Accounting

Purchases & payables

Overview

The purchase cycle is three steps, and each is a screen:

1. Purchase order — a commitment to buy from a supplier. A promise only; it doesn't touch the books or the VAT return.
2. Purchase bill — recording what the supplier says you actually owe. This is the only step that moves the books and creates VAT (value-added tax).
3. Payment voucher — recording what you paid, allocated against the open bills.

The rule that ties the steps together: what's left unbilled is derived from the bills, and what's left unpaid is derived from the vouchers — never from a stored counter. That's why the numbers stay honest even if a colleague records a bill while you're looking at the same screen.

Purchase orders

A purchase order is a document committing you to buy items from a supplier, with quantities and prices. Saving it moves neither the books nor tax — only the purchase bill does that.

The list shows, for each order: number, date, expected delivery, supplier, status (draft, sent, approved, rejected, cancelled), and total.

Create a purchase order

1. From the Accounting workspace, open Purchase orders.
2. Choose the supplier and date, and set an expected delivery if you like.
3. Add lines: description, quantity, price, then a tax per line. Press "Add line" for each extra item.
4. Duwam shows the totals live: net (before tax), then tax, then total.
5. Press "Save order."

From order to bill

Press "Open" on any order to see its fulfillment status: ordered, billed, and remaining side by side for each line. The quantity field is pre-filled with the remainder — the usual case is that the delivery matched the order; change it only for a partial delivery.

To raise the bill from the order: enter the posting date, the supplier's bill number, and the supplier's bill date, then press "Raise purchase bill." The quantities come from this order and so do the prices — raising the bill is what moves the books and creates the tax. When the whole order has been billed, you'll see: "This order has been fully billed."

Purchase bills

A purchase bill records what the supplier says you owe. This is where the books move and input VAT is posted.

Record a supplier bill

1. From Purchase bills, fill in the supplier details: supplier, supplier's legal name, and supplier's VAT number.
2. Enter the supplier's bill number exactly as it appears on their bill (required), the supplier's bill date, the posting date, and the due date.
3. Add lines: description, quantity, price, then per line the account it posts to, the tax, and withholding if any.
4. Press "Save bill." Our number is allocated on save.

Dates: the supplier's bill date is kept as-is, but the posting date is the one the accounting period is tested against — so a late bill posts into an open period.

Account: each line posts to an account from your chart (expense or asset). Leave it blank and it posts to miscellaneous expense. If the goods were already received into stock, choose that instead of an expense account.

Totals are five rows: net (before tax), input VAT, bill total, withheld, and payable to supplier. Note that the payable equals the total less the withheld amount — the withheld amount is owed to the tax authority, not to the supplier.

Payables — what you owe suppliers

The Payables screen answers two questions: how much do I owe, and to whom? and how much have I paid? The outstanding is derived from the documents — payable-after-withholding less what's been paid — not from a stored balance.

Aging

Choose the as-of date and press "Show" to see what you owe, spread across age buckets per supplier: current (not due), 1–30 days, 31–60 days, 61–90 days, and over 90 days, then the total. The older buckets are the ones needing urgent payment.

Payment voucher

To record a payment to a supplier:

1. Choose the supplier, the date, the method (cash, bank transfer, or cheque), and the amount.
2. Allocate the amount across the open bills in the table: each bill shows its outstanding and an allocated field.
3. Press "Save voucher."

FAQ

Q: Does a purchase order show up in the VAT return? A: No. A purchase order is a commitment to buy, not a receipt, so it touches neither the books nor tax. Only the purchase bill does.

Q: I only received half the quantity. A: Open the order, adjust the quantity in fulfillment status to what actually arrived, then raise the bill. The remainder stays open for a later bill.

Q: Why was my bill refused? A: Most likely because the same supplier's bill number is already on record for that supplier. The message points you to the earlier bill — review it instead of retrying.

Q: What's the difference between "bill total" and "payable to supplier"? A: Payable equals the total less the withheld amount. The withheld amount is owed to the tax authority, so pay the supplier what's payable, not the total.

Q: I paid a supplier more than their open bills. A: The surplus is recorded as an advance — an asset with the supplier, applied against their next bills.

Quick reference