The bank debited a wire, but the supplier cannot find it

Locate the approved payment, beneficiary details, sending account, amount, currency, instruction time and bank reference. Confirm that the bank actually executed the transfer rather than merely receiving an instruction. A payment marked complete in the accounts-payable system may reflect an internal workflow step, so obtain the bank's own evidence.

The OCC advises contacting the initiating bank promptly when a wire recipient has not received the money, with written follow-up after a phone report. If a separate transfer provider handled the payment, use that provider's investigation process. Keep one internal owner for the inquiry so conflicting requests do not obscure its status.

Ask the supplier to confirm the receiving account suffix, legal account name and expected currency through an established contact. Compare those details with the original approved instructions. A recent email changing bank details requires its own verification; it should not become the basis for a second transfer while the first is being traced.

Provide the sending bank with the transaction reference, amount, date and recipient's nonreceipt statement. Ask what evidence it can supply about the payment's route and current status. Record whether the matter is a trace, a correction request or a return request. These are different actions and should not share an unexplained pending label.

Ask the supplier to investigate with its own bank using the reference the sending bank provides. Preserve responses from both sides in the same case record. A search only by invoice number may fail if that reference was abbreviated or carried in another payment field.

Reconcile the actual debit to the bank statement. Separately document the supplier's claim that payment has not arrived. Ask the accountant how to present the disputed or in-transit amount under the company's policy without concealing the cash that has left the bank.

Do not record a refund before the bank confirms and posts one. Similarly, a promise to return the payment does not create a confirmed incoming transfer for the cash forecast. Track the expected outcome, evidence and next follow-up date without turning an unresolved case into available cash.

If fees or currency differences arise, retain the original and final transaction advices. The gross supplier obligation, bank debit and eventual return may differ. Use those records to explain the difference rather than writing off the entire discrepancy as a generic transfer fee.

A supplier may need urgent payment while the investigation continues. Give the authorized decision-maker a clear account of the first transfer, possible duplicate exposure, delivery consequences and available bank options. A replacement requires its own approval and verified beneficiary details.

Link any replacement to the original invoice and trace case. Agree how the supplier will handle receipt of both payments, and document that agreement. Do not rely on an informal assurance that a duplicate will be easy to recover. Retain both transaction references so collections or recovery can be followed accurately.

Close the case only after the original transfer's outcome is supported. Match a confirmed receipt, returned amount or other resolution to the ledger and supplier account. Review whether incomplete instructions, missing references or an internal status assumption caused the delay, and update that specific step before the next payment run.