Receive inventory

Learn how to receive inventory with or without a bill in QuickBooks Desktop.

You can receive inventory with or without a bill after you record a purchase order. Recording the inventory received and the corresponding bill, if given, updates the quantity on hand for each item and the payable to the vendor.

Receive inventory with a bill

If you received the items and the corresponding bills for them, here's what to do.

QuickBooks Desktop for Windows

1. Go to Receive Inventory dropdown, then select Receive Inventory with Bill.
2. On the Enter Bills window that appears:
   1. From the Vendor dropdown, select the vendor.
   2. Select Yes to receive a purchase order for the bill.
   3. Choose the correct PO, then select OK.
   4. Review the information on the Bill. Note that except for the Memo field, any fields that were filled in on the PO are carried over to the Bill.
   5. Select Save & Close.
3. When you're ready to pay the bill, proceed to Pay Bills.

QuickBooks Desktop for Mac

1. Go to Vendors, then select Receive Items.
   Note: You can also enter a bill using the Transaction Center.
2. Enter the vendor's name, amount due, date, reference number, and payment terms.
3. (Optional) Enter a memo about the bill. The memo you enter appears on reports that include the bill.
4. Select the Items tab.
5. Select the purchase order, then select OK.
   Note: If you didn't have a purchase order, enter the items in the detail area.
6. Select the Expenses tab to enter the shipping charges or taxes.
7. Select Save.

Receive inventory without a bill

Use this option if you received the items but the vendor did not provide the bill yet. This will create an Item Receipt that increases your inventory asset account and accounts payable.

QuickBooks Desktop for Windows

1. Go to Receive Inventory dropdown, then select Receive Inventory without a bill.
2. On the Item receipt window that appears:
   1. From the dropdown, choose the vendor name.
   2. Select Yes to receive a purchase order for the bill.
   3. Choose the correct PO, then select OK.
   4. Review the information on the Item Receipt. Note that except for the Memo field, any fields that were filled in on the PO are carried over to the Item Receipt.
   5. Select Save & Close.
3. When you receive the bill for the inventory, proceed to Entering bills against Inventory.

QuickBooks Desktop for MAC

Step 1: Create an item receipt

1. Go to Vendors, then select Receive Items.
2. Select New or the Plus (+) icon.
3. Select the name of the vendor.
4. Select the purchase order, then OK.
   Note: If you didn't have a purchase order, enter the items in the detail area.
5. Select Save.

Step 2: Enter a bill when you receive the goods

1. Go to Vendors, then select Enter Bill for Received Items.
2. Enter the vendor's name.
3. Choose the item receipt for the bill, then select OK.
4. If necessary, change the date shown and the amount in the bill.
5. (Optional) Select the Expenses tab to enter the shipping charges or taxes.
6. Enter the vendor's terms.
7. Make sure that the amount due is the same total on the bill. If the total is incorrect, select Recalc.
8. Select Save.

Take control with Advanced Inventory.

Learn more about the advanced inventory features in QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise. Give us a call at 888-566-4671 and see if it’s right for you.