Sales deliveries

A delivery records goods that leave your business before you invoice them. Posting it takes the stock out, books the sale and the VAT on the delivery date, and adds the amount to Unbilled Receivables. The invoice you make later does not move stock again. It only moves the amount to Accounts Receivable.

Where: Sales › Deliveries › New delivery
Number: DEL-000001, given only when you post
Posts to: Unbilled Receivables, Sales Revenue, Output Tax Payable, Cost of Goods Sold, Inventory
Who: Managers and admins

What it’s for

Goods leave first and the invoice follows later. For example, a driver delivers today and you invoice at the end of the month.
Stock goes out once, when you post the delivery. The invoice made from it takes no stock out.
The sale and its VAT belong to the Supply date (the delivery date), not to the later invoice date.
A delivery has a named customer and stock items only. Services and bundles cannot go on a delivery. Invoice them directly on Invoices.
A delivery can also come from a sales order. See Sales orders. A delivery made that way cannot be edited.
The amount of a delivery that has no invoice yet still counts as money the customer owes you.

Fields

Field	What it means	What it changes
Customer	Who receives the goods. Search, or add a new one from the box	Unbilled Receivables, and the amount the customer owes. A credit hold or credit limit only warns
Supply date	Defaults to today. It cannot be in the future	The date of the journal entry, the stock movement and the VAT
Stock location	The store the goods leave from. Filled in for you when you have only one	Stock at this location goes down
Reference	Your delivery note or order number (optional, up to 120 characters)	Shown in the list and found by search. No accounting effect
Item	An active stock item. Type a name, code or barcode	Takes stock out and books Sales Revenue
Description	Optional extra text for the line	Printed only
Qty	How many, in the item’s unit	Stock out and the line amount
Price	Price per unit. It starts as the item’s sale price. A company setting decides whether prices include VAT. The hint on the cell tells you which	The line amount
Discount	Per unit, as an amount, or type `10%` for a percentage	Lowers the sale. There is no whole-delivery discount
VAT	Worked out per line from the item’s VAT rate. No VAT if your company is not VAT registered on the supply date	Output Tax Payable
Notes	Optional note (up to 2,000 characters)	Shown on the delivery. No accounting effect

Each item can be on only one line. A delivery screen holds up to 50 lines.

Buttons

Nothing touches your accounts until you press Post delivery. Which buttons you see depends on the delivery.

Button	When you see it	What happens	Accounts
Review delivery	New delivery	Opens “Review sales delivery” with the customer, date, location, items, total and checks. The text says “Nothing has been posted yet.”	No change
Post delivery	In the review	Takes the stock out, books the sale, VAT and cost, and gives the delivery its number	Posts
New delivery	After posting	Clears the form for the next delivery	No change
Create invoice	Delivery is Awaiting invoice or Partly returned. In the row’s ⋯ menu and on the delivery	Opens a new invoice filled from the delivery. See “Making the invoice” below	No change until you post the invoice
Edit delivery	Delivery can still be edited. In the row’s ⋯ menu and on the delivery	Change the delivery: Update delivery, then confirm with a reason	Restated on its own date
Delete delivery	On the delivery, when it can still be edited. Admins only	Asks for a reason, then removes the delivery’s effects	All effects removed
Record return	The delivery can no longer be edited and still has quantity left	Takes back some quantities, on a date you choose	Posts a return
Cancel delivery	Admins, on an untouched delivery that can no longer be edited	Reverses the whole delivery	Posts a reversing entry
Correct quantity	A delivery made from a sales order	You type what was really delivered. The difference is taken back	Posts a return
Record another delivery	A delivery made from a sales order that still has quantity to deliver	Opens the sales order’s delivery screen already filled in	No change
Print… (named with the delivery number)	Any delivery	Shows the delivery to print	No change
Delivery note and Delivery note with prices	Any delivery that is not Cancelled, Returned or Deleted. In the row’s ⋯ menu and on the delivery	Opens the delivery note form. See “Printing a delivery note” below	No change

While a delivery can still be edited or deleted, the app offers only Edit delivery and Delete delivery. When it cannot be edited, it offers Record return and Cancel delivery instead. See “When Edit delivery is not allowed” at the end.

Statuses you will see: Awaiting invoice, Partly returned, Returned, Cancelled, Invoiced and Deleted. The list filter offers all of them except Deleted, which shows only under All deliveries. Search finds a delivery by its number, reference, customer, location code, item code or item description.

What gets posted

Posting writes one journal entry, dated on the supply date. It also takes the stock out and records the VAT for that date. Lines with a zero amount are left out.

Example 1A delivery with a discountPrices exclude VAT · 5% VAT

2 × stock item at 100.00, less 10.00 discount each180.00
VAT 5% on 180.009.00
Delivery total189.00
Cost of the stock item (average cost 5.00 each)10.00

Account	Debit (AED)	Credit (AED)	Why
1150Unbilled Receivables	189.00		The customer owes this, but it is not invoiced yet
4000Sales Revenue		180.00	Income from the goods, after the discount
2100Output Tax Payable		9.00	VAT you owe the FTA
5000Cost of Goods Sold	10.00		What the 2 items cost you
1200Inventory		10.00	Your stock value goes down
Total	199.00	199.00	Balanced

Two units leave the chosen stock location. The sale and the VAT are counted on the supply date, even if you invoice weeks later. Nothing is posted to Accounts Receivable yet.

Example 2The invoice made from that deliveryPosted later, on the invoice date

Account	Debit (AED)	Credit (AED)	Why
1100Accounts Receivable	189.00		Now the customer owes it on an invoice
1150Unbilled Receivables		189.00	It is no longer waiting for an invoice
Total	189.00	189.00	Balanced

This is all the invoice posts. Sales, VAT, cost and stock stay as example 1 posted them. The invoice carries the delivery’s supply date, so its VAT counts in the VAT period of the delivery, not of the invoice.

Example 3Round-off, if your company rounds totalsSettings › Rounding policy · rounding to 0.25

3 × stock item at 12.3537.05
VAT 5%1.85
Total before rounding38.90
Cost of the stock item (average cost 5.00 each)15.00

Account	Debit (AED)	Credit (AED)	Why
1150Unbilled Receivables	39.00		The rounded total
4000Sales Revenue		37.05
2100Output Tax Payable		1.85
6760Rounding Difference		0.10	The round-off
5000Cost of Goods Sold	15.00
1200Inventory		15.00
Total	54.00	54.00	Balanced

The delivery is where the total is rounded. The invoice made from it carries the same 39.00 and never rounds again, even if you change the rounding policy in between.

Returns and cancellations

A return is posted on its own date. The delivery itself is not rewritten. A return reverses the sale, the VAT and the stock cost for the quantity you take back.

Example 4One of four items comes backDelivery of 4 × (100.00 less 10.00 discount), VAT 5%, cost 5.00 each

1 item returned: sale90.00
VAT 5% on 90.004.50
Taken off what the customer owes94.50
Cost of the returned item5.00

Account	Debit (AED)	Credit (AED)	Why
4100Sales Returns and Allowances	90.00		Income given back
2100Output Tax Payable	4.50		VAT you no longer owe
1150Unbilled Receivables		94.50	The customer owes less
1200Inventory	5.00		The item is back in stock, at its original cost
5000Cost of Goods Sold		5.00	The cost is taken back
Total	99.50	99.50	Balanced

The delivery becomes Partly returned. The invoice you make from it then covers only the 3 items that stayed. In this case it moves 283.50 to Accounts Receivable.

Example 5Cancelling the delivery of example 1Admins only · whole delivery, no returns before

Account	Debit (AED)	Credit (AED)	Why
4000Sales Revenue	180.00
2100Output Tax Payable	9.00
1200Inventory	10.00		All the stock comes back
1150Unbilled Receivables		189.00
5000Cost of Goods Sold		10.00
Total	199.00	199.00	Balanced

Cancelling reverses everything the delivery posted, in a new entry dated the correction date you choose (today by default). The delivery shows as Cancelled.

If the delivery was rounded, a full cancellation also reverses the round-off. A partial return does not. The return that takes back the last quantity reverses the rest of the round-off.

Editing or deleting a posted delivery

Edit delivery works out the delivery again under the same rules as the first posting. The delivery keeps its number and is restated on its own supply date, or on the new date if you changed it. Nothing is posted on the day you edit. A reason is required, and the history keeps the before and after.
If the item lines do not change (same items, quantities, location and date), the stock cost stays as first posted. The screen says: Stock issued stays as posted, so cost of goods does not move. If an item line changes, stock is taken out again at the current cost.
The VAT answer stays as it was on the first posting. If your company was not VAT registered on the first supply date, editing the delivery later does not add VAT.
Delete delivery removes the delivery’s journal, stock and VAT effects. The number stays reserved and is never used again. The deletion stays in the change history.

When stock is short

By default the app refuses to post a delivery that takes more than the location holds. If your company switched on “Allow selling stock that has not been received yet” in Settings, it first books the missing units as stock owed at an estimated cost, then posts the delivery. The delivery then shows an Owed to the customer list. The owed stock is settled when the goods arrive. If no cost is known for the item, the delivery is refused.

Printing a delivery note

A delivery note is a printed paper. It does not dispatch stock, mark goods delivered or record any accounting entry. The form says so.

Open Delivery note (no prices) or Delivery note with prices from a delivery, or from the More menu of an invoice, or from the row menu in Sales history.
Fill in the Recipient, Delivery phone, Delivery address, Planned delivery date, Driver, Vehicle and Delivery instructions (no financial information), then press Save delivery note. You can leave most boxes empty.
The saved note has its own number. A note for a delivery is DN-D-DEL-000001. A note for an invoice starts with DN-I-. Printing again shows the same saved details.
Prices are read when the note opens and are never saved with it.
If you edit a delivery after its note was saved, the form says so. Saving makes a new note with the new lines, numbered DN-D-DEL-000001-2. The earlier note stays on record.
Nothing in the books changes when a note is saved or printed.

Other rules on every delivery

Stock cost: the item’s cost is worked out when you post, the same way as on an invoice.
No VAT: if your company is not VAT registered on the supply date, every line is 0% and there is no Output Tax Payable line. The review shows a VAT box saying so.

Making the invoice

Press Create invoice on a delivery that is Awaiting invoice or Partly returned. The invoice screen opens already filled in:

The customer, stock location and items cannot be changed. The prices and discounts are the delivery’s. If part of the delivery was returned, only the quantity that stayed is invoiced.
Each invoice is made from one delivery. To invoice several deliveries, make one invoice for each.
The invoice date starts as today, or as the delivery date if that is later. It cannot be before the delivery date.
The invoice cannot be paid as it posts. Record the payment afterwards.
The screen says: Sale and VAT were recorded when the goods were delivered. Posting this invoice moves the outstanding amount to the customer account.
Press Save draft, then post the invoice. Posting moves the delivery to Invoiced. You cannot post this kind of invoice any other way, so stock is never taken out twice.
While an invoice draft exists for a delivery, the delivery cannot be edited or returned. Post or cancel the draft first.

Where it shows up

Place	What changes after posting
Customer balance and statement	The amount appears in “Delivered, not yet invoiced” and counts in what the customer owes. After the invoice is posted it moves to the invoice
Aged receivables and debtors list	A separate “Delivered, not yet invoiced” line. It is not in the age buckets until it is invoiced
Overview	The “Owed to you” card names the amount as “more delivered, not yet invoiced”. It is not added into the card’s total
Credit limit	The delivery counts toward what the customer owes
Sales figures	The sale counts on the supply date. Invoicing it later does not count it a second time
VAT return (Detailed Reports › Tax)	The VAT counts in the period of the supply date
Profit and loss	Sales Revenue and Cost of Goods Sold, on the supply date
Balance sheet	Unbilled Receivables, Inventory and Output Tax Payable. Accounts Receivable only after the invoice
Stock reports and Day book	A sale movement and an entry for the delivery. A stock-owed delivery also shows in the Stock owed report

What the app blocks

These checks happen before anything is saved, so a refused delivery leaves no half-written records.

Checks when you post or edit

Situation	What you see
No customer	Select a valid customer.
Inactive customer	Select an active customer.
No stock location	Select a valid stock location.
No items	Add at least one delivered item.
The same item on two lines	Already on line ‹number›.
Quantity of 0	Quantity must be greater than zero.
Price of 0	Unit price must be greater than zero.
Discount equal to or above the price	Unit discount must be less than unit price.
An item that is not an active stock item	Only active inventory items can be delivered. or Item unavailable.
Posting with a future date	Date cannot be in the future.
Date inside a locked period	The accounting period is locked through ‹date›. Choose a later date, or ask an administrator to reopen the period.
Not enough stock (default setting)	Only 4 PCS of ‹item› is in stock at this location. or ‹item› is out of stock at this location.
Stock owed, and no cost is known	No cost is known for ‹item›. Set its Default purchase cost or receive stock first.
VAT status not confirmed after an upgrade	This business charged VAT before the last update, but its VAT setting is now blank. An administrator must confirm the VAT status in Settings before posting documents with VAT.
Amounts that do not add up	Check the item amounts.
Anything else goes wrong while posting	Delivery could not be posted safely.
Editing without a reason	Enter a reason.
Someone else changed the delivery meanwhile	This delivery was changed by someone else. Reload it to see the latest version.

Checks on returns and cancellations

Situation	What you see
A return with no quantity	Add an item to return.
Returning more than is left	Maximum return is ‹quantity› ‹unit›. or Return quantity is unavailable.
No reason	Enter a reason.
Date before the delivery or before an earlier return, in the future, or in a locked period	Check the correction date., Date cannot be in the future. or the locked-period message above
The delivery is Invoiced, Returned, Cancelled or Deleted	Delivery cannot be corrected.
Cancelling a delivery that already has a return	Only an untouched delivery can be reversed.
An invoice draft exists for the delivery	Cancel the invoice draft first, then retry this delivery correction. The delivery itself will stay unchanged until the correction is posted.
Someone else changed the delivery meanwhile	Delivery changed. Reload and try again.

Checks when you make the invoice

Situation	What you see
The delivery is already Invoiced, Returned or Cancelled	This delivery cannot be invoiced.
Due date before the invoice date, or invoice date before the delivery date	Check the invoice dates.
Invoice lines changed so they no longer match what is left to invoice	Invoice lines do not match the delivery.
Posting the invoice with a date before the delivery, in the future, or in a locked period	The accounting period is locked. Choose a later date, or ask an administrator to reopen the period.

Warnings that do not stop posting

Credit hold or credit limit. The review shows a “Credit limit” box, for example This customer is on credit hold or This delivery is more than the AED 500.00 left under this customer’s credit limit. Posting still goes ahead.
Late invoice. If you invoice more than 14 days after the supply date, the invoice screen says: Invoice date is ‹number› days after supply. Review the tax-invoice timing.
Stock owed. If the delivery takes stock you do not have, the review shows a “Stock owed” box on an edit, and the delivery lists what is owed to the customer.

Who can do it

Action	Admin	Manager	Cashier
See deliveries, post a delivery, print a delivery or its note	Yes	Yes	No, cashiers sell at the till
Create an invoice from a delivery and post it	Yes	Yes	No
Edit delivery	Yes	Yes	No
Record return, Correct quantity	Yes	Yes	No
Delete delivery	Yes	No	No
Cancel delivery	Yes	No	No

A cashier can print a delivery note for their own till bills. They cannot print one for a delivery. These are the standard roles. Your administrator can give a custom role each action separately in Settings › Users & access.

Fixing a mistake

Not posted yet. Change the form, or leave the screen. The app asks “Discard this unposted sales delivery?”. Your accounts are not touched.
Posted, with a wrong customer, item, quantity, price, date or location, and not invoiced. Use Edit delivery. It is restated on its own date with the same number. A reason is required.
Posted by mistake, and not invoiced. An admin uses Delete delivery. Every ledger, stock and VAT effect is removed. The number stays as Deleted.
The customer sends some goods back. Use Record return. Pick the quantities and the date. The delivery becomes Partly returned.
The whole delivery should not have happened, and it cannot be edited. An admin uses Cancel delivery.
The delivery was made from a sales order and the quantity is wrong. Use Correct quantity. You can also cancel what is still to be delivered on the order in the same step, if you tick the box.
The delivery is already invoiced. You cannot change the delivery. Correct the invoice instead. An admin can use Correct this invoice, which takes the invoice back and sends the delivery to Awaiting invoice again. Sales, VAT and stock are not touched. Money already received becomes customer advance. For goods the customer returns after invoicing, use Return on the invoice. See Invoices and Credit notes.

When Edit delivery is not allowed

The delivery screen shows the reason before you click. Then only Record return and Cancel delivery are offered, where they apply.

It was invoiced: This delivery has been invoiced as ‹invoice number›. Edit or delete the invoice instead. Or an invoice draft exists: This delivery has an invoice draft in progress.
A return or a cancellation is already recorded: This delivery already has a return or reversal recorded against it.
It was made from a sales order: This delivery was made from sales order ‹order number›, so it can’t be edited. Use Correct quantity to take back what was not delivered.
Its date is in a locked period: Locked period — locked through ‹date›. Return or cancel it with an entry dated today instead.
It is in a VAT return with locked figures: This is in your filed VAT return for ‹date› to ‹date›, so it can’t be changed or deleted. Correct or cancel it with an entry dated today. The correction goes into your next VAT return. Administrators can do this, and managers whose role allows it.
Part of its owed stock has since arrived: Part of this delivery’s stock was owed and has since arrived. Use a delivery return instead.
It was posted before itemised delivery accounting existed: This delivery predates itemised accrual evidence and keeps its current correction path.