Apply a supplier invoice to inventory

Overview

Once a supplier invoice is uploaded and extracted, you review the extracted lines, match them to materials in your library, fix any unit conversion or extracted detail, and apply the invoice to inventory so your stock counts update. This article walks through the review, match, and apply steps.

Who This Workflow Is For

This workflow applies to the Business Owner, Admin, and Supervisor (where role permissions allow). Finance has view-only access to supplier invoices and cannot apply them to inventory. Tradies and Apprentices have no access to supplier invoices.

Before You Start

The supplier invoice must already be uploaded — see Upload a supplier invoice. The materials in your library should be reasonably complete — see Create and manage materials. Have the original invoice on hand to compare.

Step-by-Step Process

Review the extracted invoice

1. Open the supplier invoice from the Supplier Invoices list.
2. Review the header fields — supplier, invoice number, invoice date, total, tax. Fix anything the AI extraction got wrong.
3. Review each extracted line. Each line should have a description, quantity, unit, and price.

Match lines to materials

Each extracted line shows a confidence percentage and stays in Needs Review until you select Mark as Reviewed (or use Mark all as Reviewed after checking every line). The Apply to Inventory action will not run while any stock-impacting line is unreviewed.

1. For each line, select the matching material from your library.
2. If a line does not match any existing material, select Create Material from Unmatched Line. The material is added to the library with the supplier-line details pre-filled.
3. Select Mark as Reviewed on each line once you have confirmed it, or use Mark all as Reviewed when every line has been checked.
4. Repeat until every line is matched and reviewed (or skipped, if a line is not stock-impacting).

Review unit conversion

1. Where the supplier sells in a different unit to your stock unit (for example supplier sells in boxes of 12, you stock individual units), use the Review Unit Conversion step.
2. Set the conversion ratio so the quantity applied to stock is correct.

Edit extracted line details

1. For any line where the extracted detail is wrong (description, quantity, price, unit), select the line and edit the details.
2. Save the line.

Link PO to supplier invoice (if relevant)

1. If you allocated a PO during upload but want to change it, select Link PO to Supplier Invoice and choose the right PO.

Apply the invoice to inventory

1. Once every line is reviewed, matched, and corrected, select Apply Invoice to Inventory.
2. MyApprentice updates the on-hand quantity for each matched material and records the stock transaction. The supplier invoice moves to Applied status.

Duplicate-apply guard. If MyApprentice detects the invoice has already been applied, the action errors and does not double-count stock. Do not retry — open the supplier invoice in Applied status and confirm it is the same record.

What Happens Next

Your stock counts reflect the goods received. The stock transaction history shows the new entries with the supplier invoice as the source. From here:

• Review Stock Transactions on the Materials page to confirm the movements look right.
• The supplier invoice is recorded against your accounts for reporting and reconciliation.

Common Issues

• AI extraction wrong. Use Edit extracted line details on the affected line, or Reprocess the upload, or fall back to manual entry. AI extraction is a helpful start but always review before applying.
• Stock quantity looks wrong after applying. Check unit conversion on the affected line. If the supplier sells in boxes and you stock individual items (or vice versa), the conversion needs setting.
• Material missing from library. Use Create Material from Unmatched Line to add it during review, or pause and add it via Create and manage materials first.
• Cannot apply. Some lines may still be unmatched. Match every stock-impacting line (or mark non-stock lines accordingly) before applying.
• Failed extraction. Use Reprocess to retry, or manually enter the invoice via the Manual entry path — see Upload a supplier invoice.

Related Guides

• Upload a supplier invoice
• Manage suppliers
• Create and manage materials
• Review your subscription and billing