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EDI 944 Warehouse Stock Transfer Receipt Advice: How 3PLs Confirm Inbound Receipts
Last updated: October 12, 2026 · Independent guide · We do not sell rankings or coverage.
An EDI 944 is the X12 Warehouse Stock Transfer Receipt Advice: the message your 3PL sends to tell you what it actually received against an inbound shipment you announced with an EDI 943. X12 describes it as the transaction a receiving location uses to advise a depositor that a transfer shipment has been received (X12, no date shown). In practice, the 944 is the document your ERP should use to post the receipt, move stock out of in-transit and flag shortages, overages and damage.
This guide follows the inbound flow from the 943 you send to the in-transit balance the 944 closes. For the outbound side, see our guide to the EDI 940 and 945.
The 943/944 inbound flow in six steps
- Agree the guide. You and the 3PL settle the X12 version, item identifiers, reference numbers, exception codes and how fast the 944 must arrive.
- Ship and send the 943. Your ERP ships the transfer (or the supplier ships against your PO) and sends the 943 Warehouse Stock Transfer Shipment Advice to the 3PL.
- Receive and count. The warehouse unloads, counts and inspects the goods against the 943.
- Send the 944. The 3PL closes the receipt in its WMS and transmits the 944. You return a 997 functional acknowledgment.
- Post the receipt. Your ERP or EDI connector matches the 944 to the transfer order or purchase order, posts the received quantities and clears in-transit inventory.
- Reconcile and resolve. You compare the 943, the 944 and the supplier or carrier paperwork, then chase shortages, file damage claims and correct inventory.
Who does what: stage table
A RACI-style summary of a typical arrangement. Your warehouse agreement may assign tasks differently.
| Stage | Responsible | Accountable | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Agree the guide | EDI analyst (brand) and 3PL EDI team | Operations manager (brand) | Signed-off mapping and test files |
| 2. Ship and send the 943 | Shipping location or supplier; ERP | Supply planner (brand) | 943 and in-transit inventory |
| 3. Receive and count | 3PL receiving team | 3PL site manager | Closed WMS receipt with exceptions |
| 4. Send the 944 | 3PL WMS and EDI provider | 3PL account manager | 944 and returned 997 |
| 5. Post the receipt | EDI connector and ERP | Inventory control (brand) | Posted receipt; in-transit cleared |
| 6. Reconcile and resolve | Inventory control; AP; 3PL | Controller or operations manager | Claims, adjustments, closed variances |
Stage 1: Agree the implementation guide
Owner: your EDI analyst or EDI provider, working with the 3PL. Inputs: the 3PL’s published 944 guide and your item master. Output: a mapping both sides have tested.
Each 3PL publishes its own subset of the X12 standard. The 4010 guide from WarehouseQuote, a managed warehousing provider, lists only reporting code F in W17-01, expects the vendor item number (qualifier VN) in W07 and permits five W13 condition codes (WarehouseQuote, revised October 2022). Infoplus, a WMS used by 3PLs, sends the SKU (qualifier SK), puts the PO number from the 943 in W17-04 and lists no W13 segment (Infoplus, no date shown).
3PL outlines on the Orderful network split the same way: ODW and Americold include a W13 exception loop and RJW Logistics does not (ODW on Orderful, no date shown; Americold on Orderful, no date shown; RJW Logistics on Orderful, no date shown). Without W13, a shortage shows up only as a lower W07 quantity with no reason.
Controls: fix the reference the 3PL must echo back, confirm every SKU carries the identifier the 944 will use, and put the 944 delivery window in the contract. What goes wrong: teams map from a generic glossary. SPS Commerce’s 944 overview lists W06, W27 and W04 (SPS Commerce, page modified August 15, 2025), which in the X12 4010 structure are the 943’s shipment, carrier and item segments rather than the 944’s (Stedi, X12 4010 943, no date shown).
Stage 2: Ship and send the 943
Owner: whoever ships the goods, plus your ERP. Input: a transfer order or purchase order. Output: the 943 and an in-transit balance.
The 943 tells the warehouse a transfer shipment has been made. In 4010 it carries W06 shipment identification, W27 carrier detail, W04 item lines and W03 totals (Stedi, no date shown). Orderful’s NetSuite connector generates it from an item fulfillment against a transfer order to a 3PL-linked location (Orderful, February 25, 2026).
Shipping also moves stock into in-transit. In NetSuite, fulfilled transfer items leave the source on-hand count and their value moves to an Inventory in Transit account (Oracle NetSuite, no date shown). Business Central does the same when you post a transfer shipment through an in-transit code with Direct Transfer turned off (Microsoft Learn, October 1, 2026).
What goes wrong: the 943 goes out before the load is final, or a factory ships with no 943 at all. Because Infoplus fills W17-04 from the 943, a missing 943 reference breaks the match before the 944 exists.
Stage 3: Receive and count at the 3PL
Owner: the 3PL receiving team. Input: the 943 loaded as an expected receipt. Output: a closed receipt in the WMS.
The warehouse counts against the expected receipt and records mismatches. Extensiv, which sells the 3PL Warehouse Manager WMS, recommends sending receipt advice only after the receipt is confirmed and closed “to ensure correct data” (Extensiv, September 11, 2025).
Controls: agree how the 3PL treats freight with no 943. X12 condition codes 13 and 14 cover quantities received with no matching ship notice, either held or processed (Stedi, element 412, no date shown). What goes wrong: unidentified freight sits on hold. ShipBob, for example, holds mismatched boxes as an unidentified receiving order until the merchant resolves it (ShipBob, September 23, 2025).
Stage 4: The 3PL sends the 944
Owner: the 3PL’s WMS and EDI provider. Input: the closed receipt. Output: a 944, answered by your 997.
In X12 4010 the 944 has a mandatory W17 header, W07 detail lines with an optional nested W13 exception loop, and a mandatory W14 summary (Stedi, X12 4010 944, no date shown).
| Segment | What it carries | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| W17 Warehouse Receipt Identification | Reporting code, receipt date, warehouse receipt number, depositor order number (W17-04), shipment ID (W17-05) | W17-04 or W17-05 must equal the reference you sent on the 943 or ASN |
| W08 Receipt Carrier Information | Carrier and equipment | Carrier matches the bill of lading for freight claims |
| W07 Item Detail for Stock Receipt | Quantity received, unit of measure, UPC case code or item ID with qualifier, warehouse lot | Unit of measure and item qualifier match your ERP item setup |
| W13 Item Detail Exception | Exception quantity, unit, receiving condition code, lot, damage reason | Codes 01 damaged, 02 short, 03 over route to the right queue |
| W14 Total Receipt Information | Total received; optional units shipped and quantity damaged or on hold | W14-01 ties to the sum of W07 lines |
W17-01 codes include F (full detail), N (no exceptions) and X (exceptions only) (Stedi, element 514, no date shown); W17-02 is the receipt date (Stedi, W17, no date shown).
W07 requires quantity, unit and a UPC or item ID (Stedi, W07, no date shown). W13-05 damage reason is required when W13-03 is 01 (Stedi, W13, no date shown). W14-03 is quantity that “cannot be shipped in its present form” (Stedi, W14, no date shown).
Guides disagree on whether damaged units belong in W07. Hershey’s 4010 guide for its warehouses says W07-01 is the total received “including damaged,” W13-01 carries the over, short or damaged quantity, W14-01 is the “sum of all quantities in W0701,” and W17-04 should match the BSN02 shipment number from the 856 ASN (Hershey, February 21, 2023). Confirm which rule your 3PL follows before you build posting logic on W07.
Timing: X12 sets no deadline and none of the 944 guides we reviewed set one, so it is a contract term. As a published benchmark, Walmart Fulfillment Services says receiving “normally takes up to 2 business days” from delivery and up to 10 business days in peak periods (Walmart Marketplace Learn, October 13, 2025). Put a dock-to-944 target in your agreement.
What goes wrong: a 997 only proves the file passed syntax checks. Extensiv’s automatic send on receipt close must be enabled through a support case, so some 3PLs still send 944s by hand.
Stage 5: Post the receipt and close in-transit
Owner: your EDI connector and inventory control team. Input: the 944. Output: a posted receipt and a cleared in-transit balance.
When the receipt posts, NetSuite removes the value from the source location’s Inventory In Transit account and adds it to the destination’s inventory asset account. NetSuite also says you “cannot receive more than the quantity on the transfer order,” and that with Use Item Cost as Transfer Cost enabled, the receipt quantity must match the fulfillment quantity (Oracle NetSuite, no date shown). Overages and shortages therefore need a decision, not just a posting.
In MYOB Acumatica, a two-step transfer holds stock in the In-Transit account until you release a receipt on the Receipts (IN301000) form (MYOB Acumatica help, no date shown). In Business Central, the transfer-to location posts the Receive step on the transfer order (Microsoft Learn, October 1, 2026).
Controls: keep an exception queue for unmatched 944s and review in-transit weekly. What goes wrong: Orderful’s NetSuite connector fails the whole 944 if the W17 depositor order number matches no order, and states a current limitation: the receipt “is created with the order’s default quantities,” with line-level received quantities validated but not yet applied (Orderful, February 24, 2026). Check short receipts by hand if you use it.
Stage 6: Reconcile the 944 against the 943 and the ASN
Owner: inventory control, with AP and the 3PL. Inputs: the 943, the 944, the supplier’s 856 ASN or packing list and the carrier’s bill of lading. Output: closed variances, claims and adjustments.
Run a three-way check: what you said shipped (943), what the shipper loaded (ASN and BOL) and what the 3PL counted (944). Our EDI 856 guide covers the ASN. A short that also appears on the BOL points to the shipper; a short against a clean BOL points to a freight claim.
Illustration (constructed numbers): you ship a transfer of 1,000 cases of one SKU and send a 943 for 1,000. The 3PL’s 944 shows W07 quantity 976, a W13 with code 02 for 24 cases short, and a second W13 with code 01 and damage reason CC (case crushing) for 12 cases. Under a Hershey-style rule, the 976 includes the 12 damaged cases, so 964 are sellable. You post 976 to the 3PL location, move the 12 damaged cases to a hold or damaged bin, and investigate the 24 cases still sitting in in-transit before you write them off or claim them.
What goes wrong: damage found after the 944 is reported later as an adjustment. The 947 Warehouse Inventory Adjustment Advice exists to “inform a warehouse/depositor of a quantity or status change to inventory records” (Stedi, X12 4010 947, no date shown), and TrueCommerce maps it to Business Central’s item journal or item reclassification journal (TrueCommerce, November 30, 2023). Receiving exceptions also drive 3PL charges, which our 3PL billing software guide explains.
Metrics to track
- Dock-to-944 time: hours from delivery to 944 arrival, against your contract.
- 944 match rate: share of 944s that post without manual intervention.
- Receipt accuracy: received quantity divided by 943 quantity, by supplier and lane.
- Exception rate by W13 code: short, over, damaged and hold, by factory, carrier and 3PL.
- Aged in-transit: value shipped but not received after an agreed number of days.
- Missing 944s: 943s with no 944 after the receiving window.
How software supports each stage
EDI providers. SPS Commerce says the 944 can report overages, shortages and damage (SPS Commerce, page modified August 15, 2025). TrueCommerce lists the 943 and 944 for NetSuite without naming the records they create (TrueCommerce, May 5, 2025).
ERP connectors. TrueCommerce maps the 944 to a posted purchase or transfer receipt in Business Central (or updates an existing warehouse receipt from BC 18), and to “Creates a Transfer Receipt” in Acumatica (TrueCommerce, April 30, 2024). For NetSuite, Orderful creates an item receipt against the original sales order or transfer order.
3PL WMS. Extensiv and Infoplus generate the 944 from the WMS receipt. Ask your 3PL which WMS it runs, because that decides which segments you get.
How we researched this
We read the X12 4010 and 5010 definitions published by Stedi, 944 guides from WarehouseQuote, Hershey, Kroger and Infoplus, and 3PL outlines on the Orderful network. We checked NetSuite, Business Central and MYOB Acumatica documentation and Orderful and TrueCommerce connector mappings. The top search results for “edi 944” (TrueCommerce, modified May 29, 2026; 1 EDI Source, no date shown; Cleo, no date shown; SPS Commerce) define the document but do not explain posting, in-transit or reconciliation. No vendor paid for inclusion.
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an EDI 943 and an EDI 944?
You send the 943 at shipment to tell the warehouse what is coming. The warehouse sends the 944 after receiving to confirm what arrived, including shortages, overages and damage. Post inventory from the 944, not the 943.
How does a 944 show damaged or short product?
Through the W13 Item Detail Exception segment, with a quantity and a condition code such as 01 damaged, 02 short or 03 over. Code 01 also requires a damage reason. Some 3PLs do not send W13, so ask before go-live.
How quickly should a 3PL send the 944?
X12 sets no deadline and the guides we reviewed set none, so put the window in your warehouse agreement. Walmart Fulfillment Services publishes up to 2 business days from delivery, a useful reference when you negotiate.
Does the 944 update inventory in my ERP automatically?
Only if your EDI connector maps it to a receipt. TrueCommerce maps it to receipts in Business Central and Acumatica, and Orderful creates an item receipt in NetSuite. Otherwise someone keys the receipt by hand.
Is the 944 different in 4010 and 5010?
Stedi’s 5010 dictionary shows W17 and W13 with the same elements as 4010, including the damage reason rule. The bigger differences come from each 3PL’s codes, identifiers and optional segments, so follow your partner’s guide rather than the version number.
Sources
- X12, 944 Warehouse Stock Transfer Receipt Advice, no date shown.
- Stedi, X12 4010 944, 943, W17, W07, W13, W14, element 412, element 514 and 947; X12 5010 W17 and W13, no date shown.
- WarehouseQuote (managed warehousing provider), 944 Stock Transfer Receipt Advice, version 004010, revised October 2022.
- Hershey, 944 Warehouse Stock Transfer Receipt Advice (4010) for warehouses, February 21, 2023.
- Kroger, Warehouse Stock Transfer Receipt Advice 944 spec, January 14, 2016.
- Infoplus (WMS vendor), Infoplus Baseline Mapping, Outbound 944, no date shown.
- Orderful network, 944 outlines for ODW, Americold and RJW Logistics, no date shown.
- Orderful (EDI vendor), 944 Warehouse Stock Transfer Receipt Advice, February 24, 2026; 943 Warehouse Stock Transfer Shipment Advice, February 25, 2026.
- Extensiv (WMS vendor), Sending Receipt Advice, September 11, 2025.
- TrueCommerce (EDI vendor), Business Central documents integrated, November 30, 2023; Acumatica documents integrated, April 30, 2024; NetSuite integration overview, May 5, 2025.
- SPS Commerce (EDI vendor), EDI 944 and 3PL EDI 101, pages modified August 15, 2025.
- Oracle NetSuite, Inventory Transfer Orders and Receiving Fulfilled Transfer Orders, no date shown.
- Microsoft Learn, Transfer inventory between locations, October 1, 2026.
- MYOB Acumatica, Two-Step Transfers: General Information, no date shown.
- EDI vendor glossary pages: TrueCommerce, EDI 944, modified May 29, 2026; 1 EDI Source, EDI 944, no date shown; Cleo, EDI 944, no date shown.
- ShipBob (3PL), Warehouse Receiving: Process + How to Improve, September 23, 2025.
- Walmart Marketplace Learn, WFS inbound orders receiving, October 13, 2025.
Sherman Hsieh
Independent analysis of enterprise software — ERP, CRM and more
