Receive goods

Record what arrived against an approved purchase order with a goods received note (GRN), then post it to put the stock in Inventory and the liability in Accounting.

For store and procurement staffUpdated 4 Nov 2026

Before you start

Approve a purchase orderGoods are received only against an approved purchase order.
Add products and servicesOnly lines with an inventory item can go into stock. Other lines are received to a project.
Set up default accountsPosting needs an inventory account, a goods received not invoiced (GRNI) account and, for project goods, a work-in-progress account.
Set up posting groupsOnly with posting groups. The general posting setup gives the GRNI account, and the inventory posting setup gives each location's inventory account.

In this article

Steps
Inspect quarantined goods
Return goods to the vendor
Close an order that won't be fully delivered
What happens next
If something goes wrong

A goods received note (GRN) records what the vendor delivered against a purchase order. You save it as a draft first, then post it. Posting puts the stock into Inventory at the order price and records what you owe for goods not yet billed.

You can receive an order in several deliveries. Each delivery is its own note, and the order shows how much is still to come.

Steps

Open Purchases › GRN
In the menu on the left, select Purchases, then GRN. Select New GRN.
You can also start from the purchase order: open it under Procurement › Purchase Order and select Receive goods. The order is then chosen for you.
1. GRN in the Purchases menu.
2. New GRN starts a new note.
3. Receipt shows how much of the order each note received. Posting shows Draft, Posted or Failed.
Use the filters at the top to find notes by Receipt, Posting, Vendor, Purchase order or date received.
Choose the order and fill in the delivery
1. Purchase order: the approved order the goods came in on. Only approved orders are listed. Vendor and Currency / rate fill in from the order.
2. Receiving location: where the stock goes. It starts on the order's delivery location.
3. Received date (it starts on today) and Received by (your name).
4. Remarks: for example the delivery note number or the condition on arrival.
5. Receive qty: how many arrived on this line. Open shows what is still to come, and Max now the most you can receive now.
6. Destination: Stock puts it in a store. Project charges it straight to a project. Lines with no inventory item can only go to a project.
7. For Project, choose the Project, Task and Cost category. For Stock, you can choose another Location for the line.
8. Fill open quantities fills every line with what is still to come.
9. Save draft.
For a batch-tracked item, also fill in Batch number, and Manufactured and Expiry if you have them. A line marked Inspection required goes into quarantine until someone checks it.
You'll see Draft GRN-… saved, and the note opens.
Post the note
On the draft note, check the lines, then select Post. In the confirmation window, select Post again.
Posting sends the stock to Inventory at the order price and the liability to Accounting. You'll see Goods received note posted. A posted note can't be edited or deleted. Until then, Edit and Delete are at the top of the note.
See what posts when goods are received
1. Posted, and how much of the order is received.
2. For each line: Accepted, Rejected, Returned, Pending insp. and Accrued (the quantity posted to Accounting).
3. Return sends goods back to the vendor.
4. Inspection and returns: every inspection and return on the note.
If posting fails, the note shows Posting failed with the reason, for example a location with no inventory account. Fix the setup, then select Retry posting. It never posts twice.

Inspect quarantined goods

Lines marked Inspection required are received into quarantine. On the posted note, the line shows Accept and Reject:

Accept moves the goods out of quarantine into the receiving location. They post to Accounting now.
Reject sends them back to the vendor with a return advice (RTV). They never post.

Enter the Quantity and a Reason (required to reject; it's printed on the return advice).

Return goods to the vendor

On a posted note, select Return on the line. In the Return goods to vendor window, enter the Quantity and a Reason, then select Return. The goods leave stock with a return advice (RTV-…), which appears under Inspection and returns.

If the goods were already billed, the note shows Debit note required with the amount and the bill. Create a debit note for it.

Close an order that won't be fully delivered

If the vendor won't deliver the rest, open the purchase order and select Short-close. Give a reason. Nothing more can be received on it. Post or delete any draft notes on the order first.

What happens next

Finance records the vendor's bill and matches its lines to this note with Match to goods received. The purchase order's Receiving/Remaining column updates as notes are posted.

If something goes wrong

Message	What to do
Enter a received quantity on at least one line.	Fill in Receive qty on at least one line.
Enter who received the goods.	Fill in Received by.
At most … can be received on this line.	You entered more than is still open. Check the delivery, or ask procurement about the order.
This line has no inventory item; receive it to a project.	Change Destination to Project and choose the project, task and cost category.
Choose the project, task and cost category.	Fill in all three for a line going to a project.
This item is batch-tracked; enter the batch number.	Fill in Batch number.
The purchase order must be approved before goods can be received against it.	Wait until the order is approved.
The purchase order has been short-closed and takes no further receipts.	Nothing more can be received on this order.
The stock is received, but accounting could not record it yet.	Fix the account named in the message, then select Retry posting.

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