"Purchase Date" column blank on Item Screen and Inventory Report

I'll share some details in the Purchase Date column, jack771. This way, I can guide you accordingly. 

I'll ensure you'll know when the Purchase Date shows in the Item Listing and Inventory reports in QuickBooks Desktop. 

The Purchase Date column in the reports will not be blank if your Purchase Order created has a specific line on that detail. See the sample screenshots below for your reference: 

If you want to add this column so that the reports are not blank, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Vendors menu and pick Create Purchase Orders. 
2. Select Formatting and choose Customize Data Layout. 
3. Click Columns and type Purchase Date in the empty field.
4. Check the Screen, Print, and Order boxes so they will be visible in the forms and reports. 
5. Hit OK. 

However, if you don't need it in your reports, you can uncheck the column by customizing it. 

Further, check out these articles below on how to memorize reports and modify item lists in QuickBooks: 

• Create, access, and modify memorized reports
• Add, edit, and delete items in QuickBooks

Reach back out to me by commenting below if you have any questions concerning QuickBooks. I'm always here to help, Jack. 

Thank you so much for your detailed explanation!  However, while following your instructions, I don't see the Purchase date on any report or item listing.  I created a purchase order with the purchase date in the right column.  I also then entered a bill for the PO and still no purchase date.

Also, I don't issue PO's in my business as I enter bills as I make purchases.  But it appears that to get the purchase date in the system, I have to create PO's first.  Is that correct?

Yes, you need to create a purchase order to see the Purchase Date column on the report, jack.

Here are the steps you can follow.

1. Go to Vendors and select Create Purchase Orders.
2. In the Vendor dropdown, select the vendor you'd like to create a purchase order for.
3. You can also select Add New to add a new vendor.
4. Fill out the rest of the fields, and add the items you'd like to order.
5. Click Save & Close.

There are several ways to view your purchase orders. If you need to see the list where a specific item appears, here's how to do it.

1. Go to Lists, then select Items.
2. Select the item, then select QuickReport from the ⚙▼ drop-down menu.
3. Double-click a purchase order to view.

Purchase orders are a part of the Accounts Payable (A/P) workflow. You can browse this article to learn more about this: The A/P workflow in QuickBooks Desktop.

Let me know if you have additional questions about the Purchase date on the Inventory report. I'm always right here to help you.

Is this the only way to have "Purchase Date" show on the Item List?

I rarely use a PO, I enter my inventory through the "Bill" when I receive my order. I don't need to waste time entering a Purchase Order.

Hi there, Giselle.

I appreciate you joining here and asking for clarification about entering a purchase date without using PO in QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT).

We can only use the Purchase Date column when creating a PO. Since usually, you're not using this type of transaction, you may consider utilizing the Description column to add the purchase date from the bill. Here's a sample screenshot for your visual reference:

Once done, we can run the Inventory Item report to get the lists of your inventory items. We can follow these steps to show the purchase date entered from the Description column.

1. Go to the Lists menu.
2. Select Item Lists.
3. Find the item. Right-click to select QuickReport.
4. Click the Customize button. Search and tick the Memo.
5. Include all the details you need.
6. Click OK to reflect the changes.
   

Then, I recommend sending your feedback to our product developers. Our team will review your suggestion and might include this in the product updates. We can follow the steps below and share with them the benefits of this option.

1. Open the QuickBooks Desktop program and select the Help menu.
2. Click on Send Feedback Online and choose Product Suggestion.

Still, we can visit and check these articles for guides about managing vendor transactions and reports:

• Accounts Payable workflows in QuickBooks Desktop
• QuickBooks Desktop reports that you need.

If you have more questions or clarification about recording transactions and managing items in QBDT, please let me know by commenting below. Stay safe.

Thank you for your quick response.  First time somebody has responded to my queries.

1.  I keep the 'Item" icon on my icon bar, like other often used areas, so I don't need to go through the extra step of going to "Lists" or other places to find what I'm looking for.

2.  Most of the time I purchase the same items from my vendors, so the date on the "Purchase Description" would have to be constantly changed.  This is not time effective and I would still have to do a "Quick Report" on each item to find the dates of purchase.

3.  If QB/Intuit can make the Quantity redundant with a Bill during the entry of a new item, they can also do it with the Purchase Date.  The redundancy they've made with the quantity is dangerous, but with the Date of Purchase is not.

4.  Sometimes there is no need to waste time creating a "Purchase Order" for every purchase of items, if you've already purchased them before. And if you've already purchased them before, you still have to go to the Items List, open the item, and change the date on the Purchase Description, Again.

5. The only workable solution I see is that QB/Intuit link the item purchase date with a Bill also, so as to generate the Purchase Date Column in the Item List.

Thanks for getting back here, @Giselle. 

I appreciate you sharing your insights about entering a purchase date in QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT) as well as your workaround solution. Your suggestions and feedback are highly valuable to us so I recommend sending a product request to our engineers to review them and consider adding it to future releases or updates. Here's how:

1. In your QBDT company, navigate to the Help menu.
2. Next, select Send Feedback Online and click Product Suggestion.
3. From there, enter your product feedback and submit it. 

I've also added this helpful resource that you can open in managing accounts payable transactions in QBDT: Accounts Payable workflows in QuickBooks Desktop.

Additionally, modifying the details of your transaction forms like purchase orders is a breeze. Doing this will help you control the information you want to include. To get started, refer to this article for the detailed steps: Use and customize form templates.

Please let me know in the comment section below if you have any other QuickBooks-related concerns. I'm always here to lend a hand to ensure your success. Have a good day and take care. 

I have the same issue. I customized the purchase order to include the purchase date just as the example

shows but nothing show in the purchase date in my item list screen. What can I do to remedy this? Thank you 

Thank you for your diligence in customizing the Purchase Order (PO) to incorporate the purchase date, Kbaker. I understand this isn't displaying as expected in your item list screen. Let me shed some light on why this could be happening and offer a practical workaround to address the issue. I'm confident we can find a solution that works for you and make the purchase date visible.
 

In QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT), if you convert a Purchase Order (PO) to a bill, you can manually input the purchase date in the Description field. This approach ensures that when you generate an Item Quick Report or Purchase by Item Detail, it will appear in the Memo column. Please refer to the steps below:
 

1. Go to Vendors and click pick Enter Bills.
2. Choose the Vendor from the dropdown. A pop-up window will appear stating there are open purchase orders for them. Tap Yes and select the specific PO.
3. Hit the OK button.
4. In the Description field, enter the purchase date information.
5. Click Save & Close.
    

Then, you may run a Purchase by Item Detail report. 
 

1. Go to Reports and choose Purchases.
2. Select Purchases by Item Detail.
3. The description you manually entered from the bill will now be reflected in the Memo section.
    

However, if you need to run an Item Listing report, the purchase date won't be visible as this feature is currently unavailable.

In the meantime, I recommend sending your feedback to our product engineers about this. By voicing your needs, you'll help shape future updates and potentially influence the addition of this functionality. Our engineers are always keen to hear directly from users about how to improve QuickBooks and better serve your business needs. Here's how:

1. Hover to the Help menu.
2. Select the Send Feedback Online option.
3. Choose the Product Suggestion.
4. Type your feature suggestion in the space provided.
5. Click the Send Feedback button.
   
   

Thank you for taking the time to share your recommendations. I look forward to incorporating your insights into our ongoing efforts to enhance the program. If you have other questions about managing POs, bills, or customizing reports in QBDT, leave a comment below.