What is a clearing document?
A clearing document is an accounting record associated with settling or offsetting one or more open items. It shows that the selected transactions have been cleared and provides information that can be used to trace how and when the clearing took place.
A clearing document may be created through a posting that clears existing open items, or through a clearing process that links items which already balance. The exact document behaviour depends on the transaction and account type.
What information does a clearing document provide in SAP?
Clearing information normally allows a user to identify:
- Which customer, vendor or G/L items were cleared
- The clearing document number
- The clearing date
- Any new posting created during the clearing transaction
- The user and process responsible for the clearing
- Payment differences, residual items or write-offs associated with the transaction
This creates a link between the original open items and the accounting action that settled them.
When is a clearing document created?
A clearing document can result from several processes, including:
- Clearing an incoming customer payment against invoices
- Clearing a vendor payment against supplier items
- Matching and clearing offsetting G/L entries
- Automatic clearing through SAP
- Posting with clearing
Example: A £10,000 customer payment is matched with five invoices totalling £10,000. When the items are cleared, SAP records clearing information against the payment and invoices so they can be traced as one completed clearing transaction.
What happens when clearing is reset?
If a clearing was incorrect, an authorised user can reset it. Resetting removes the clearing relationship so the affected transactions become open again. Depending on how the clearing was posted, the related clearing document may also need to be reversed.
Resetting clearing should be controlled because it changes the status of previously settled items and can affect customer, vendor or G/L balances.
How does automated clearing affect clearing documents?
Whether items are cleared manually, through standard SAP or using an SAP add-on, the resulting accounting must remain traceable in SAP.
The BEST Open Item Clearing module identifies and clears eligible open items in bulk within SAP. It uses SAP-standard clearing and retains the relevant SAP document trail. This allows users to review the cleared items and investigate exceptions without moving the process to an external system.
Frequently asked questions
Is a clearing document the same as a payment document?
Not always. A payment posting can act as the clearing document when it clears existing items, but clearing can also take place without a new payment.
Can a clearing document be deleted?
Posted accounting documents are not normally deleted. Incorrect clearing is reset and, where required, the relevant document is reversed through an authorised SAP process.
Why does a clearing document matter during reconciliation?
It provides evidence of how and when open items were settled. This supports investigation, reconciliation and audit review.