Stock transfers and locations

A location is a place where you keep stock, such as a shop, a store or a warehouse. A stock transfer moves stock from one location to another. A transfer changes where the stock is, not what it is worth, so it posts nothing to your accounts. The one exception is a receipt that covers stock you sold before it arrived.

Where

Inventory › Transfers, and Inventory › Locations

Number

A transfer gets a number that starts with TR- followed by a long code of letters and digits. The app makes it. Locations have a code that you choose

Posts to

Nothing in the ledger. Inventory (1200) does not change. Only a receipt that covers stock sold before it arrived posts: Stock owed, Inventory and Cost of Goods Sold

Who

Managers and admins. Only admins delete a transfer

What it’s for

Stock transfers

• Refill a shop from the warehouse, or move stock between two stores.
• A transfer has up to three steps: Requested, then Sent, then Received. You can receive in parts.
• A request does not reserve stock and does not move it. The stock moves only when you send it.
• Sent stock is in transit. It is not at the source and not at the destination. It cannot be sold until the destination receives it.
• Item transfers made at the till are listed here too, marked Immediate. They have no send and receive steps. See Item transfers at the till. You change or delete those at the till, not here.
• To fix a stock quantity without moving stock, use Stock adjustments or Stock counts. To see what each location holds, use Stock.

Note

Saving a request does not check the stock, and two requests can ask for the same stock. The check happens when you press Confirm send. The second send is refused if the stock is gone.

Locations

• Add the places where you keep stock. Every stock movement, sale and goods receipt names one.
• Rename a location, change its type, or archive it when you stop using it. An archived location keeps its history.
• Choose a default location for each cash drawer (a counter), so the till suggests it when a shift opens.

Fields

The transfer list

These filters only change which transfers you see.

Field	What it means	What it changes
Search document number	Part of a transfer number (up to 80 characters)	Lists only matching transfers
Location	All locations, or one location by its code	Lists transfers that leave from or arrive at it
Status	All statuses, Requested, In transit, Part received, Received, Cancelled, Rest sent back or Deleted	Lists one status

The list shows each transfer’s number, whether it is Two-step or Immediate, and the date. It also shows the two locations, the status and the reason. Under the status it says what comes next: Send next or Receive next.

Request a stock transfer

Field	What it means	What it changes
From *	The location the stock leaves. If you may add locations, you can create one from this box	Where the stock is checked when you send it
To *	The location the stock goes to. It cannot be the same as From	Where the stock appears when it is received
Reason *	Why you are moving the stock, 3 to 500 characters	Shown on the transfer, in its history and on the printout
Item	An item you keep in stock. Each item can be on the transfer only once. Up to 100 items	The stock that will move
Quantity	How many to move. It must be more than zero and can have only as many decimals as the item’s unit allows	The quantity that leaves the source when you send
At source	Read only. The stock the From location holds now	Nothing. A line that asks for more than the source holds shows a warning only

To start from the stock list, use Transfer stock in a row of Stock. It opens this form with that item and its location filled in.

Send and receive

Open a transfer from the list. It has three tabs: Items, Activity and Corrections. The next step is on the Items tab, under the items.

Field	What it means	What it changes
Reason / handling note *	A short note for this step, 3 to 500 characters	Shown in Activity
Action	Shown only after sending. Receive stock at destination or Return all remaining stock to source	Which step you are about to confirm
One quantity box per item	Shown for Receive. The box is named with the item and what is still remaining	How much arrives now. Leave a box empty to receive none of that item yet

Return received stock

On the Corrections tab. Use it when stock was received and then has to go back.

Field	What it means	What it changes
Can still be returned	Read only. Received quantity that has not gone back yet	Nothing
Return quantity	How many of each item go back	The size of the new return transfer
Where are the goods now?	Already back at ‹source›, or Travelling back — receive later	Whether the return is received at once or waits in transit
Reason for return	Why the stock goes back	Shown on the return transfer

Edit transfer

On the Corrections tab. Before the transfer is sent, you can change From, To, Reason and the items. After it is sent or received, you can change Reason and the quantities only. You cannot add, remove or swap items. The app shows what changes and asks for a reason before it saves.

A location

Field	What it means	What it changes
Location name *	Up to 120 characters	The name shown on screens and in lists. Two-step transfers already saved keep the name they had
Location code *	1 to 30 letters, digits, hyphens or underscores, starting with a letter or digit. Each code is used once	The short name shown in lists and pickers
Location type *	Store or Warehouse	A label only. It does not change how stock behaves. An older location may show Not set (older location)
Status	Active or Archived. Shown only when you edit an existing location	An archived location cannot be chosen for new stock activity

The locations list also shows Used for: how many items have stock there, and which counters use it as their default.

Counter defaults

On the Counter defaults tab of Locations. Each cash account of your company is a row.

Field	What it means	What it changes
Default location	An active location, or Ask when opening register	The location the till suggests when the next shift of that drawer opens

Changing a default does not move stock. It does not change a shift that is already open.

Buttons

Transfers

Button	When you see it	What happens	Accounts
New transfer request	Transfer list	Opens the request form	No change
Save request	Request form	Saves the request. No stock moves and none is reserved	No change
Export list (CSV)	Transfer list	Downloads the transfers on the list	No change
Confirm send	Requested	Takes every item on the request out of the source and puts it in transit. The whole request goes together	No change
Confirm received quantities	In transit or Part received	Moves the quantities you typed from transit to the destination	May cover owed stock
Confirm return to source	In transit or Part received, with the action Return all remaining stock to source	Sends everything not yet received back to the source. Stock already received stays at the destination	No change
Edit transfer, then Update transfer	Corrections tab, when the transfer can still be changed	Opens the edit screen, then saves the changes after you give a reason	Stock posted again
Delete transfer	Corrections tab, admins only, when the transfer can still be changed	Asks for a reason, then removes any stock movements. The number stays as Deleted	Stock movements removed
Return received stock	Corrections tab, when received stock can still go back	Opens the return form, then makes a new transfer back to the source	May cover owed stock
Confirm return at source or Confirm sending back	Return form	The first receives the stock at the source at once. The second leaves it in transit	May cover owed stock
Print…	Transfer screen	Shows a stock transfer slip, with lines to sign for sent by and received in good condition	No change
Export CSV	Transfer screen, if your role may export transfers	Downloads this transfer	No change
Refresh	Transfer list and transfer screen	Reads the latest details	No change

Statuses you will see: Requested, In transit, Part received, Received, Rest sent back, Deleted, and Cancelled. Cancelled appears only on older transfers. The app no longer has a cancel button. To drop a request, delete it.

Locations

Button	When you see it	What happens	Accounts
New location	Locations list	Opens the form for a new location	No change
Save location	Location form	Saves the name, code and type. Stock for a new location starts at zero	No change
Archive location	Row menu of an active location	Opens the form with Archived chosen. Nothing changes until you press Save and archive location	No change
Reactivate location	Row menu of an archived location	Opens the form with Active chosen. Nothing changes until you press Save and reactivate location	No change
Create and select location	The small Create location window, opened from a From or To box	Makes the location and picks it for the transfer	No change
Save default	Counter defaults tab, one for each counter	Saves the default location for that counter	No change

What gets posted

A normal transfer posts nothing to the ledger

Requesting, sending, receiving and returning stock create no journal entry. Your Inventory account (1200) and your balance sheet do not change. What the app records is stock movements: a Transfer out from one location and a Transfer in to another.

Every step is dated the day you press the button, by your company’s date. There is no date field to change.

Here is one transfer of 3 units. The units cost AED 0.3333 each, so they are worth AED 0.9999. The app keeps stock value to four decimals and shows two. Stock in transit appears in Stock as In transit.

Step	At the source	In transit	At the destination
Start	3 units, 0.9999	none	none
Confirm send (all 3)	none	3 units, 0.9999	none
Confirm received quantities: 1 unit	none	2 units, 0.6666	1 unit, 0.3333
Confirm received quantities: the last 2	none	none	3 units, 0.9999

The value of your stock as a whole is 0.9999 after every step. Stock value reports include stock in transit.

The rules behind the table:

• Cost. Sent stock carries the source location’s own average cost at the moment you send. That is the value held at the source divided by the units held there. The destination receives the stock at that same cost, not at the cost it already had.
• Not the company average. A sale or a stock reduction uses the company-wide average instead. See How cost works. A transfer moves value from one place to another, so the company average does not change. Two locations can hold the same item at different costs.
• No lost fils. A part receipt takes its share of the value. The last receipt takes the exact value that is left.
• Send checks the stock. The source must hold the full quantity when you press Confirm send, not when you save the request.
• One send. You send the whole request at once. You can receive in parts.
• Rest sent back. If part of the stock never arrives, Return all remaining stock to source puts it back at the source. It keeps its original quantity and value.
• Return of received stock. This makes a new transfer from the destination back to the source. It uses the destination’s own average cost at that moment. The original transfer stays as it was.

When a receipt covers stock you sold before it arrived

If your company allows selling stock that has not been received yet, a sale can run ahead of the stock. The sale is booked at an estimated cost and waits in Stock owed (estimated cost). When transferred stock arrives at that location, the receipt covers the oldest owed sales first. Each sale covered gets its own journal entry, dated the day you receive.

Example 1A transfer receipt covers an older saleMemo: Stock owed settled by stock that arrived

• Stock sent from the shop, cost per unit12.00
• Estimated cost on the owed sale, per unit10.00
• Units of the older sale covered by this receipt2
• Estimate cleared (2 × 10.00)20.00
• Actual cost of the arrived stock (2 × 12.00)24.00

Account	Debit (AED)	Credit (AED)	Why
5000Cost of Goods Sold	4.00		The real cost was more than the estimate, by 4.00
1200Inventory		24.00	The arrived units leave stock at their real cost
2060Stock owed (estimated cost)	20.00		The estimate you booked at the sale is cleared
Total	24.00	24.00	Balanced

In this example, 5 units went from the shop to the warehouse and 3 were received first. The warehouse had sold 2 units three days ago and 3 units yesterday, both before the stock arrived. The 3 received units cover the older sale of 2 units, as above. The third unit covers 1 unit of the newer sale. That unit gets its own entry: Cost of Goods Sold 2.00 and Stock owed (estimated cost) 10.00 as debits, and Inventory 12.00 as a credit. The same happens when you receive stock sent back by Return received stock.

Sending stock, and returning the undelivered rest to its source, never cover owed stock. Stock going back to where it came from is not new stock.

Locations post nothing

Adding, renaming, archiving and reactivating a location, and setting a counter default, change no account and move no stock.

Where it shows up

Place	What changes
Stock	Quantity and value fall at the source when you send, and rise at the destination when it is received. Stock in transit shows as In transit and cannot be sold
Stock movements	Two movements for each step, typed Transfer out and Transfer in
Stock value and inventory reports	Total value does not change. Stock in transit is counted
Transfer screen, Activity tab	Each step with its date, reason, quantities and value. Returns made from the transfer are listed too
Day book, profit and loss, balance sheet, VAT	No change. The exception is a receipt that covers owed stock (example 1)
Till, when you open a register	The counter’s default location is already chosen in Stock location. You can pick another active one. An archived location is not offered. See Opening and closing the register
Documents that move stock	An archived location is not offered for new stock activity. Saved documents keep it in their history

What the app blocks

These checks happen before anything is saved. A refused step leaves no half-written records.

Requesting a transfer

Situation	What you see
No From location	Select a source location.
No To location	Select a destination location.
To is the same as From	Choose a different destination.
No reason, or fewer than 3 characters	Enter a reason of at least 3 characters.
Quantity of 0	Quantity must be greater than zero.
More decimals than the unit allows	‹unit› accepts at most ‹n› decimal places. or ‹unit› accepts whole-number quantities only.
The same item twice	An item can be on a transfer only once.
More than 100 items	A transfer has at most 100 items.
A location that is archived or belongs to another company	Choose active physical locations from this company.
Fewer than two active locations	Add a second active location before making a new request. You can still open the request form to recover an earlier request that got no answer.
The app gets no clear answer when saving	The request is kept. An earlier request got no clear answer: ‹reason›, ‹n› item(s). Retry it to find out whether it was saved; the same quantities are sent again. Press Try again. It cannot be saved twice

Sending, receiving and returning the rest

Situation	What you see
The source holds less than the request when you send	There is not enough stock at ‹source› to send this. Add stock there, or edit the request to a smaller quantity. Nothing is sent
Today is in a locked accounting period	Today is in a locked accounting period. Ask an administrator to review the period before moving stock. Reload the transfer and review it, then try again.
You receive more than is still on its way	Received quantity cannot exceed the remaining quantity.
Someone else changed the transfer first	Another operator changed this transfer. Refresh and review the remaining quantities. Reload the transfer and review it, then try again.
The step does not fit the transfer’s state, for example sending it twice	This action is not available in the current transfer state. Refresh its details. Reload the transfer and review it, then try again.
A reason shorter than 3 characters	Enter a reason of at least 3 characters.

Editing and deleting

The Corrections tab shows the reason before you click anything. Edit and Delete are offered only when the transfer can still be changed.

Situation	What you see
Part of the transfer is received	Part of this transfer has already been received, so it cannot be edited. Receive the rest, or use “Return remaining stock” to send the undelivered rest back to its source.
The undelivered rest was already sent back	The undelivered remainder of this transfer was already returned.
The transfer is an older cancelled one	This transfer was cancelled.
Received stock was already returned	Received stock on this transfer was already returned (‹number›).
The transfer is itself a return of received stock	This transfer returns received stock to its source and cannot be edited or deleted.
The stock moved in a locked period	This transfer moved stock inside the accounting period locked through ‹date›. Ask an administrator to reopen the period before changing or deleting it.
The destination already sold or moved the stock	Some of this stock has already been sold or moved. You can still change other details, or adjust the stock instead. On Edit, only that line’s quantity is locked
The source can no longer supply a larger quantity	Not saved: There is not enough source stock to dispatch this request
The transfer is already deleted	Deleted.
A reason shorter than 3 characters	Enter a reason with at least 3 characters.

A transfer made at the till (Immediate) has no Edit transfer or Delete transfer here. Change it in the till’s Item transfer history.

Returning received stock

Situation	What you see
No quantity entered	Enter at least one quantity to return.
More than is still available to return	Return quantity cannot exceed the received quantity still available to return.
Nothing left to return	No received quantity remains available to return.
Your role may not return received stock	You don’t have permission to return received stock.
The place the stock goes back from no longer holds it	Source stock is insufficient. Replenish the source or cancel this request and enter a smaller quantity.

Locations and counters

Situation	What you see
No name	Enter a location name.
A code with other characters, or longer than 30	Use 1–30 letters, digits, hyphens or underscores.
The code is used by another location	This location code is already used. Choose another code. beside the code
Archiving a location that is still in use	This location still has stock or owed stock, an open register, a pending transfer or a counter default. Clear these first and keep at least one active location. beside Status
Someone else changed the location first	This location or counter was changed by another operator. Refresh and review before saving.
Starting an archive on a location someone else already changed	This location was changed by someone else. Refresh the list and try again.
A counter default that is not an active location	Select an active stock location.

What stops a location being archived

The app checks these before it saves. The form lists the first three in words such as It still holds stock (‹n› items). Move or adjust that stock first.

1. Stock. An item still has stock there, or leftover stock value.
2. A counter default. A counter uses it as its default. Change the default first.
3. It is your only active location. Keep at least one.
4. An open register. A till is open at this location. Close it first.
5. A transfer still waiting. A request not yet sent, stock in transit, a part-received transfer, or a return on its way back. It must be received or have its rest returned.
6. Owed stock. Stock sold there before it arrived has not yet been covered.

The form can see 1 to 3 in advance, and the row menu shows the first one. It cannot see 4, 5 and 6, so the app checks those when you save.

The system location Stock in transit (not available for sale) is not in the list. You cannot change it.

Warnings that do not stop you

• Asking for more than the source holds on a request: Only ‹n› ‹unit› at ‹source› now. Sending checks the stock again. The request still saves.
• The archive form may say Nothing we can see stops this location being archived. That is not a promise. The app still checks everything when you save.

Who can do it

Action	Admin	Manager	Cashier
See transfers and locations, search, print	Yes	Yes	No
Request, send, receive, and return the undelivered rest	Yes	Yes	No
Return received stock	Yes	Yes	No
Edit a transfer	Yes	Yes	No
Delete a transfer	Yes	No	No
Export a transfer to CSV	Yes	Yes	No
Add, edit, archive and reactivate locations	Yes	Yes	No
Set counter defaults	Yes	Yes	No

These are the standard roles. Your administrator can give a custom role each action separately in Settings › Users & access. Sending, receiving and returning the undelivered rest are three separate rights. Adding a location and editing one are separate too.

Fixing a mistake

1. A request is wrong and not sent yet. Open it, go to Corrections and choose Edit transfer. You can change everything. Or an admin chooses Delete transfer. Nothing has moved, so your accounts and stock are not touched.
2. The wrong quantity was sent. Choose Edit transfer and change the quantity. The sending is posted again, today, at the source’s current cost. Example: a source holds 10 units, 2 are sent, then you edit the quantity to 4. The source then holds 6 units. The edit is refused if the source cannot supply the new quantity.
3. The wrong quantity was received in full. Choose Edit transfer. Both the sending and the receipt are posted again. The edit is refused if the destination has already sold or moved that stock. Use Return received stock then.
4. Only part arrived, and the rest is back at the source. On the Items tab choose the action Return all remaining stock to source. Press Confirm return to source only when all the undelivered stock is physically back at the source. The app has no step for stock lost on the way.
5. Received stock has to go back. Use Return received stock. It makes a new transfer, linked to the original. The original stays in its history. Today must be in an open accounting period.
6. The transfer should never have been made. An admin chooses Delete transfer and gives a reason. The stock movements are removed. The number stays as Deleted. This is refused in the cases in the table above.
7. A location has a wrong name or code. Open it and choose Save location. Two-step transfers already saved keep the name they had.
8. A location was archived by mistake. Choose Reactivate location in its row menu.
9. Archiving is refused. Read the reason and clear it. Move or adjust the stock, change the counter default, close the register, or finish the waiting transfer. For a request not yet sent, send and receive it, or return the rest. For stock that is wrong, see Stock adjustments and Stock counts.
10. A counter has the wrong default. Change it on Counter defaults. A shift that is already open keeps the location it opened with.