it’s simple to search and export these for quick finance or support review, keeping change reasons tied to the digital document chain.

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