# Fishbowl: "Labor/overhead parts cannot be added to PO"

> You're trying to add a labor or overhead part to a purchase order, which Fishbowl doesn't allow.

## What it means
Purchase orders are designed for acquiring materials from external vendors. Labor and Overhead parts represent internal cost tracking rather than purchasable inventory, so Fishbowl prevents adding them to purchase orders. This validation rule ensures the document type stays aligned with its intended business use.

## What to check
- Is the part you're trying to add classified as Labor or Overhead? Check the part's classification in its record.
- Should you be using a Material or Inventory part instead?
- Is a purchase order the right document for your workflow? If you need to track labor or overhead, consider whether a different process fits better.

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*From Israel Lopez Consulting (ILC). Custom Fishbowl Inventory integrations and software, and Fishbowl experts since 2015. Written by Israel Lopez. Questions about this topic, or want to reach the people who wrote it? Visit https://israellopezconsulting.com/contact*