Purchase orders

What are purchase orders?

A purchase order (PO) is a planned order to a supplier. You build the PO while still in the office, mark it ordered when you send it, then receive against it when the shipment arrives. Receiving from a PO posts a standard stock receipt and increases on-hand stock through the same ledger as manual receiving.

Admins and inventory staff can create POs, mark them ordered, receive, and cancel. Cashiers cannot access purchase order screens.

Where to find it

Open Purchase orders from the Inventory screen menu (⋮). The list supports status filters and a New PO action to start a draft.

PO screens live under the in-app path /purchasing/* — list, new/edit draft, detail, and receive flows.

Lifecycle

Every PO moves through these statuses:

1. Draft — add supplier, optional reference and notes, and product lines with ordered quantities and unit costs. Save and edit until you are ready to send the order.
2. Ordered — marks the PO as sent to the supplier. You can receive against it when goods arrive. You can still cancel while nothing has been received.
3. Partial — at least one line has been received but some ordered quantity remains. Open Receive again for follow-up deliveries.
4. Received — all ordered quantity has been received. No further receives are needed.
5. Cancelled — only when no quantity has been received yet. Cancelled POs cannot be reopened.

Creating a PO

1. From the PO list, tap New PO.
2. Choose a supplier from your saved list or enter a supplier name. Optional reference (your PO number) and notes are supported.
3. Add line items: search for products, enter ordered quantity, and optional unit cost per line.
4. Save the draft. You can return to edit lines, supplier, or notes until you mark it ordered.

Mark ordered and receive

1. Open the draft PO and tap Mark ordered.
2. When the delivery arrives, open the PO and tap Receive.
3. Enter quantities received this time (defaults to remaining qty per line). Adjust unit costs if the invoice differs from the PO.
4. For products with lot tracking enabled, optionally enter batch/lot number and expiry date per line.
5. Post the receive. Posh creates a linked stock receipt, updates on-hand stock, and advances the PO to Partial or Received.

Linked stock receipts

PO receives are not a separate stock path—they create normal posted receipts with a link back to the PO. On the Receiving list, linked receipts show a From PO label. Receipt detail shows the source and a View purchase order button.

Voiding a PO-linked receipt

If you posted a receive with wrong quantities, void the receipt from Receiving (same as any receipt). Posh reverses stock through the ledger and reopens the PO so remaining quantities can be received again.

PO detail

The detail screen shows status, supplier, reference, ordered date (when marked ordered), notes, and each line with ordered, received, and remaining quantities. Draft POs can be edited from the app bar; ordered and partial POs show a Receive action at the bottom.

PO vs manual receiving

• Use purchase orders when you plan ahead—build the order, track what is still outstanding, and tie each delivery back to the PO.
• Use manual receiving for walk-in deliveries or one-off shipments without a prior PO. See Receiving & suppliers.

Related topics

• Receiving & suppliers
• Inventory & products
• Inventory reports