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Retail deductions / Article 2

Walmart codes and APDP.

What the common codes mean, what APDP handles, and how long you have.

Every Walmart deduction carries a reason code. The code tells you what Walmart says went wrong, which documents will answer it, and where the dispute goes.

Common codes

  • 10 and 11: price differences, including between the purchase order and the invoice
  • 21: concealed shortage
  • 22: goods billed but not shipped
  • 24: carton shortage, or freight bill signed short
  • 25: no merchandise received for the invoice
  • 28: carton damaged, or freight bill signed short
  • 91: destroyed, damaged or defective
  • 99: OTIF, a fine for deliveries that missed Walmart's on time or in full thresholds

Code names can vary slightly between sources. The description in your own deduction report is the one to work from.

What APDP handles

The Accounts Payable Dispute Portal (APDP) sits inside Retail Link. It handles accounts payable deductions such as shortages, pricing and damages. It does not handle post payment audit deductions or accounts receivable deductions. OTIF fines are accounts receivable deductions, so they follow a separate path with a shorter window.

APDP allows claim line disputes, so you can dispute a specific deduction line rather than a whole invoice.

How long you have

Supplier guides report different windows for different types, and they do not all agree:

  • Shortage deductions: generally 12 months from the invoice date
  • Other accounts payable deductions, such as pricing and allowances: generally up to 24 months
  • Compliance chargebacks, including OTIF: much shorter, often reported at around 30 days

Because the sources differ, always work from the date shown in your portal for each deduction.

Before you file

  • Match the code to the documents that answer it. The five documents
  • Check the deduction is actually wrong. A valid deduction should not be disputed.
  • File the short window ones first.

Zenmul reviews Walmart deductions against your paperwork and prepares dispute files ready for APDP. You submit them yourself. Zenmul never logs in to Retail Link.

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This article is general information based on published supplier guides, not guidance from Walmart.