Purchasing GuidePurchase Bills
Purchase Bills
Record the vendor's invoice — what you owe, on what terms, and by when.
What is this?
A Purchase Bill is the financial record of the vendor's invoice — amounts owed, payment terms, and due date.
When to use it
Create a Bill as soon as you receive the vendor's invoice. Bills are what Payments are applied against.
Three ways to start a Bill
1
Import from a Purchase Receipt
Cleanest option. The Bill pre-fills from what you actually received.
2
Import from a Purchase Order
Use when billed before delivery. Stock won't update — you'll be prompted to also create a Receipt.
3
Enter Manually
For one-off purchases with no PO or Receipt — enter the vendor, items, totals, and due date.
How to create one
Method 1 — Import from a Purchase Receipt
- Open the confirmed Receipt.
- Click Convert to Bill.
- Enter the vendor's invoice number and payment terms.
- Set the due date.
- Click Confirm.
Method 2 — Import from a Purchase Order
- Open the PO.
- Click Convert to Bill.
- Enter invoice number, terms, and due date.
- Click Confirm.
- Octopos will prompt you to also create a Receipt — the Bill alone does not update inventory.
Method 3 — Enter Manually
- Go to Purchase Bills and click New Bill.
- Pick the vendor and enter invoice number + date.
- Add line items (product or service) with amounts.
- Set payment terms and due date.
- Click Confirm.
Lifecycle
Purchase Bill lifecycle
DraftOpenPartially PaidPaid
Any state can be →Voided
Receipt vs. Bill
These two documents look similar but answer different questions. Keep them straight and you won't get confused later.
| Purchase Receipt | Purchase Bill |
|---|---|
| Tracks physical goods that arrived. | Tracks the financial obligation to the vendor. |
| Updates inventory on confirm. | Updates money owed, payment terms, due date. |
| Answers: What arrived, at what cost? | Answers: What do I owe, and by when? |
One event, two documents
One shipment often produces both a Receipt and a Bill. They can be created in either order — Octopos will keep them linked.
Next step
Payments
Record money paid against one bill, or batch a payment across many.