A down payment request in SAP is a statistical posting known as a "noted item." It does not create a true accounting entry and does not update general ledger balances. Its primary purpose is for dunning and payment tracking. To distinguish this type of transaction, a Special G/L indicator is used. This indicator directs the statistical posting to a special, alternative reconciliation account for down payment requests, rather than the standard accounts receivable/payable reconciliation account used for a regular invoice. An invoice, conversely, is a real posting that updates G/L balances and posts to the standard reconciliation account from the business partner master record without a special G/L indicator.

A. Cost center: An invoice posting to a revenue or expense account may require a cost object like a cost center, whereas a statistical down payment request does not. However, this is a consequential difference, not a fundamental one in the posting logic itself.

D. Chart of accounts: Both the down payment request and the invoice are posted within the same chart of accounts assigned to the company code. The framework of accounts is the same for both transactions.

1. SAP Help Portal

SAP S/4HANA Cloud

"Special G/L Transactions: Down Payments": This document explains the mechanism for handling down payments. It states

"When you post a down payment

you must use a special G/L indicator... The system posts the down payment to an alternative reconciliation account... In contrast

other receivables

such as invoices

are posted to the normal reconciliation account for receivables." This directly supports that the G/L indicator (B) and the reconciliation account (C) are different.

2. SAP Help Portal

SAP S/4HANA Cloud

"Down Payments and Down Payment Requests": This source clarifies the nature of a down payment request. It specifies

"Down payment requests are noted items. They do not update the transaction figures in the G/L accounts... You can create a down payment request with a special G/L indicator." This confirms that the request is a special type of posting (noted item) that uses a Special G/L indicator

distinguishing it from a standard invoice.