Suppliers and balances
Suppliers is your list of the businesses you buy from. Each record holds the supplier’s name, code, contact details, payment terms and bank details. Supplier balances shows what you owe each supplier. The supplier statement shows how that figure was reached. None of these screens posts to your accounts. The amounts are read from the purchases, bills and payments you post elsewhere.
- Where
- Suppliers (side menu) for the records · Purchases › Supplier balances for what you owe · Purchases › Overview for a summary
- Number
- A supplier code, such as SUP-000001. The app gives the next one, or you type your own (up to 30 characters)
- Posts to
- Nothing. Starting balances entered in Settings › Opening data post to Accounts Payable and Opening Balance Equity
- Who
- Managers and admins
What it’s for
Section titled “What it’s for”- One record for each supplier, so purchases, expense bills, payments and statements all point to the same business.
- A quick view of who you owe, how much, and how much of it is overdue.
- Opening a supplier’s statement, paying them, or starting a purchase from them.
- Keeping the supplier’s tax registration number (TRN). You need it to reclaim the VAT on a purchase. See Tax registration number.
- Seeing, at a glance, which goods are waiting for a supplier bill (the Overview).
Many suppliers at once can be added from a file in Data Exchange. Starting balances are entered in Settings › Opening data. See Opening balances.
Four places show supplier figures. They all read the same numbers.
| Place | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Suppliers (side menu) | The list of suppliers with a Balance column, and each supplier’s page. This is where you add, edit and archive suppliers |
| Purchases › Supplier balances | What you owe each supplier, with four totals. Print or export the list |
| Supplier statement | One supplier’s history for the dates you choose: what was added to the balance and what was taken off |
| Purchases › Overview | A summary of unpaid and overdue purchases, goods waiting for a bill, and the total owed to suppliers |
Fields
Section titled “Fields”The supplier form
Section titled “The supplier form”These are the fields on the New supplier and Edit supplier form. A star (*) means the field is required.
| Field | What it means | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Supplier name * | The name you see in lists and search. At least 2 characters, up to 200 | Shown on purchases, bills, payments and statements |
| Supplier code | Letters, numbers and hyphens, up to 30 characters. The app turns letters into capitals. For a new supplier the next code is filled in. Replace it with your own, or empty the box to have a code assigned when you save. When you edit, the code is required | Search and lists. No two suppliers can share a code |
| Optional | Search. Shown on the supplier page and the statement | |
| Phone | Optional, up to 40 characters | Search. Also used to warn you about a second record. See How a “second supplier” is found |
| Tax registration number (TRN) | Optional, up to 80 characters. A UAE number has 15 digits | Shown on the statement. Needed to reclaim VAT. Also used to warn about a second record |
| Contact person | Optional, up to 120 characters | Shown on the supplier page |
| Address | Optional, up to 500 characters | Shown on the supplier page |
| Payment terms (days) | Optional whole days from 0 to 365. Leave empty for none | Shown on the supplier page and as a note on the New purchase screen. It does not set the due date. See below |
| Bank details | Optional, up to 500 characters. Bank, account name and IBAN, for paying by transfer | Shown on the supplier page. Nothing is paid from it |
| Notes | Optional, up to 1,000 characters | Shown on the supplier page |
The form has no status box. You archive or reactivate a supplier from its menu, so saving details can never archive a supplier by accident.
The Suppliers list shows active and archived suppliers together, 10 to a page. You can choose 10, 25 or 50, and search by code, name, email or phone.
What the supplier page shows
Section titled “What the supplier page shows”Click a supplier’s name to open its page. It is read-only. Edit supplier opens the form. The page shows:
- Email, Phone, Tax registration number (TRN), Contact person, Address, Bank details and Notes. A detail you have not filled in shows “Not provided”.
- Payment terms, in words: “Due on the invoice date” for 0 days, “30 days after the invoice date”, or “Not set (a new purchase suggests 30 days)” when there are none. The terms never set the due date for you.
- Supplier since, the day the supplier was added.
- Balance, the same figure as on Supplier balances. If it cannot be read, the page says “Could not be loaded. Open the statement for the balance.” It never shows a figure that might be wrong.
- Cheques not yet cleared: cheques you wrote to this supplier that the bank has not cleared. This list appears only for people who may see purchases.
Adding a supplier while you buy
Section titled “Adding a supplier while you buy”On New purchase, Goods receipts, Purchase orders and the paid-expense screen you can add a supplier without leaving the document. Type a name in the supplier box and choose the create option. A smaller form opens.
| Field | What it means | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Supplier name * | Prefilled with what you typed | The supplier’s name |
| Tax registration number (TRN) | Optional. If you fill it in, it must be exactly 15 digits | Needed to reclaim VAT |
| Phone | Optional | Used to warn about a second record |
| Optional | Contact details | |
| Supplier code | The next code is filled in. Replace it, or empty the box to have one assigned | The supplier’s code |
Press Create and select supplier. The new supplier is chosen on your document. Finish the record later on the Suppliers screen. This quick form is stricter about the TRN than the full form.
Supplier balances
Section titled “Supplier balances”The list at Purchases › Supplier balances has these controls. They change only what you see.
| Field | What it means | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Supplier code or name | A search box (up to 120 characters) | Lists only matching suppliers |
| Balance | All balances, Owed, Nothing owed or Supplier advance | Lists one kind of balance |
| Clear filters | Appears when you have searched or filtered | Goes back to the full list |
The page header says “balances as of” a date, and the page remembers your search, choice and page number. The list shows 8 suppliers per page. You can choose 8, 25 or 50.
Above the rows are four totals:
| Total | What it counts |
|---|---|
| Suppliers | How many suppliers match your search and balance choice, including archived ones |
| Open bills | The amount you owe, added up over the suppliers you owe |
| Supplier advances | The amount suppliers owe you, added up over the suppliers whose balance is below zero |
| Net balance | Open bills less Supplier advances |
Each row shows the supplier’s name and code, the number of Open bills, the number Overdue, the Balance, and a status badge.
Statuses you will see:
- Owed: you owe the supplier money, and nothing is overdue.
- Overdue: you owe the supplier, and at least one bill is past its due date.
- Nothing owed: the balance is zero.
- Supplier advance: the balance is below zero, so the supplier owes you. The list shows the amount without a minus sign. This is not the same as an advance you paid ahead; see Supplier advances.
The supplier statement
Section titled “The supplier statement”Open a statement from a supplier’s name on Supplier balances, from the row menu, or with View statement on the supplier page. It starts on the first of this month and ends today.
| Field | What it means | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| From | First day of the statement | The start of the period |
| To | Last day. The range can be up to 366 days | The end of the period |
| Show statement | Press it after changing a date | Reads the statement again |
The statement has two parts:
- Four figures: Opening balance (what you owed before the From date), Owed more, Owed less and Closing balance.
- One line per activity, oldest first, with the Date, Activity, Document, Owed more, Owed less and the running Balance. A document’s number opens that document.
A balance below zero means the supplier owes you, for example after a return. It stays visible and is not netted against other suppliers. The page also shows the supplier’s TRN and contact details, so a printed statement is complete.
The Activity column uses these words:
| Activity | What happened |
|---|---|
| Opening supplier balance | A starting balance entered in Settings › Opening data |
| Stock purchase, Expense bill | You owe more |
| Supplier payment, Bill payment | You paid, so you owe less |
| Supplier payment cancelled, Bill payment cancelled, Expense bill cancelled | The earlier line was taken back |
| Purchase return, Purchase return cancelled | Goods went back, so you owe less, or the return was taken back |
| Supplier advance applied, Supplier advance unapplied | An advance was used on this bill, or taken back off it |
| Payment turned into supplier advance | A paid bill was edited below what was paid, moved to another supplier, or deleted. The payment no longer pays for it and is kept as an advance with the supplier |
| Discount received, Discount received cancelled | A discount closed when paying |
| Price correction, Price correction (lower price) | A purchase price changed after the stock had moved. It is dated the day it was saved. The line names the correction and its purchase |
| Till cash payment, Till cash payment cancelled | A bill or purchase paid from till cash |
Purchases › Overview
Section titled “Purchases › Overview”Overview is the link at the right end of the Purchases tabs. It is a summary. Each tile and row opens the list that holds the detail.
| Tile | What it counts | Opens |
|---|---|---|
| Unpaid purchases | Stock purchases with nothing paid, not yet due | Purchases |
| Overdue | Stock purchases past their due date | Purchases |
| Receipts waiting for a bill | Goods received, waiting for the supplier’s bill | Goods receipts |
| Owed to suppliers | The total you owe, and how many suppliers you owe | Supplier balances |
Under the tiles are two lists of five rows each: Needs attention (goods waiting for a bill, each with Add supplier bill) and Recent purchases. The header reminds you which screen to use: goods and bill together, New purchase; goods now and the bill later, Goods receipts; a bill with no goods, such as rent, Expense bills. See Purchases and Expense bills.
Buttons
Section titled “Buttons”Nothing on these screens touches your accounts.
| Button | When you see it | What happens | Accounts |
|---|---|---|---|
| New supplier | Suppliers list | Opens the supplier form | No change |
| Search suppliers box and Clear | Suppliers list | Finds suppliers by code, name, email or phone | No change |
| The supplier’s name | Suppliers list | Opens the supplier page | No change |
| Create supplier / Save changes | The form | Saves the supplier. A duplicate warning does not stop you | No change |
| Cancel / Back to suppliers | The form, the supplier page | Goes back. If you typed something, the app asks “Discard the unsaved supplier details?” | No change |
| Edit supplier | Row menu, supplier page | Opens the form with the supplier’s details | No change |
| Archive supplier / Reactivate supplier | Row menu (last, in red for Archive), supplier page menu | Reads the supplier’s latest details, then opens a short review: “Archive ‹name›?” or “Reactivate ‹name›?”. Confirm with Archive supplier or Reactivate supplier, or press Keep supplier active or Keep supplier archived | No change |
| View statement | Supplier page, Supplier balances row | Opens the statement for this month so far | No change |
| Pay supplier | Row menus, supplier page, statement | Opens Supplier payments for this supplier | No change until you post the payment |
| New purchase | Supplier page (active suppliers only), Overview | Starts a purchase, for this supplier when opened from the supplier page | No change until you post the purchase |
| Export CSV, Print… | Supplier balances, statement | Downloads or prints the list or statement. On Supplier balances they cover every page, not only the rows on screen | No change |
| Full list of what you owe | Supplier balances | Opens the report Suppliers you owe in Detailed Reports | No change |
| Show statement | Statement | Reads the statement for the dates you chose | No change |
| Create and select supplier | The quick form | Adds the supplier and chooses it on your document | No change |
| Use existing | The quick form, when a supplier with the same name, TRN or phone exists | Chooses that supplier instead of making a second one | No change |
| Add supplier bill | Overview, goods waiting for a bill | Opens the screen that matches the supplier’s bill to those goods | No change until you post the bill |
| Refresh, Try again | Overview, balances, statement | Reads the figures again | No change |
Statuses you will see: Active and Archived on the supplier list and page. The statement shows an Archived badge for an archived supplier.
What gets posted
Section titled “What gets posted”Suppliers, Supplier balances, the statement and the Overview post nothing. Adding, changing, archiving or reactivating a supplier does not create a journal entry, and it does not move stock or VAT. The balance you see is worked out from the documents you post elsewhere.
| Figure | What it counts |
|---|---|
| Balance | What is still unpaid on the supplier’s purchases bought on credit, expense bills and opening balances, after payments, returns, discounts received, price corrections and supplier advances applied to them |
| Open bills (a count) | Documents with something still owed |
| Overdue (a count) | Documents past their due date. If a post-dated cheque is planned for part of a bill, that part counts as overdue only after the cheque date |
| Owed to suppliers (Overview) | The total of the balances that are above zero |
| Closing balance (statement) | The balance on the last day of the period you chose |
A purchase you pay in full when you buy it never appears in a supplier balance. Nothing is owed on it.
Opening balances
Section titled “Opening balances”You do not enter a supplier’s starting balance on the Suppliers screen. An administrator brings it in from Settings › Opening data, with the Supplier balances file. The file names the supplier, the amount, the due date, and optionally the supplier’s own invoice number and date. The import needs a stock location to be chosen, and the supplier must already exist or be in the suppliers file.
Each opening balance posts one entry, dated on the opening date.
- Amount owed to the supplier on the changeover date50.00
| Account | Debit (AED) | Credit (AED) | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3150Opening Balance Equity | 50.00 | The other side of the opening balance | |
| 2000Accounts Payable | 50.00 | You owe the supplier | |
| Total | 50.00 | 50.00 | Balanced |
The balance shows on the supplier’s statement as an opening supplier balance and counts in Supplier balances. You can pay it from Supplier payments like any other bill. An administrator can change its amount or due date, or delete it, from the tab Supplier opening balances in the same place, with a reason. That is refused once a payment is recorded against it, or when its month is locked.
Opening data has no file for supplier advances, only for amounts you owe.
Supplier advances
Section titled “Supplier advances”A supplier advance is money you paid a supplier before there was a bill to pay it against. It is held in account 1250 Supplier Advances, which is an asset: the supplier holds that money for you. An advance does not change what you owe until you apply it to a bill.
An advance is created in three ways:
- You record a supplier payment that is more than the bills you allocate it to. The rest is kept as an advance. See Supplier payments.
- You return goods you had already paid for, and choose to keep the refund as a supplier advance instead of receiving the money back. See Returns.
- You edit a paid purchase or bill below what was paid, move it to another supplier, or delete it. The payment no longer pays for it, so the money is kept as an advance with the supplier.
The advance is paid out of the account you pick (bank, cash or another money account). In words, creating it debits 1250 Supplier Advances and credits that account. Nothing is owed to the supplier any differently.
You apply an advance on the Supplier advance tab of Supplier payments, to one or more bills or purchases of the same supplier. Applying it posts this entry, dated the Date applied you choose:
- One voucher: 25.00 paid to a bill and 75.00 kept as an advance100.00
- Advance applied to the bill40.00
- Advance left35.00
| Account | Debit (AED) | Credit (AED) | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000Accounts Payable | 40.00 | You owe the supplier less | |
| 1250Supplier Advances | 40.00 | The advance is used up by that much | |
| Total | 40.00 | 40.00 | Balanced |
Applying an advance never moves cash. The money left the account when the advance was created. On the statement the line reads Supplier advance applied and the balance falls by 40.00.
Here is how an advance moves the figures. A supplier has an expense bill and a purchase of AED 100.00 each, so you owe 200.00. You pay an advance of AED 100.00 by bank. You still owe 200.00. Later you apply 40.00 to the bill and 20.00 to the purchase.
| Owe | Supplier advance left | |
|---|---|---|
| After the two documents | 200.00 | none |
| After the advance is paid | 200.00 | 100.00 |
| After 60.00 is applied | 140.00 | 40.00 |
The statement for the period that includes the application shows Opening balance 200.00, Owed less 60.00 on two Supplier advance applied lines, and Closing balance 140.00.
Applying, unapplying, correcting and receiving back a supplier advance are all done from Supplier payments. A manager can apply, correct and receive back an advance. Deleting an application is for admins.
Ageing and reports
Section titled “Ageing and reports”These reports are in Detailed Reports, under Suppliers:
| Report | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Suppliers you owe | What you owe each supplier, less money you paid them ahead (supplier advances), with a grand total checked against the books. Supplier balances does not take advances off, so the two totals can differ |
| Supplier dues by age | Open supplier balances by age and document: Current (not yet due), 1-30 days, 31-60 days, 61-90 days and 91+ days past the due date. It checks the total against Accounts Payable and says Reconciled or Review required |
| Supplier advances | Suppliers whose balance is below zero, shown apart from what you owe |
| Overdue suppliers | Overdue stock purchases, expense bills and opening balances |
Where it shows up
Section titled “Where it shows up”| Place | What changes |
|---|---|
| New purchase, Goods receipts, Purchase orders | The supplier can be picked and searched. Archived suppliers are not offered. A supplier can also be added on the spot. After you pick one, chips show what you owe, what is overdue, the payment terms and the last purchase. A chip “Advance … to use” appears when the supplier’s balance is below zero |
| Supplier payments and the screens that pay one bill or purchase | Pay supplier starts a payment for the supplier. When the supplier holds an advance, a notice “Available supplier advance: AED …” offers Use supplier advance |
| Statement | Every purchase, bill, payment, return and correction that changed the balance |
| Overview | “Owed to suppliers” adds up the balances above zero |
| Detailed Reports | The four supplier reports above, and the Accounts Payable total they are checked against |
| Posted purchases | A purchase keeps the supplier’s TRN as it was when you posted it. A later change on the supplier does not alter it |
What the app blocks
Section titled “What the app blocks”The app checks the form before it saves. Each message appears beside its field, and the form says Correct the highlighted supplier details.
| Situation | What you see |
|---|---|
| A name shorter than 2 characters | Enter at least 2 characters. |
| No code when editing | Enter a code. |
| A code with spaces or symbols | Use only letters, numbers, and hyphens. |
| A code longer than 30 characters | Use 30 characters or fewer. |
| A code another supplier already has | This supplier code already exists. |
| Automatic codes used up | Automatic supplier codes have reached their limit. Type a supplier code, or ask an administrator to change the supplier code settings. |
| An email that is not valid | Enter a valid email address. |
| Payment terms that are not whole days | Enter the payment terms in whole days. |
| Payment terms above 365 | Use 365 days or fewer. |
| Text over the limit (phone 40, TRN 80, contact person 120, address 500, bank details 500, notes 1,000) | Use ‹number› characters or fewer. |
| Quick form: a TRN that is not 15 digits | Enter the 15-digit UAE tax registration number, or leave it empty. |
| Archive or Reactivate when someone changed the supplier since the list was drawn | Supplier status changed. The list is refreshing. Try again if you still need to. |
| Archive or Reactivate when the supplier cannot be read | The latest supplier details could not be loaded. Check your connection and try again. |
| Archive or Reactivate for a supplier with a detail that is no longer valid, such as a name of one letter | Choose Edit supplier, fix them, then try again. after “‹name› has details that need correcting before its status can change.” |
| A save whose answer was lost | We couldn’t confirm this. Check status before trying again. Your typing is kept. Check the list before you save again |
| A statement start date after the end date | Start date cannot be after end date. |
| A statement longer than 366 days | Statement range cannot exceed 366 days. |
| A date that is not valid | Enter a valid statement start date. or Enter a valid statement end date. |
| The statement cannot load | The statement could not be shown with the reason, Try again and Back |
| Supplier balances cannot load | Supplier balances could not be loaded. Check the connection and try again. |
| Nothing matches the filters | No suppliers match these filters. and Change or clear the filters. Nothing has been removed. |
| No balances at all | No supplier balances yet. and Balances appear once you record a purchase or expense bill that is paid later, or enter an opening balance. |
| The Overview cannot load | The purchasing overview could not be loaded. with Try again |
| A purchase with recoverable VAT, for a supplier whose TRN is not 15 digits | Recoverable VAT requires the selected supplier tax registration number to contain exactly 15 digits. Update the supplier or choose Non-recoverable VAT. |
Tax registration number
Section titled “Tax registration number”A supplier’s TRN matters when you claim the VAT on a purchase. If a purchase has recoverable VAT, the supplier’s TRN must be exactly 15 digits, and your own company’s too. Otherwise you cannot post the purchase as recoverable. Update the supplier, or choose non-recoverable VAT on the purchase. The full supplier form lets you save any TRN up to 80 characters, so check the number when you enter it.
How a “second supplier” is found
Section titled “How a “second supplier” is found”The app warns you in a yellow note. It never stops you, because two branches of one business can have separate accounts.
- Name. The same name, ignoring capitals and spaces: A supplier named ‹name› already exists (‹code›).
- TRN. The same number, ignoring spaces and dashes. A number with fewer than 10 digits is not compared: A supplier with this TRN already exists: ‹name› (‹code›).
- Phone. The same number, ignoring spaces and the UAE country code or leading 0. A number with fewer than 7 digits is not compared: A supplier with this phone number already exists: ‹name› (‹code›).
- While you type. The warning appears in the full form and in the quick form. In the quick form you can press Use existing.
- Editing. A supplier is never compared with its own saved details.
- Archived suppliers. The full form compares with them too.
- Data Exchange and Opening data. Files of suppliers are checked for the code only. A repeated code is an error on that row. A second record with the same name, TRN or phone is not warned about.
Only the code is a hard rule: two suppliers can never share one.
Warnings that do not stop you
Section titled “Warnings that do not stop you”- Duplicate name, TRN or phone. Described above.
- Archived supplier. It cannot be chosen for a new purchase, but its history stays: you can still open its statement and its supplier page.
Who can do it
Section titled “Who can do it”| Action | Admin | Manager | Cashier |
|---|---|---|---|
| See the Suppliers list, open a supplier, search | Yes | Yes | No |
| Add or edit a supplier, archive or reactivate | Yes | Yes | No |
| Add a supplier from a purchase or goods receipt | Yes | Yes | No |
| See Supplier balances and the Overview | Yes | Yes | No |
| Open a supplier statement | Yes | Yes | No |
| Print or export a statement | Yes | Yes | No |
| Open the supplier reports | Yes | Yes | No |
| Apply, unapply or receive back a supplier advance | Yes | Yes | No |
| Delete a supplier advance application | Yes | No | No |
| Enter or correct opening supplier balances | Yes | No | No |
These are the standard roles. Your administrator can give a custom role each action separately in Settings › Users & access. Archiving uses the same right as editing. The supplier list is loaded with the same right as the product list, so a custom role needs both to open Suppliers.
Fixing a mistake
Section titled “Fixing a mistake”- A wrong detail on the supplier (name, phone, TRN, terms, bank details). Use Edit supplier. Posted purchases keep the TRN they were posted with. New documents use the new details.
- A supplier you added twice. The app warns but does not stop you, and it does not merge records. Keep the record that has the history and archive the other with Archive supplier. The archived record keeps its purchases, payments and statement, and any balance on it stays owed.
- A supplier you no longer buy from. Use Archive supplier. The supplier cannot be chosen for new purchases. Its statement and history stay. To undo it, use Reactivate supplier.
- A balance that looks wrong. Open the statement. Every line names its document, and the number opens it. Correct the document itself: a purchase or expense bill, a supplier payment, or a return. The balance, the statement and the reports then agree, because they read the same figures.
- A wrong starting balance. An administrator changes or deletes it in Settings › Opening data, on the Supplier opening balances tab. It cannot be fixed on the Suppliers screen.
- An advance paid by mistake, or applied to the wrong bill. Use the Supplier advance tab of Supplier payments. An unused advance can be reversed, or received back from the supplier in cash or by bank. An applied advance can be unapplied.
- A statement for the wrong dates. Change From and To and press Show statement.