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What is an EDI 860?

The EDI 860 is used by buyers to request changes to a purchase order already sent, or to confirm acceptance of changes, so the final order on both sides is the same order.

Buyer → seller, changing an order already sent
Written by EDI specialists
Everything is on the page, nothing to fill in

Last reviewed October 6, 2026 by Effective Data's EDI specialists.

Where it fits

When the 860 is used, and which way it travels

How the EDI 860 travelsThe 860 Purchase Order Change Request goes from Buyer to Seller. In sequence with: 850, 855, 860, 865.BuyerSeller860Purchase Order Change RequestIn sequence850Purchase order855PO response860PO change865Change response
How the EDI 860 travelsThe 860 Purchase Order Change Request goes from Buyer to Seller. In sequence with: 850, 855, 860, 865.BuyerSeller860Purchase Order Change RequestIn sequence850Purchase order855PO response860PO change865Change response
Which way the 860 travels, and the documents it is usually traded alongside. Partner implementation guides can add or drop documents from this set.

The 860 carries changes relative to the original 850: changing dates, items or quantities, adding items, price changes, and rescheduling information.

The buyer can also use it to confirm acceptance of changes to a purchase order, which makes it the record of what the order now is.

An 865 is typically used in response, acknowledging and accepting the changes. Because the 860 is filled with information requesting the change, accuracy is of the utmost importance.

Also called the PO Change, the Purchase Order Change. Same document, same number.

Inside the document

The segments, and what each one carries

The published X12 structure, minus the segments most partners never use. Each partner's implementation guide narrows this further: which qualifiers, which identifiers, how many decimals. That guide, not the standard, is what your file is validated against.

Structure of the EDI 860An ISA/IEA interchange envelope wraps a GS/GE functional group, which wraps the 860 transaction set from ST to SE. Header: BCH, REF, DTM. Detail: POC. Summary: CTT.ISAInterchange envelopeIEAGSFunctional groupGESTTransaction set 860SEHeaderBCHREFDTMDetailrepeats per line or loopPOCSummaryCTT
Structure of the EDI 860An ISA/IEA interchange envelope wraps a GS/GE functional group, which wraps the 860 transaction set from ST to SE. Header: BCH, REF, DTM. Detail: POC. Summary: CTT.ISAInterchange envelopeIEAGSFunctional groupGESTTransaction set 860SEHeaderBCHREFDTMDetailrepeats per line or loopPOCSummaryCTT
The 860 inside its X12 envelope. ISA and GS wrap every interchange; ST and SE open and close this document; the segments between them are the ones listed below, in the part of the document they belong to.
SegmentNamePartWhat it carries
ST Transaction Set Header Header Identifies the document as an 860 and opens the control number the trailer must match.
BCH Beginning Segment for Purchase Order Change Header The PO being changed, the change order sequence, and the dates.
REF Reference Identification Header Additional identifiers: department, vendor number.
DTM Date/Time Reference Header New requested ship or delivery dates.
POC Line Item Change Detail The change itself, per line: the change type code, then the new quantities and pricing.
CTT Transaction Totals Summary The line count, as an integrity check.
SE Transaction Set Trailer Summary Closes the set. Segment count and control number must match the ST.
ST Transaction Set Header Header
Identifies the document as an 860 and opens the control number the trailer must match.
BCH Beginning Segment for Purchase Order Change Header
The PO being changed, the change order sequence, and the dates.
REF Reference Identification Header
Additional identifiers: department, vendor number.
DTM Date/Time Reference Header
New requested ship or delivery dates.
POC Line Item Change Detail
The change itself, per line: the change type code, then the new quantities and pricing.
CTT Transaction Totals Summary
The line count, as an integrity check.
SE Transaction Set Trailer Summary
Closes the set. Segment count and control number must match the ST.
The part that costs money

Why yours is being rejected

Every EDI provider publishes what an 860 is. What matters in production is why one fails, and these are the failure modes we can put a source against today:

  1. Handled by hand. The 860 exists because manual notification of changes does not communicate accurately or promptly; a change that reaches the warehouse after picking, or never updates the order in the ERP, ships the old order against the new one.

  2. Change codes misapplied. Each POC line carries a change type code that says what kind of change this is; the right quantities under the wrong change code instruct the wrong operation on the line.

If one of these is happening to you right now, skip to the bottom of the page and describe it. Diagnosing rejected documents is most of what we do.

Related documents

The documents the 860 travels with

850

EDI 850

Read it →
855

Purchase Order Acknowledgment

Read it →
865

Purchase Order Change Acknowledgment/Request

Read it →

Frequently asked

+ What is an EDI 860?

The purchase order change request. It is used most by buyers to request changes to a previous purchase order, and also to confirm acceptance of changes, so the final purchase order is accurate.

+ What changes can an 860 carry?

Changing dates, items or quantity, adding items, price changes, and rescheduling information, all relative to the original purchase order.

+ What answers an 860?

An EDI 865 is typically used in response to an 860, to acknowledge and accept those changes.

+ Why not just phone the change through?

Using an 860 instead of manual notification ensures all information is accurately communicated and delivered promptly, and it leaves a structured record of what changed rather than a note on someone's desk.

Is your 860 failing, or being mandated by a partner?

Describe the situation and a named EDI specialist will tell you what it takes, including when the answer is that you do not need us.

Or call 847.969.9300

Answered by a named EDI specialist on the same business day. If we are not the right answer we will say so on the first call.