F-47 — Vendor Down Payment Request
F-47 is used to create a noted-item request for a vendor down payment without posting an actual payable or payment. It is most useful when procurement or AP expects an advance payment to a supplier and needs it controlled before payment. Start with the exact organizational keys, business document and date, then reconcile the resulting SAP document or status before changing master data or configuration.
Verified practitioner reference for F-47 — Vendor Down Payment Request. The page covers purpose, when to use it, practical execution, the key business data to capture, how to prove the result, S/4HANA context, common mistakes, ownership and related SAP objects.
Published 19 Sept 2026· 608 words
Purpose
create a noted-item request for a vendor down payment without posting an actual payable or payment. Treat F-47 as one step in an end-to-end process. Values shown or posted here are usually driven by master data, organization, dates and preceding documents, so an accurate diagnosis starts by preserving those inputs rather than changing the symptom screen first.
When it is used
F-47 is typically used when procurement or AP expects an advance payment to a supplier and needs it controlled before payment. It is also valuable in project and regression testing because it provides a repeatable business state. In production, use the narrowest document or organizational selection that answers the question and capture the before-state before any posting, clearing or configuration change.
How to use it in practice
- Confirm the commercial approval for the supplier advance.
- Enter vendor, amount, dates and the configured special G/L indicator.
- Add purchase-order/reference information where used.
- Post the request and capture its document number.
- Verify the request is available to F110 or manual down-payment processing.
Key data objects
These are the fields and business objects that most often explain the result in F-47. Record them in support evidence so the next person can reproduce the same outcome.
- vendor/company code — verify the exact value, validity/date context and relationship to the source document.
- special G/L indicator — verify the exact value, validity/date context and relationship to the source document.
- amount — verify the exact value, validity/date context and relationship to the source document.
- due date — verify the exact value, validity/date context and relationship to the source document.
- PO/reference information — verify the exact value, validity/date context and relationship to the source document.
How to prove it in the data
Use document flow and chronology. Start from the source business event, inspect the F-47 document or master data, then follow the resulting accounting, purchasing or asset document and reconcile amount, quantity, account assignment and status. A correct proof uses the same company code or plant, business date, document keys and currency/unit context at every step.
ECC vs S/4HANA
SAP documentation uses F-47 as the classic vendor down-payment request transaction. Where S/4HANA offers a Fiori successor or a changed data model, the classic transaction can still be valuable for support, but the strategic process and clean-core guidance should govern new implementations.
Common pitfalls and how to diagnose them
- Treating a request as if money has already been paid. Reconcile the exact business document and date before applying a workaround.
- Creating the request for the wrong vendor/company code. Reconcile the exact business document and date before applying a workaround.
- Skipping procurement/approval controls because the request is only a noted item. Reconcile the exact business document and date before applying a workaround.
Whose problem this is
Primary ownership is the Finance/Controlling team, with adjacent teams involved when the evidence crosses into Asset Accounting, Project System, tax, Basis, Security or integration. Escalate with document numbers, organization, dates, expected result, actual result and checks already completed.
Related SAP objects
Reviewed pages this object connects to in the ERPClimb knowledge graph.
Source: ERPClimb — https://erpclimb.com/sap-tcodes/f-47ERPClimb is an independent platform and is not affiliated with SAP SE. Reference pages are written and reviewed by SAP consultants for learning and troubleshooting.