Receive inventory WITHOUT a purchase order

Hello, John 209. 

Thank you for posting in the Community. I'd be glad to provide some info about receiving inventory in your QuickBooks Online account.

As of this moment, the receive inventory with bill is only available in QuickBooks Desktop. Though in QuickBooks Online, the setup is a bit different, but the functionality to receive inventory items with or without a bill is only through Purchase Order.

I'm linking a few articles below that I believe you'll find helpful: 

• Create and send purchase orders in QuickBooks Online

• Add purchase orders to expenses, bills, or checks in QuickBooks Online

• Setting up Inventory in QuickBooks Online 

Please get back to us if you have any questions about inventory. Remember, we're here to make sure everything is taken care of. Stay safe!

WITHOUT  a purchase order!!!

I can help you in handling inventory transaction, John 209. 

Please know that you can receive inventory with or without purchase order in the program. We'll have to manually use either create expense/check or bills to bring in and track the items you've received from your vendor. 

You can do that by clicking the + New button and then select either Check or Expense. Then, select the items under the Item details field.

For additional resources, consider checking out these articles:

• Adjust inventory quantity on hand in QuickBooks Online
• How to use purchase order.
• Apply a purchase order to a vendor transaction.

• How to pay bills in QuickBooks Online.

Please reach out to me in the comment section below if you have any other issues or concerns. I'm always here to help. Have a great week!

Can you please elaborate.  I'm using QB Desktop and do NOT use purchase orders. I entered inventory using a bill, but my expense does not show up when I pay the bill.

Thanks for joining us on this thread, AB-SWCD. I'm here to help you out.

Since you're unable to locate your expense, I'd recommend reviewing your inventory item to ensure the affected accounts are correct, especially the purchasing information. Once done, pay the bill again.

For more details about tracking your items in QuickBooks Desktop, please see this article: Receive Inventory With or Without a Bill.

Additionally, I've added an article that'll help you track the money you owe your vendors. This ensures your record is accurate: Accounts Payable workflows in QuickBooks Desktop.

Also, I'd suggest adding more details on how did you receive your inventory. This way, we'll be able to further investigate this.

You can tag me directly if you have any other questions. I'll help you out. Have a good one!

@CharleneMaeF  I did not do a purchase order.  I have recently read that without a purchase order I can't receive inventory without a bill.

@AB-SWCD 

Buying inventory is not an expense, it is an asset.  Therefore, when you enter a bill, it increases your inventory asset account and a corresponding amount in A/P.  Inventory is expensed to cost of goods sold (COGS) when you sell it.