Purchase Cycle

Basis supports two purchase paths: a direct invoice for immediate purchases, and an order-based path for tracked receiving. Both converge on the same invoice and payment documents.

Path 1 — Direct Purchase Invoice

Use this when there is no prior purchase order — a cash purchase, a service billed on the spot, or any purchase where you record the vendor invoice directly without tracking receiving separately.

New Purchase Invoice → Save
  → AP increases
  → Inventory increases (Goods items)

Steps:

1. Go to Transactions → Purchase Invoices → New.
2. Select the supplier.
3. If the Purchase Orders feature is enabled, leave the order selector as Direct (the default).
4. Add line items — set item, quantity, unit price, and discount.
5. For Goods items, select the receiving location (required).
6. Set a due date if payment is not immediate.
7. Click Save.

The invoice is recorded immediately. AP increases by the invoice total, and inventory is increased for any Goods-type items.

Path 2 — Order-based Purchase

Use this when you raise a purchase order before receiving goods, or when you need to track partial receipts separately from billing.

Purchase Order → Save
     ↓
Receipt Note (optional, repeat for partials) → Save
     ↓
Purchase Invoice → Save

Step 1 — Create a Purchase Order

1. Go to Transactions → Purchase Orders → New.
2. Fill in supplier, date, and all ordered items with quantities and prices.
3. Click Save.

The order is saved. Its Receipt Status and Invoice Status both start as Pending. No inventory or ledger movement happens at this point.

Step 2 — Receive Goods (Receipt Note)

Skip this step if you record the invoice directly without tracking individual deliveries.

1. Open the saved Purchase Order.
2. Click New Receipt Note.
3. Lines are pre-filled from the order. Adjust Receive Qty for a partial receipt, or click Fill All to receive everything remaining.
4. Click Save.

Inventory is increased at the receiving location. The PO Receipt Status updates to Received (or remains Pending if partially received).

You can create multiple receipt notes against the same PO for staged deliveries.

Step 3 — Record the Vendor Invoice

1. Open the saved Purchase Order.
2. Click New Purchase Invoice.
3. Lines are pre-filled with the remaining uninvoiced quantities. Adjust if needed.
4. Enter the supplier's invoice reference, set a due date, then click Save.

AP increases by the invoice total. The PO Invoice Status updates to Invoiced.

You can invoice before, after, or independently of receiving. Invoiced quantities are tracked separately from received quantities.

Supplier Return — Debit Note

Use a debit note when you return goods to a supplier or when you need to reverse or partially reduce a posted purchase invoice.

Original Purchase Invoice → New Debit Note → adjust return qty → Save
  → AP decreases
  → Inventory decreases (returned Goods items)

Steps:

1. Open the original Purchase Invoice.
2. Click New Debit Note from the Actions menu.
3. All invoice lines are pre-loaded. Enter the return quantity for each item being returned (leave at 0 to exclude a line).
4. Prices, items, and all other fields are locked to the original invoice — only quantities are editable.
5. Click Save.

A debit note must reference an existing purchase invoice. The system will not allow a standalone debit note.

Paying a Supplier — Payment

Use a payment to record outgoing payment to a supplier and settle one or more outstanding invoices.

New Payment → select bank/cash account → select supplier
  → add lines, each linked to an invoice → Save
    → AP decreases per invoice settled
    → Bank / Cash account decreases

Steps:

1. Go to Transactions → Payments → New.
2. Select the bank or cash account sending the money.
3. Select the supplier (party).
4. Add one line per invoice you are settling:
   • Choose the invoice from the dropdown — the outstanding balance fills in automatically.
   • Adjust the amount down for a partial payment.
   • Enter a narration describing the settlement (required).
5. To settle multiple invoices in one payment, add multiple lines.
6. Click Save.

Advance payment: Leave the invoice field blank on a line to record an unallocated advance payment. The advance appears as a credit on the supplier's account and can be applied when you settle a future invoice.

Effect on Supplier Balance

Related

• Purchase Invoices
• Debit Notes
• Purchase Orders
• Receipt Notes
• Payments
• Parties