How sales and purchase invoices move your stock

You don't need to adjust stock for everyday buying and selling. Issuing a sales invoice takes its items out of stock, and recording a purchase invoice brings them in. Each item's details show every movement.

When stock moves

• An invoice moves stock once it is saved with any status other than Draft. Drafts don't move stock.
• Editing an issued invoice gives back what it held and takes the new quantities.
• Moving an invoice back to Draft, or deleting it, puts its stock back. Restoring a deleted invoice takes the stock again.
• Only items that track stock are counted. Services and items set to Don't track never move.
• Credit notes and debit notes don't move stock. Record returns with Adjust Stock.

Pick the item on the line

Each invoice line is matched to an inventory item by its name. Pick the item from the list in the line's item field so the name matches. A line typed with a different name doesn't move any stock. Several lines for the same item move it by their total.

To start an invoice from an item, click the item, then Create Invoice, and choose Sales Invoice or Purchase Invoice. The invoice opens with the item on its first line.

Selling more than you have

If a sales invoice line asks for more than is in stock, the line shows "No stock available" or, for example, "Only 7 Pcs in stock" in red. You can still save the invoice. The item's stock then goes negative until you record the stock coming in.

Batch items

A sales invoice takes batch stock from the batch with the earliest expiry first, and skips expired batches.

Serial items: choose the units

A sales invoice line for a serial-tracked item starts on the oldest units in stock and lists them under the line. To sell particular units:

1. Click Select stocks under the line.
2. Tick the units this line sells. Use the search box to find a unit by its serial number.
3. Click Done.

Units another line on the invoice is using are marked with that line's number. To go back to the oldest units, click Use oldest in stock.

If you choose more or fewer units than the line's quantity, or a chosen unit has since been sold on another invoice, the line says what to fix. The invoice can't be issued until you fix it, though you can save it as a draft.

Purchase invoices for batch or serial items

A purchase invoice adds the quantity only. Record the batch numbers or serial numbers afterwards with Add Details on the item. Until then, that stock can't be sold.

See the movements on the item

Go to Sales → Inventory and click the item. Its details show:

• On Hand, Stock Value at the purchase rate, and Reorder At, or Sellable Now for batch items.
• Units for serial items. A sold unit shows Sold and the invoice it went out on.
• Batches for batch items, with what's left of each.
• Stock Movement, newest first. Entries from invoices carry an Invoice tag and name the document, such as Sales invoice INV-104 or Purchase bill B-212, with the client or vendor and the date.

When an invoice is edited, deleted or moved back to draft, you'll see an entry for the stock it gave back.

Tips

• If you recorded the stock by hand with Adjust Stock, link the adjustment to its invoice so the stock isn't counted twice.
• The Stock Movement report lists the same movements across all items for any period.

Related articles

• Adjusting stock
• Linking stock adjustments to invoices
• Creating a New Sales Invoice
• Creating a New Purchase Invoice
• Stock summary, movement and valuation reports