Supplier onboarding
Also called Vendor setup
The paperwork a new customer needs before it will pay you: vendor forms, tax documents, bank details and portal registration.
Before your first invoice can be paid, the buyer's procurement or AP team has to set you up as a vendor. That usually means a vendor form, a W-9 or local tax equivalent, bank account verification, insurance certificates and registering on their supplier portal.
Delays here don't show up in most AR reports, because nothing is overdue yet, but they push back the first payment on every new account.
Related terms
- W-9 formA US IRS form a supplier gives its customers to confirm its legal name and taxpayer identification number. Many AP teams won't pay without one.
- AP portalA buyer-run website, such as Coupa, Ariba or a retailer's own system, where suppliers must submit invoices and track their status to get paid.
- Customer master dataThe core record for each customer in the ERP: legal entity, billing and remit-to addresses, contacts, payment terms, tax details and credit limit.