Items with a shelf life are tracked by expiry date as well as by lot number. Recording the date when you receive the stock is what lets you see later what is about to go out of date.
Before you start
The purchase order must be Confirmed.
Have the lot number and the expiry date from the vendor's packing slip or the label.
Receive the items
In the top menu, click Purchases.
Click your order number, then click the Receiving tab.
Click New receipt.
In the Qty box, type how many you received.
In the Location box, choose the bin where you put the stock.
In the Tracking column, click Add tracking.
Type the lot number in the Lot # box.
Choose the date in the Expiration Date box.
Click Save.
Click Receive.
One delivery can hold two dates
One delivery can hold more than one expiry date. If the pallet has two different dates on it, receive them as two separate rows — click + Add location to start a second row, and give each its own quantity, lot number and date.
If you record them as one row with a single date, the earlier-expiring stock becomes invisible and you will sell it after it should have been pulled.
How to know it worked
On the Receiving tab you will see a new receipt with the quantity you entered.
To check the dates were stored, open the item and look at its Inventory tab. Each lot appears with its expiry date next to it.
You can also see everything with an expiry date in one place: in the top menu click Reports, then open the Batch / Expiry report.
What this changes
What changes | What happens |
On Hand | goes up by the quantity you received |
Expected | goes down by the same amount |
Cost | recalculated using the price on this order |
The expiry date does not affect your stock count or your cost. It is there so you can find the stock later.