What a purchase changes in the books and in stock

Saving a purchase invoice credits the supplier, debits the purchase ledger and the adjustment ledgers, and brings the goods into stock. A goods received note only brings goods into stock. Requisitions, quotations and orders change nothing.

Accounting Concepts
3 min read
Updated October 20, 2026

For Accountant Owner or manager Purchase clerk

Which document changes what

What each purchase document records

Document (screen)	Ledger entries	Stock
Purchase requisition	No	No
Purchase quotation	No	No
Purchase order, Purchase order cancellation	No	No
Goods received note	No	Yes: the goods come into the warehouse
Purchase invoice	Yes: you owe the supplier, purchases and VAT are booked	Yes, unless it was made from a goods received note (the note already brought the goods in)
Purchase invoice for a fixed asset	Yes: the asset ledger instead of purchases	Yes, with serial numbers
Purchase return	Yes: reverses the purchase	Yes: the goods go out
Purchase add-on voucher	Yes: an extra cost tied to an invoice	The extra cost can raise the value of the goods in stock
Payment voucher	Yes: money out, you owe the supplier less	No

One save, several effects

Saving a purchase invoice is one step. Either everything below happens, or nothing does and the screen says why.

What happens when you save a purchase invoice

Area	Change
Supplier's account	You owe the supplier the invoice total, from the invoice date; the due date is the date plus the Due day
Purchases	The basic amount of each line is booked to the purchase ledger of its product, or the company's Purchase ledger
VAT and other adjustments	Each adjustment is booked to its own ledger: VAT as a debit (input VAT), a discount as a credit
Stock	Each stocked product comes into its warehouse, with a value that includes the adjustments marked Stock valuation
Goods received note	When the invoice is made from one, the note's stock stays as it is and no second stock entry is made
Order	The quantity invoiced is taken off what is left on the order
Number	The next number of the series you chose
IRD	Nothing: purchases are not sent to the IRD

Worked example: one purchase invoice in the books and in stock

XYZ Suppliers bills 100 cartons at 200 (20,000), with a 5% discount ordered before VAT and VAT at 13% (the rates set up for this example). The discount adjustment is marked Stock valuation; the VAT adjustment is not.

Working: 20,000 − 1,000 discount = 19,000; VAT 13% of 19,000 = 2,470; invoice total 21,470.

Ledger	Debit	Credit
Purchase ledger	20,000
VAT ledger (input VAT)	2,470
Discount ledger		1,000
XYZ Suppliers: what you owe		21,470
Total	22,470	22,470

In stock, 100 cartons come into the line's warehouse valued at 19,000 (190 a carton): the discount counts in the stock value because it is marked Stock valuation, and VAT does not.

What the numbers are

You owe = the net amount: products, plus the adjustments that add (VAT, freight), minus those that take off (discounts).
Purchases = the basic amount of the lines, before adjustments. A product can have its own purchase ledger, so one invoice can debit several purchase ledgers.
VAT follows the purchase adjustments chosen on the invoice (Set up VAT, discounts and other purchase adjustments). The VAT purchase reports read it back (The VAT purchase reports).
A cash purchase (the supplier is a cash or bank ledger) credits that cash or bank ledger instead of a supplier, so the money is out at once and no supplier balance appears (Enter a purchase invoice).
What you pay later is separate: a payment voucher against the same supplier account (Pay a supplier and what clears what).

What a purchase changes in the books and in stock

Which document changes what

One save, several effects

What the numbers are

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