Missing Invoice: How to Request a Copy From a Supplier

A missing invoice from a supplier is more than an admin nuisance. Without it you cannot approve the payment properly, your books show a gap, and in VAT or GST systems you may not be able to reclaim the tax. The fix is usually simple: ask the supplier for a copy of the original invoice, with the same number and date, and give them enough detail to find it in seconds. This guide gives you request templates, the checks to run first and the tax points to know.

First, check it is really missing

Before emailing the supplier, spend five minutes on these checks. Invoices are more often misfiled than unsent.

• Search every inbox it might have gone to: the buyer, a shared AP inbox, a former employee's account, and spam folders.
• Search by supplier name, amount and PO number, not only by "invoice".
• Check your AP system and supplier portal for an invoice entered under a different supplier name.
• Look at the supplier's statement, if you have one, to see which invoices they think they issued.
• Check whether it was already paid, so you do not create a duplicate payment.

Many missing invoices surface during vendor statement reconciliation, when the supplier's statement lists an invoice that is not in your ledger.

What to include in your request

Detail	Example	Why
Your company name and account number	Harbor Media Group LLC, account HM-0042	Lets them find your account
Invoice number, if known	BIT-4471	Fastest search
PO number	PO-2215	Ties it to an approved order
Delivery or service date	30 October 2026	Narrows the search
Approximate amount	About USD 2,760.00	Confirms the right document
Format needed	PDF copy of the original	Avoids a new invoice number
Where to send it	ap@company.example	Stops it going missing again

Email templates to request a missing invoice

1. Invoice number known

Subject: Copy request: invoice BIT-4471 (account HM-0042)

Hello Brightline accounts team,
We have no record of receiving invoice BIT-4471, which appears on your statement dated 31 October. Could you please send a PDF copy of the original invoice, with the same number and date, to ap@company.example? Once received, we will process it for payment straight away.
Thank you,
Ellie Grant, Accounts Payable, Harbor Media Group LLC

2. Invoice number unknown

Hello,
We received your delivery against PO-2215 on 30 October (4 laptops and setup), but we have not received an invoice for it. Could you check whether one has been issued and, if so, send a copy to ap@company.example? If it has not been issued yet, please send the invoice when ready, quoting PO-2215.
Many thanks,
Ellie

3. Several invoices missing: request a statement

Hello Atlas accounts team,
We are reconciling our account with you (account AT-118) and think some invoices may not have reached us. Could you send a statement of account from 1 July to 31 October 2026 and copies of any invoices on it that are still open? Our ledger currently shows a balance of USD 21,450.00.
Regards,
Ellie

4. Copy needed for VAT, original lost on our side

Hello,
We have mislaid our copy of your VAT invoice CF-0921, dated 7 November 2026, for GBP 1,380.00 including VAT. Could you please send a copy of the original for our VAT records? We have already paid this invoice, so no further payment is due.
Thank you,
Accounts Payable

5. Second request

Hello,
Following up on my email of 12 November, we still need a copy of invoice BIT-4471 to process payment. It is now holding up our payment run. Could you send it today, or let me know the best person to contact? This is our second request.
Ellie

6. Freelancer or small supplier who has not billed

Hi Maya,
Thanks for the illustrations delivered on 4 November. I do not think we have received your invoice for them yet. Could you send it over when you have a moment, quoting PO-2290, so we can include it in this month's payments?
Ellie

Missing invoices and VAT: the UK example

For VAT-registered UK businesses, the VAT invoices you receive are the primary evidence for recovering VAT, and HMRC says you must normally issue a VAT invoice within 30 days of the date of supply (VAT Notice 700/21). If you cannot get a valid invoice, HMRC's internal guidance says it may accept alternative evidence, such as supplier statements and proof of payment and delivery, but it expects you to have asked the supplier for the invoice first and to show genuine attempts that failed (HMRC VIT31200).

That is why the request emails above matter: they are your record of trying. Similar logic applies in other VAT and GST systems, where a valid tax invoice is generally needed to claim input tax credit. This is general information, not tax advice; check with an accountant for your situation.

Missing supplier invoices in other situations

Businesses not registered for VAT or GST: the tax point is less pressing, but you still need the invoice as evidence for the expense in your accounts and to support your income tax or corporation tax figures. A bank statement shows that you paid, but not what you bought.

GST systems such as India: claiming input tax credit generally depends on holding a valid tax invoice and on the supplier reporting it in its own returns, so a missing invoice can also signal a supplier filing problem. Ask for the copy and check that the invoice appears in your purchase records.

US businesses: there is no federal VAT, but supplier invoices support expense deductions and sales tax treatment, and AP teams need them to match payments. If the supplier is an independent contractor, make sure you also have a W-9 on file.

Foreign suppliers: invoices may arrive in another language or format. Ask for a copy in a format your accountant can use, and confirm the currency and any tax shown.

Worked example: catching a missing invoice in reconciliation

Invoice	Supplier statement	Our ledger	Difference
AG-5490	8,200.00	8,200.00	0.00
AG-5505	4,650.00	4,650.00	0.00
AG-5512	3,150.00	Not recorded	3,150.00
AG-5516	8,600.00	8,600.00	0.00
Total	24,600.00	21,450.00	3,150.00

The statement total is 8,200 + 4,650 + 3,150 + 8,600 = 24,600.00, and the ledger shows 21,450.00. The 3,150.00 gap is invoice AG-5512, so you request a copy of AG-5512 specifically, as in template 3.

Who to ask at the supplier

Send copy requests to the supplier accounts receivable or billing team, not your sales contact, who may not have access to the billing system. If you do not know the address, the supplier statement or an earlier invoice usually shows it. For small suppliers and freelancers, the owner is usually the right person. Copy your buyer or project contact only if they can confirm the order details. Keep the subject line specific, with the invoice or PO number, so it is easy to find when the copy arrives.

Step by step: from missing invoice to payment

1. Run the checks above to confirm it is genuinely missing and unpaid.
2. Request a copy using the right template, sent to the supplier's accounts address.
3. Diary a follow-up for five working days later.
4. When the copy arrives, check it: same number and date as the statement, correct amount, matched to the PO. Our guide to checking a supplier invoice before paying lists every check.
5. Mark it as a copy in your system so it is not entered twice. See duplicate invoice copies for how copies should be labelled.
6. Acknowledge and pay; an invoice received acknowledgement email closes the loop with the supplier.
7. Prevent a repeat: give suppliers one invoice address as part of your accounts payable process.

Mistakes to avoid

• Asking for "a new invoice", which may produce a second number and a double charge.
• Paying from memory without any document.
• Accepting a copy with different bank details without verifying the change by phone using a number you already hold.
• Not keeping your requests, which you may need as evidence for tax purposes.
• Waiting until year-end to chase missing invoices, when suppliers are busiest.
• Chasing by phone only, which leaves no written record of your request and no clear note of what the supplier promised to send, or when.

On the other side of the relationship, if a client asks you for a copy of your invoice, you can recreate it quickly in our invoice generator, keep the original number and date, and send a PDF free with no sign-up.