Enter a purchase invoice

Q: Add is greyed out and a message asks to set ledgers.

The administrator has not named the Purchase ledger and Purchase return ledger in Configuration : see Company settings that change buying and vouchers .

Q: The supplier's bill number is on the invoice but I want to find it later.

Type it in Party invoice no : the list can be filtered by it, and the VAT purchase report uses it as the bill number ( The VAT purchase reports ).

The purchase invoice puts a supplier's bill into the books and brings the goods into stock. Choose the supplier, add the products, check the adjustments and save. A cash purchase credits cash instead of the supplier.

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

For Purchase clerk Accountant

On this page

What the invoice does
Enter an invoice
What the screen checks before saving
A cash purchase
What saving changes
After saving
Common questions

What the invoice does

Saving a purchase invoice records the purchase: you owe the supplier the total, purchases and VAT are booked, and the goods come into the warehouse. The full list of effects is in What a purchase changes in the books and in stock. Purchases are not sent to the IRD.

Open Purchase invoice (menu Purchase Entries). The list shows the Invoice no, Party invoice no (the supplier's bill number), Date, Supplier, the Amount in the bill's currency and in local currency, the Due amount and a Status. The tiles show the Total invoice, Total invoiced order and Total invoiced GRN.

Enter an invoice

Choose Add
Who
Purchase clerk
Where
Purchase invoice > Add. With more than one numbering series for your branch, choose the series first.
What changes
Create purchase invoice opens. The invoice number is given when you save. No Add button means no numbering series: see Before you buy or post vouchers: the setup checklist.
Choose the supplier
What changes
The supplier's PAN, agent, area and Due day (from the supplier's Day limit) come in, with the supplier's balance. The + beside the field adds a supplier. A supplier that is a cash or bank ledger starts a cash purchase: see below.
Set the date and the details
What changes
Date (today unless you choose an earlier one inside the fiscal year, never a later one), Purchase type (Local or Import), Party invoice no and Party invoice date (the supplier's own bill number and date, up to 20 characters), Due day, Agent, Currency, Project/Business Unit, Sub ledger, and Pragyapan patra no where your company uses it.
Needs
A currency other than local needs a rate for the day: "Please set the rate for the currency selected."
Bring in an order or a goods received note, if any
What changes
In Order no or GRN no, find what you ordered or received. The supplier and lines come in and the supplier cannot be changed (From requisition to order, goods received note and invoice).
Add the product lines
What changes
For each line choose the product and the Warehouse, then the quantity, Rate, free quantity and the Adjustment details. Beside the product, the search button shows the Buy rate history of that product and the gear button lets you Update product rate.
Needs
A quantity above 0 and a warehouse on every line. When the invoice comes from an order or a goods received note, a line cannot be more than the quantity left. Serial numbers and batches are asked for the products that need them.
Check the adjustments
What changes
VAT and discounts are worked out in their order and shown as Adjustment (Set up VAT, discounts and other purchase adjustments). For an Import the VAT rate is set to 0 and the Import details tab opens (Record an import purchase).
Add notes and an attachment if you need them
What changes
Notes (required if your company made them so) and a file such as the supplier's bill.
Save
What changes
"Purchase invoice (number) saved successfully." Save keeps the form open for the next one, Save and close closes it and Save and print prints. Press Update when you edit a saved one.

What the screen checks before saving

Nothing is saved when a check fails; the message names the problem.

Check	Message
The date is before the fiscal year starts	The financial year for this transaction date has already been closed, so you are not allowed to make a transaction on this date.
No product lines	Please provide data details to save the transaction.
A line's amount does not match quantity times rate	Amount based on quantity and rate is wrong. (Row: n)
A foreign currency has no rate for the day	Please set the rate for the currency selected.
An import has an amount but no import number	Please provide Letter of Credit (LC) number on import segment
A required field is empty	`<field>` is required

The full list, with causes and fixes, is in Messages you may see. The screen does not check the supplier's credit limit, and a purchase has no negative stock rule (the goods only come in).

A cash purchase

If the supplier you choose is a cash or bank ledger (a one-off seller paid on the spot), a small window asks for the Name, PAN/VAT, Cheque no and Cheque date of the seller. The invoice then credits that cash or bank ledger instead of a supplier, so the money is out at once and the invoice shows Paid. Nothing is left to pay later.

What saving changes

What happens when you save a purchase invoice

Area	Change
Supplier's account	You owe the invoice total, from the invoice date; the due date is the date plus the Due day
Purchases and VAT	Booked to the purchase ledgers of the products and to the VAT and discount ledgers
Stock	The goods come into the warehouse of each line, unless the invoice was made from a goods received note
Order or goods received note	The quantity invoiced is taken off what is left on them
Number	The next number of the series you chose

Worked example: an invoice, and its status as it is paid

A supplier's bill for 100 units at 150, with VAT at 13% (the rate set up for this example) and a Due day of 30:

	Amount
Products (basic amount)	15,000
VAT	1,950
Invoice total	16,900

On saving, the supplier is credited by 16,900, due 30 days after the invoice date; the purchase ledger is debited by 15,000 and the VAT ledger by 1,950; the 100 units come into the warehouse of the line.

Then	Due amount	Status
Just saved	16,900	Unpaid
Payment of 10,000 from the invoice's page	6,900	Partial
A payment voucher Against voucher of 6,900 naming the invoice	0	Paid

Had the 10,000 been paid as an Advance instead, the invoice would still show Unpaid with 16,900 due, although you would owe the supplier only 6,900 (Pay a supplier and what clears what).

After saving

Open an invoice from the list to see everything about it. Depending on your permissions and on the invoice, the page offers:

Button	What it does
Payment	Pay the supplier against this invoice (Pay a supplier and what clears what). Off once a return names the invoice: pay from Payment voucher instead
Return	Return all the goods of the invoice in one step (Return goods to a supplier). For part, use the Purchase return screen. Off once a return exists
Purchase add-on voucher	Add a cost tied to this invoice (Add a cost to a purchase with an add-on voucher)
Cheque, Provisional cash	Record a cheque or cash for this supplier (Record and deposit cheques, Record cash you have not banked yet)
Copy to new	Start a new invoice with the same supplier and lines
Approve	Approve it, where your company uses approval (Approvals for purchases and vouchers)
Edit	Until a return exists, it is approved (where approval is on) or its year is locked (Change or delete a saved purchase document)
Delete	Until a return exists or its year is locked. Approval does not switch it off: ask your accountant before you delete an approved invoice
Email, Print	Send or print it

The list's Status is Unpaid, Partial, Paid or Returned: Unpaid when nothing was paid or returned, Partial when part is paid, Paid when nothing is left to pay (a cash purchase is always Paid) and Returned when a return exists and nothing is left to pay. See Pay a supplier and what clears what.

Common questions

There is no Add button.

No numbering series covers your branch in the active fiscal year, or your role cannot create purchase invoices. See Before you buy or post vouchers: the setup checklist.

Add is greyed out and a message asks to set ledgers.

The administrator has not named the Purchase ledger and Purchase return ledger in Configuration: see Company settings that change buying and vouchers.

I cannot change the supplier.

The invoice was started from an order or a goods received note, which fix the supplier. Start a new invoice without them if the supplier is different.

The supplier's bill number is on the invoice but I want to find it later.

Type it in Party invoice no: the list can be filtered by it, and the VAT purchase report uses it as the bill number (The VAT purchase reports).

The invoice needs a correction after saving.

Edit it, or return it, or add the missing cost with an add-on voucher: see Change or delete a saved purchase document.

Can I save an invoice dated tomorrow?

No. Future dates are not offered.