Kurumsal Finans ve Strateji Rehberi | Finance & Strategy Insights

In the fast-paced world of Sales & Distribution (SD) in SAP S/4HANA (and earlier SAP ERP), managing billing efficiently isn’t just a process task—it’s a competitive differentiator. Manual invoice creation across hundreds or thousands of deliveries can cause delays, errors, and a drag on finance & operational teams. This is where the transaction code VF04—Billing Due List—comes into its own.

What Exactly Is VF04 (Billing Due List)?

Transaction code VF04 allows users to display and process a list of “documents due for billing” in batch mode, rather than invoicing one delivery at a time via VF01 or VF21.

According to SAP Help Portal:

“You select the function for creating a billing due list (transaction VF04 / report SDBILLDL). You enter the selection criteria for the billing documents to be processed.”

The items that appear in VF04 may include sales orders, outbound deliveries, billing requests etc., when they meet billing relevance criteria.

Think of VF04 as a mass-billing cockpit. It gathers all elements eligible for billing (based on your filters) and enables batch execution.

Why VF04 Is a Game-Changer for Your Billing Process

Here are the key benefits:

• Efficiency at scale: Instead of invoicing dozens or hundreds of documents manually, VF04 enables batch creation of billing documents.
• Reduced error risk: When executed properly (especially via test runs), it mitigates manual input mistakes, duplicate invoices or missed items.
• Visibility & control: The due list gives you a single view of what’s pending, what’s blocked, or what’s ready for billing.
• Flexibility for corrections: You can not only create invoices but also handle re-processing for failed items, resend output, or mass-update billing data.

Step-by-Step Walkthrough: How to Use VF04

1. Selection Screen

• Enter transaction code VF04 in the SAP GUI.
• Define your filters: Billing type (e.g., F2 for Invoice), Billing date, Sales organization, Delivery plant, etc.
• Use Variants if you run the same set of criteria frequently—this saves time and ensures consistency.

2. Execute & Review the Billing Due List

• Hit F8 or “Execute” to get the ALV grid of due items.
• Key fields to monitor:
  • Sel.: the tick box to select items for processing
  • Status: e.g., A = To be processed, B = Processing, C = Completed
  • Billing Block: items with blocks will not be processed until the block is removed
• Note: Some items may appear unexpectedly if index tables (e.g., VKDFS) are out-of-sync.

3. Processing the Documents

• Select the items to process and click Process (or press F13).
• Choose whether to Create Billing Documents & optionallyoptionallyoptionally Send Output.
• Always run a Test Run first—it simulates invoicing without posting financial documents and highlights errors. Skipping this is a major pitfall.

4. Review Log & Follow-Up

• After running, check the log for successes/failures. Analyse why any items failed (e.g., missing pricing, partner data, output determination).
• Correct root causes (e.g., billing blocks, conditions, missing data) before re-running.

Common Pitfalls & How to Avoid Them

• Silent Billing Blocks: One of the most frequent reasons items don’t appear or don’t process. Always check the billing block field.
• Skipping Test Run: Leads to incorrect invoices, correction overhead and financial reconciliation issues.
• Incomplete Output Setup: If the output (PDF/email) isn’t triggered, customers won’t receive invoices. Ensure output determination is configured.
• Locking Issues in Mass Processing: If multiple users process same items, locks can occur. Use background jobs when volume is high.

Pro Tips for Advanced Users

• Schedule Background Jobs: For month-end or high-volume runs, schedule VF04 in background—reduces system load during business hours.
• Integrate with Reporting: Use data from VF04 to build dashboards or queries (SAP Query, Analytics) to track billing backlog and measure processing efficiency.
• Link with VF05 / VF05N: Use VF05 to display billing documents created and monitor comparison vs. due list.
• Fiori / S/4HANA Enhancements: In newer releases there are Fiori apps and simplified UX for Billing Due List and mass billing.

Conclusion: VF04 as Your Strategic Advantage

Mastering VF04 transforms billing from a time-consuming chore into a controlled, strategic process. By setting up the right selection criteria, respecting the test run discipline, analysing logs, and leveraging batch processing, organisations unlock faster revenue recognition, reduced errors, and better finance close performance.

In other words: if your billing backlog is slowing you down, VF04 is the lever you didn’t know you had.