Goods often arrive before their bill. When you receive them with Bill to follow (item receipt) (see Receive Items), the stock goes in and SeroBooks records that you owe the vendor, but the receipt is not a bill: Pay Bills does not offer it. When the vendor's bill turns up, Enter Bill for Received Items attaches the bill's details — its number, its date and its terms — to the receipt. From then on it is an ordinary bill, and you pay it like any other.
Opening it
- Vendors ▸ Enter Bill for Received Items.
- On the Home Page, Enter Bills Against Inventory in the Vendors panel.
It opens over the Home Page; Esc takes you back to the Home Page. It needs permission for Enter Bills.
Enter the bill, step by step
- In the vendor box, type the vendor's name and pick them. (Leave it empty to see every vendor's waiting receipts.)
- Under ITEM RECEIPTS WAITING FOR A BILL, double-click the receipt the bill is for. If the vendor has only one, it is chosen for you.
- Under BILL FOR RECEIPT …, type the Vendor's bill number.
- Set the Bill date to the date on the vendor's bill.
- Choose the Terms, or leave The vendor's terms.
- Type a Memo if you want one.
- Check the lines and the Amount Due, then choose Save Bill.
SeroBooks confirms Bill … entered for receipt …, and the receipt leaves the list.
The fields
| Field | What to enter / what it means |
|---|---|
| Vendor | Limits the list to one vendor's receipts. The vendor's balance shows in the list as you search. |
| Refresh | Reloads the receipts. |
| Vendor's bill number | The number printed on the vendor's bill. |
| Bill date | The date on the vendor's bill. It decides the bill's due date and the period it falls in. |
| Terms | The vendor's terms (from the vendor record), or a term from your Terms List. A term with an early-payment discount lets you take it in Pay Bills. |
| Memo | A note kept with the bill. |
The receipts list shows each receipt's Date, Receipt number, Vendor, P.O. and Amount. The chosen receipt's lines show the Item, Qty, Cost and Amount.
What happens in the books
Nothing new is posted. The stock and the amount owed were recorded when the goods were received (debit Inventory and input tax credits, credit Accounts Payable). A service or non-inventory item on the receipt was charged to the item's own expense (cost) account rather than Inventory — or, when the item has none, to your default expense account, else Cost of Goods Sold — and stays there. Entering the bill only fills in the bill's own details on the same document, so it can be paid in Pay Bills and ages from the bill date.
If the bill does not match the receipt
The bill is for what was received, at the received cost. If the vendor's bill charges a different price, or for more or fewer items:
- For a lower price or fewer items, record a credit from the vendor with Enter Vendor Credits.
- For a higher price or more items, enter a further bill for the difference with Enter Bills.
Messages you may see
| Message | What to do |
|---|---|
| Bill number already used — Bill … from this vendor was already entered on … | The vendor's number is already on another bill from them. Choose Change it to correct it, or Record it anyway if the vendor really has reused the number. |
| That item receipt has already been billed, or no longer exists. | Someone has entered the bill already, or the receipt was deleted. Choose Refresh. |
| This bill is dated …, which falls in a period closed on … | The bill date is on or before your closing date. Use a date in an open period, or ask an administrator. |
| That term is not in the Terms list. | The term was removed while you were working. Choose another. |
Common problems
The receipt I want is not in the list. It was received with Bill received with the items, so it is already a bill; find it in the Bills list. Or its bill has already been entered.
The bill is still not in Pay Bills. Check that the receipt left this list after Save Bill; if it is still here, the bill was not entered. Choose Refresh in Pay Bills too.