---
title: "Exception: definition | Rex glossary"
description: "Any case that leaves the standard path, such as a short payment, a portal rejection, a disputed line or a missing PO, and needs investigating before it can be resolved."
canonical: https://www.rex.inc/glossary/exception
---

# Exception

Any case that leaves the standard path, such as a short payment, a portal rejection, a disputed line or a missing PO, and needs investigating before it can be resolved.

Most order-to-cash volume is routine, but most of the effort goes into exceptions, and they're where cash gets stuck. An invoice can't be paid until the PO is fixed; a payment can't be applied until the remittance is found.

Rules-based automation tends to hand exceptions back to people, because handling them needs context: the customer, the history and the policy that applies. Rex identifies and works the exceptions that delay payment.

## Related terms

- [Robotic process automation (RPA) Software bots that repeat scripted steps in other applications, such as clicking, copying and pasting, exactly as they were configured.](https://www.rex.inc/glossary/robotic-process-automation)
- [Context graph A connected record of the people, documents, decisions and history around each customer and transaction, giving people and agents the full picture behind the numbers.](https://www.rex.inc/glossary/context-graph)
- [Short payment When a customer pays less than the full invoice amount, leaving a balance that needs to be explained, accepted or collected.](https://www.rex.inc/resources/glossary/what-is-a-short-payment)
- [Invoice dispute A customer's objection to an invoice, for example to its price, quantity, terms or delivery, that holds up payment until it's resolved.](https://www.rex.inc/glossary/invoice-dispute)

Next step

Accelerate your receivables operation with Rex

A short walkthrough of agents working your accounts under your guardrails, with your team on the exceptions.

[Learn more](https://www.rex.inc/learn-more)

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