Buy a fixed asset

Buying a machine, vehicle or furniture uses its own purchase invoice. The cost goes to the asset's ledger instead of purchases, each unit gets a serial number, and each unit starts its depreciation policy.

Accounting Receiving and invoicing
3 min read
Updated October 20, 2026

For Accountant

On this page

What it is
Before you use it
Buy one
After saving

What it is

The Purchase fixed assets screen records the purchase of an asset you keep and depreciate. It behaves like the standard Enter a purchase invoice: you owe the supplier the total, VAT is booked, and payments, returns and add-on vouchers work as usual. What differs:

The cost is debited to the asset's own Fixed assets ledger, not to the purchase ledger.
Every unit needs a Serial no: "Please set serial no for fixed asset" and "Enter serial number details of product to proceed." appear until each unit has one.
Each unit gets a depreciation policy, copied from the asset's setup: the Depreciation method, Assets life (In year), Depreciation start after days and Depreciation recurring days (365 each when the asset has none). The unit then appears in the register (Set up fixed assets and read the register).
Each line can be entered VAT inclusive or VAT exclusive (the VAT mode).

Before you use it

The asset must exist as a fixed asset with its ledgers: the Fixed assets ledger, Accumulated depreciation ledger, Loss on disposal and Gain on disposal, on the asset itself or in Configuration > Fixed assets (Company settings that change buying and vouchers, Set up fixed assets and read the register).

Buy one

Choose Add
Who
Accountant
Where
Purchase fixed assets > Add (the form is Create fixed assets purchase invoice)
What changes
It needs a numbering series for purchase invoices (Before you buy or post vouchers: the setup checklist).
Fill the header
What changes
Supplier, Date, Party invoice no, Party invoice date, Due day, Currency and the other fields of the purchase invoice.
Add the asset lines
What changes
Choose the asset, the Warehouse, the quantity, Rate and the VAT mode, then open Serial no details and enter a serial number for each unit.
Needs
One serial number for each unit.
Save
What changes
"Purchase fixed assets (number) saved successfully." The supplier is credited, the asset ledger is debited and the units come into stock. Each unit's book value is set from its stock value.

Worked example: two laptops bought from XYZ Suppliers

Two laptops at 90,000 each, VAT exclusive, with VAT at 13% (the rate set up for this example): 180,000 plus VAT of 23,400, a total of 203,400. Their asset "Laptop" has the Fixed assets ledger "Computers".

Area	Change
XYZ Suppliers' account	Credited by 203,400: you owe it like any purchase invoice
"Computers" (the asset's Fixed assets ledger)	Debited by 180,000. The purchase ledger is not used
Purchase VAT	Debited by 23,400, as on any purchase
Stock	2 laptops come into the warehouse, with the serial numbers LT-001 and LT-002
Fixed assets policy	Two new rows, one per serial number, each with a Book value of 90,000 and the asset's depreciation rules (Set up fixed assets and read the register)

After saving

The page offers the same buttons as a purchase invoice, except Provisional cash (there is a Cheque button but no provisional cash button). Return makes a return of the asset (Return a fixed asset to the supplier). To sell the asset later use the fixed-asset sales invoice (Sell a fixed asset) or dispose of it (Dispose of a fixed asset). Depreciation is described in Depreciate fixed assets. When your company has IRD on, Edit and Delete are not offered on this page.