Purchasing & Vendor Bills
Purchase orders, goods receipts, vendor dues, and accounts payable
What Purchasing is for
Use Purchasing for vendor orders, received goods, bills, returns and payments. Use a direct Expense only when the activity does not require a vendor purchase workflow.
Set up Purchasing first
Confirm the vendor, receiving location, products, tax treatment and payment account.
- VendorsOpen ↗
Keep supplier identity, PAN/VAT and payment terms accurate.
- Warehouse
Choose where received stock should be placed.
- Tax treatment
Apply the correct purchase tax configuration before completing the bill.
Common purchasing workflow
A purchase and its payment may happen at different times.
- 1Vendor
- 2Purchase Order
- 3Goods Receipt
- 4Purchase Bill
- 5Payment
Manage the purchase lifecycle
Ordering, receiving, billing and paying are separate events even when they happen on the same day.
- Orders
Record what was requested and approved; an order alone does not increase stock or create a vendor bill.
Open ↗ - Receipts
Confirm what physically arrived, including location, quantity, batch and expiry where applicable.
Open ↗ - Bills
Record the vendor invoice, due amount, tax and payable obligation.
Open ↗ - Payments and debit notes
Apply actual payments to bills and use linked debit notes or returns for supported corrections.
Open ↗
What each purchase document records
Each document updates a different part of the business. Check the vendor activity when stock, payable or payment does not agree.
- After a purchase order
- The commitment is recorded for follow-up, but stock and payable balances do not increase merely because it was ordered.
- After a goods receipt
- Received quantity becomes available in the selected warehouse with its supported batch or serial details.
- After a purchase bill
- The vendor obligation and configured expense, inventory and tax effects become part of the books.
- After a vendor payment
- Money leaves the selected financial account and reduces the open bill when correctly allocated.
Common purchasing mistakes
Check these points before correcting a vendor balance or purchase.
- Do not duplicate the purchase as Expense
A posted purchase bill already creates the supported cost and payable effect.
- Do not confuse receiving, billing and paying
Each event has a different stock, payable and cash consequence.
- Choose the correct vendor
Vendor statements, aging and payment allocation depend on a consistent supplier record.
- Treat resale stock as inventory
Use the correct product and warehouse instead of classifying stock purchases as a general expense.
- Verify tax before posting
Correct tax treatment at the source instead of repairing the register later.
- Allocate payments correctly
An unallocated payment may leave the intended bill appearing unpaid.
Troubleshooting supplier balances
Review the purchase order, receipt, bill and payment as separate connected records. Correct the source document instead of creating a duplicate cost.
Still stuck? Contact support