How to Record a Goods Receipt
What you're doing here
When goods arrive, you record what actually came in against the order they were sent for, and put the stock away into a store. In a few minutes you'll pull up the purchase order, enter the received quantity for each item, choose where the goods go, and save. Your stock updates to match the delivery, and anything that needs inspecting is flagged for a quality check.
We'll follow one running example throughout: a purchase order for 500 units where 480 arrive, received into the Raw Material store, with a quality check raised.
Before you start
- The goods have physically arrived and been counted
- A purchase order exists for these goods
- The store the goods will go into is set up
- Your role can record goods receipts
Step-by-step guide
Step 1: Open a new goods receipt
- Go to Purchase from the sidebar
- Click GRN
- Click the button to add a new goods receipt
- The form opens
Step 2: Receive against the purchase order
The best way to receive goods is to start from the order they were sent for.
- Pick the purchase order the delivery relates to
- The supplier and the ordered items are brought in for you — you don't retype them
- The ordered quantity for each item shows, ready for you to record what actually arrived
In our example: you select the purchase order for 500 units. The item appears with 500 as the ordered quantity.
Receiving against a purchase order is the normal path. It keeps the order, the receipt and the supplier's bill tied together, so everything reconciles later.
Step 3: Set the dates
| Date | What it records |
|---|---|
| Receipt date | The date you are making this record. Defaults to today. |
| Material received date | The date the goods physically arrived — set this if the goods came in earlier than the day you're recording them. |
Step 4: Record the received quantity
This is the heart of the receipt. For each item, enter what actually arrived — not what was ordered.
| You received | What to enter | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Exactly what was ordered | The same quantity | The item is fully received |
| Less than ordered (short) | The smaller quantity that arrived | The balance stays pending on the order |
| More than ordered (over) | The larger quantity — then confirm the over-receipt | The extra is accepted and flagged |
In our example: the order was for 500 but only 480 turned up. You enter 480. The receipt now shows a short delivery, and 20 units remain pending on the purchase order for a later receipt.
Step 5: Note the condition of what arrived
For each item you can mark the condition of the goods and add a note — useful when part of a delivery is damaged or held for return.
- Mark items as in good condition, damaged, or to be returned
- Add a short remark explaining anything unusual (e.g. "2 cartons dented in transit")
- Where an item is tracked by batch or serial number, or has an expiry date, record those here so the goods stay traceable
Step 6: Choose where the goods go
Decide the store the received goods are put away into.
- Into a store — pick the store, and your stock there goes up by the received quantity. This is the normal choice.
- Leave it unassigned — record the receipt now and choose the store later, if the goods are still at the gate and haven't been moved to their shelf.
In our example: you send the 480 units into the Raw Material store, so your stock of that material rises by 480.
Step 7: Add the supplier's reference and any documents
- Record the supplier's own delivery note or challan number so your receipt matches their paperwork
- Attach photos of the delivery, the signed delivery note, or any inspection paperwork
Step 8: Fill in Gate Entry Details (optional)
The Gate Entry Details tab is a separate, optional record of the goods physically arriving at your premises — the sort of thing your security or gate staff note down when the vehicle pulls in.
Use it to capture, for your own records:
- The vehicle number and, if you like, the driver's name
- The date and time the vehicle arrived at the gate
- Any security or gate reference your team uses when checking a delivery in
This is a record kept at the gate for traceability — it's optional, and you can save a receipt without it. It's handy when goods reach the gate before they're counted and put away, or when you want a clear record of who and what came through.
Step 9: Save the receipt
- Review the items, the received quantities, and the store
- Click the button to save the goods receipt
- A confirmation appears and the receipt gets its own number
What happens on save:
- Your stock in the chosen store goes up by what you received
- The purchase order updates — how much has been received, and how much is still pending
- If any item needs inspecting, a quality check is raised and the goods wait as "to be inspected"
In our example: the 480 units land in Raw Material, the order shows 480 received and 20 pending, and — because this material must be inspected — a quality check is raised on the 480 units.
What a quality check does
For items set up to be inspected, the receipt raises a check before the goods count as usable stock:
- Accepted goods become good, usable stock
- Rejected goods are held apart and can be returned to the supplier
Until the check is done, the goods are on your premises but not yet ready to use. Manage which items need checking, and carry out inspections, on the Quality page.
Field definitions
| Field | What it means | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase order | The order these goods were sent against; brings in the supplier and ordered items | |
| Supplier | Who the goods came from — filled from the order | |
| Receipt date | The date you're recording the receipt | |
| Material received date | The date the goods physically arrived | |
| Received quantity | How much actually arrived, per item — the same, short, or over | |
| Condition | Whether each item is good, damaged, or to be returned | Optional |
| Store | Where the received goods are put away; can be left unassigned | Optional |
| Supplier reference | The supplier's own delivery note or challan number | Optional |
| Batch / serial / expiry | Traceability details for items tracked that way | Optional |
| Gate entry details | Vehicle, arrival time and gate reference — the record kept at the gate | Optional |
| Attachments | Photos, the signed delivery note, inspection paperwork | Optional |
Common issues
The purchase order isn't in the list
- Check the order actually exists and isn't already fully received
- Confirm you're looking at the right supplier
- If it's still missing, raise the purchase order first, then come back
It won't let me receive more than was ordered
- Receiving more than ordered is an over-receipt, and it needs you to confirm it deliberately
- Confirm the over-receipt to accept the extra, or re-count — a mistyped quantity is the usual cause
The goods aren't showing in my stock
- Check you chose a store — if the receipt was left unassigned, the stock isn't in a store yet
- If the item needs a quality check, the goods wait as "to be inspected" until they're accepted
I can't edit a receipt any more
- A receipt is locked once it's tied to a return of goods to the supplier, so the record stays trustworthy
- Make the correction on the related document instead, or contact support if you're stuck
Related guides
- Track and Verify Receipts — find and check your goods receipts
- Purchase Orders — the order goods are received against
- Suppliers — who the goods came from
- Bills — matching the supplier's bill to the receipt
- Quality — inspecting received goods
- Stores — where received goods are put away
Best practices
Tips for clean receipts
Always count the delivery before you record it — the received quantity is the whole point of a GRN
Receive against the purchase order, not from scratch, so the order and the bill stay in step
Record short deliveries honestly — the pending balance reminds you what the supplier still owes you
Put goods into the right store as you receive them, so your stock figures match your shelves
Need help? Contact support at support@bizconnekt.com