Purchases, Bills and Expense Claims

Purchases in CountServa cover everything you buy: purchase orders to suppliers, goods received notes when stock arrives, supplier bills that post the cost and payable, and supplier credit notes and refunds. Expense Claims and Expense Advances let staff get reimbursed for money they spend on the company's behalf, or take cash up front and settle it with receipts. Everything sits under the Purchases menu.

Before You Start

• You need the Purchases right. Staff claims need the Expense Claims or Expense Advances right.
• Manage Own Bills Only limits a buyer to the bills they raised. View Bills Created by Others and View Purchase Documents Created by Others lift that limit.
• Set up suppliers in Contacts and stocked items in Items. See Contacts and Items.

The Purchase Flow

A purchase order converts to a Goods Received Note or a Bill, and a goods received note converts to a Bill. Open the document, press Convert To, and enter the Convert Qty per line if you are converting only part. Fulfilment Progress shows the Ordered and Remaining quantities.

Raise a Purchase Order

1. Go to Purchases > Purchase Orders and press New Purchase Order.
2. Pick the supplier and enter the Date and Reference.
3. Answer Prices Include SST?: choose No, add SST on top (most common) or Yes, SST is already in the price.
4. Add lines with the item, Description, Qty, Unit Price, Tax and Location.
5. Press Save Purchase Order.
6. Open it and press Email to send it to the supplier, or use Print or PDF.

You can also create purchase orders from Inventory > Low Stock and Reorder: enter the Order Qty, choose the Supplier for this Purchase Order and press Create Purchase Order. See Inventory and Stock Control.

Other buttons on a purchase order or goods received note are Duplicate, Set To Draft, Delete Draft and Void.

Record a Supplier Bill

1. Go to Purchases > Bills and press New Bill, or convert a purchase order or goods received note.
2. Pick the supplier and enter the Supplier Invoice No, Bill Date and Payment Term. The Due Date fills in.
3. Answer Prices Include SST?.
4. Add each line with the item or expense Account, Description, Qty, Unit Price and Tax.
5. Attach the supplier's invoice.
6. Press Save & Issue to post, or Save Draft. A draft is posted later with Issue & Post.

Bill Approval

If Approval Controls is switched on in Settings > Company Settings, a draft bill must be issued by a different user from the one who created it. Set the Bill approval threshold (MYR) to let smaller bills skip the second approver; 0 means every bill needs approval. The bill shows Awaiting approval by another user until it is approved, and records who approved it and when.

Other Bill Actions

• Make Payment opens a payment voucher for the bill.
• Make Recurring repeats a regular bill, such as rent, on a schedule.
• Unpost returns a posted bill to draft; Void cancels it. Void selected on the list voids several at once.

Landed Cost

When a bill includes freight, duty or insurance for goods bought on another bill:

1. Open the bill with the charge and press Landed Cost.
2. Choose the freight, duty or insurance charge line.
3. Choose the Basis: By line value (the default), By quantity or By weight, entering the Weight per line if needed.
4. Check the Allocation Preview and press Allocate Landed Cost.

The cost goes To Inventory for goods still in stock and To COGS for goods already sold. Void on an allocation reverses it.

Supplier Credit Notes and Refunds

1. Go to Purchases > Credit Notes and press New Credit Note when a supplier credits you.
2. Choose the Original Bill or Not Linked, and a Reason such as Return of Goods to Supplier, Discount / Allowance or Wrong Calculation / Billing Error.
3. Enter the lines and press Save Credit Note, then Issue & Post.
4. Apply it to an open bill, or record the supplier's refund under Purchases > Refunds with New Refund, choosing the Receive Into account.

Expense Claims

An expense claim reimburses an employee for business spending paid from their own pocket.

1. Go to Purchases > Expense Claims and press New Claim. Employees use Expense Claims in their own menu.
2. Choose the Claimant and Claim Date.
3. For each receipt, press Add Line and enter the Date, Supplier / shop, Description, Expense Account and Currency and amount.
4. Attach the receipts and press Save Claim.
5. Press Submit for Approval (or Submit when no approval is required).

Claim Statuses

Approve and Reimburse

1. Open the submitted claim and press Approve or Approve & Post, or Reject with a Rejection Reason.
2. To pay it, press Reimburse, choose Pay From, the Payment Date and Bank reference, and attach the Bank Slip.
3. View Payment Voucher shows the payment that settled it.

Expense Advances

An expense advance gives an employee money up front, which they later settle with receipts.

1. Go to Purchases > Expense Advances and press Request Advance.
2. Choose the Employee, Date Requested, Advance Amount (RM) and Purpose, then press Save Request and Submit for Approval.
3. An approver presses Approve or Reject, then Disburse to pay it out from a bank account.
4. After spending, open the advance and press Settle Against Receipts. Add each receipt with its Expense Account, check the Difference between Advance Paid and Actual Spend, and press Settle Advance.

Advance statuses run Draft, Submitted, Approved, Disbursed and Settled, with Rejected and Void for those that do not proceed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Record a Bill Without a Purchase Order?

Yes. Most expense bills, such as utilities or rent, go straight in as a bill.

How Do I Pay a Bill?

Press Make Payment on the bill, or record a payment voucher under Banking > Payment Vouchers. See Official Receipts, Payment Vouchers and Deposits.

Can a Manager Claim on Behalf of Staff?

Yes, if their role includes Create Expense Claims for Any Employee.

What If a Supplier Invoice Includes SST?

Choose Yes, SST is already in the price so CountServa separates the tax from the cost correctly.

What Happens If an Employee Spends Less Than the Advance?

The settlement shows the Difference, and you record how the cash was returned or topped up so the advance closes at zero.

Related Guides

• Official Receipts, Payment Vouchers and Deposits
• Inventory and Stock Control
• AI Accountant
• Payroll