Record a supplier bill

A bill records what you owe a supplier for goods or services. Issuing it posts the cost and the input VAT and adds the amount to the supplier's balance. A supplier credit note does the opposite.

Before you start

• You need the Books right Manage purchases and payments.
• The supplier must already exist.

Steps

1. Open Books → Supplier bill and select + Supplier bill. For a credit from a supplier, select + Supplier credit note.
2. Choose the supplier.
3. Choose the Paying account you plan to pay from.
4. Type the Supplier invoice number, the Date and the Due date.
5. Check the supplier's Address, Email and Tax registration number.
6. Tick Prices include VAT if the supplier's prices include it.
7. Enter each line with its amount, tax code and the expense or asset account it belongs to.
8. Add a document Discount and Notes if needed.
9. Select Save · Draft, then Post entry · Supplier bill. The bill gets its number (BILL-…; supplier credit notes SC-…).

Start from goods received

If you receive goods with Inventory or Procurement, select Goods received · Purchase order on the bills list, pick the month and supplier, and select Create draft from source. Books copies the lines into a draft bill without moving the stock again. For goods you returned, use the Supplier credit note link next to it in the same way.

Good to know

• Books refuses a second bill with the same Supplier invoice number for the same supplier. Two drafts may share a number, but only one can be issued.
• A bill cannot be edited once issued. Correct it with a supplier credit note and apply that credit to the bill.
• Reverse-charge lines add the same amount of input and output VAT without changing what you owe the supplier.
• A bill from goods received can only be issued after the purchase order or invoice photo has recorded the supplier invoice. Purchase orders that were not received yet cannot be billed this way.
• If the invoice reader is switched on for your organisation, Invoice photo draft appears too: it fills a bill from a photo. The invoice reader is in early access.
• Pay the bill from Pay supplier: see Pay a supplier. Attach the supplier's invoice file: see Attach files.
• Bills in another currency: see Foreign currency.