SAP F-32 — Clear Customer
A customer in SAP is someone who owes you money. When you invoice them the invoice sits open; when they pay, the payment sits open too. F-32 is where you say which payment settles which invoice.
This matters more than it sounds. Until items are cleared, your aged debt report shows both the invoice and the payment as outstanding, and credit control chases customers who have already paid.
F-32 is the customer version of F-03. F-44 is the same screen for vendors. The mechanics are identical — the only thing that changes is which account type you are matching.
When you would actually use F-32
- A customer payment arrived and needs allocating to specific invoices.
- A credit note should be netted against an outstanding invoice.
- Cleaning up an aged debt report full of items that actually offset.
- A payment was allocated wrongly and, after FBRA, needs re-matching.
What the screen looks like
| Document | Type | Doc. Date | Amount EUR | Cash discount | Assigned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000008812 | RV | 02.07.2026 | 3,600.00 | 0.00 | 3,600.00 |
| 1000008901 | DZ | 28.07.2026 | 3,600.00- | 0.00 | 3,600.00- |
| 1000008745 | RV | 15.06.2026 | 910.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
The fields, in plain English
KNA1-KUNNRThe customer number whose items you are matching. As with vendors, the customer must be extended to the company code you name.
BSEG-UMSKZA single character marking items held outside normal receivables — most often A for a down payment. Leave it blank for ordinary invoices and receipts.
Watch out: A customer down payment will not appear in the normal list. If a payment seems to be missing, it is often sitting as a special G/L item.
BSEG-WSKTOIf the customer paid early under the payment terms, SAP proposes the discount so the reduced payment still clears the full invoice.
Watch out: When a payment is short by a small amount, check whether it is a legitimate early-settlement discount before treating it as a shortfall.
Two ways to handle an underpayment. A **partial payment** leaves the original invoice fully open and records the payment against it. A **residual item** clears the original and creates a new open item for the remaining balance.
Watch out: This choice changes the ageing. A residual item resets the age of the debt to today; a partial payment keeps the original date. Credit control usually cares which you picked.
Step by step
- 1Enter the customer account, company code and clearing date.
- 2Click "Process open items".
- 3Deactivate everything, then activate only the invoice and the payment that belong together.
- 4Check "Not assigned" reaches 0.00.
- 5If the payment is short, decide deliberately between partial payment and residual item on the relevant tab.
- 6Post. Both items now carry the clearing document number.
Errors you will hit, and what they mean
Posting is only possible with a zero balance
Why: Selected items do not offset — commonly an underpayment or an unapplied discount.
Fix: Either use the cash discount field, or handle the difference explicitly as a residual item or partial payment.
No open items found for account 200417
Why: Everything is already cleared, or the items are special G/L and you left that field blank.
Fix: Check in FBL5N with All items, and try the relevant special G/L indicator.
Clearing across company codes not permitted
Why: The invoice and payment sit in different entities and cross-company clearing is not configured.
Fix: Clear within each company code, or raise the cross-company clearing configuration as a design question rather than forcing it.
Common questions
What is the difference between F-32 and F-28?
F-28 POSTS an incoming payment and clears it in one step — use it when the money arrives. F-32 only clears items that are already posted. If the receipt is already in the ledger, F-32 is the one you want.
What clears vendors instead of customers?
F-44, Clear Vendor. Identical screen and logic.
Should I use a residual item or a partial payment for a short payment?
Partial payment when you expect the rest shortly and want to preserve the original invoice age. Residual when the balance is a new, separate debt to chase. It is a business decision, not a technical one.
Transactions that go with F-32
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