EDI 855 — Purchase Order Acknowledgment explained
In short: EDI 855 is the ANSI X12 Purchase Order Acknowledgment: the supplier's structured response to an EDI 850 (PO), confirming, rejecting or proposing changes to the line items, quantities, prices and requested ship dates.
Key capabilities
- Line-level status codes: Per-line acknowledgment: IA (item accepted as-is), IC (item accepted with changes), IR (item rejected), etc.
- Quantity & date changes: Propose reduced quantities (partial acceptance) or a later ship date the retailer can approve upstream.
- Price validation: Flag price discrepancies vs the PO — retailer decides to accept the new price or cancel the line.
- Chargeback prevention: A timely, accurate 855 within the retailer's SLA window (typically 24 hours) is the #1 way to avoid PO-related chargebacks.
EDI 855 workflow best practice
Ideal flow: 850 arrives → EDIconnect drops it into your ERP → ERP does availability check and price validation → confirmation posts back to EDIconnect → 855 emitted within minutes, well inside the retailer's SLA. For SKUs with insufficient stock, propose partial-quantity with 'IC' rather than 'IR' to keep the sale alive.
Suppliers who move from manual 855 (or no 855) to fully automated acknowledgment typically eliminate 60-80% of PO-related chargebacks in the first quarter.
Frequently asked questions
What is an EDI 855?
EDI 855 (Purchase Order Acknowledgment) is the supplier's electronic response to a retailer's EDI 850 (Purchase Order), confirming whether the order can be filled as requested, in part, or not at all.
Is EDI 855 required?
Most large retailers (Walmart, Target, Amazon Vendor Central, Costco, Kroger, Home Depot, Lowe's) require an 855 within a defined SLA — typically 24 to 48 hours after receiving the 850.
What happens if I don't send an EDI 855?
The retailer assumes the order will be filled as ordered — and issues chargebacks if the eventual shipment differs. A rejected 855 upfront is cheaper than a chargeback after ASN.
What line-level status codes exist?
The most common: IA (item accepted), IC (item accepted with changes), IR (item rejected), IP (item accepted, partial). Full list in X12 004010+ standards.
How does EDIconnect help with 855s?
Auto-generate 855s from your ERP's PO confirmation. Configure per-retailer rules (SLA, price tolerance, alternates). Alert your team only on exceptions, not on happy-path acknowledgments.