Receiving goods (GRN)
Record a delivery against its purchase order, check what actually arrived, and create a Goods Receipt Note so your stock is accurate the moment goods hit the dock.
- Audience
- End user
- Stage
- Operate
- 6 min read
- Updated
- The “Receive stock” permission — an admin sets this in Users & roles
- An approved purchase order for the delivery (no PO? see Receiving without a PO)
Create a Goods Receipt Note
A Goods Receipt Note (GRN) is the record of what physically arrived. Creating one updates your stock and lets Finance match the delivery to the supplier’s invoice later.
- 1
Open Receiving and start a new GRN
From the left menu choose Warehouse → Receiving, then select New GRN. Pick the location the goods arrived at.
- 2
Link the purchase order
Search by PO number or supplier. Selecting the PO pulls in every expected line, so you only confirm what arrived rather than typing it out.
Can’t find the PO? It may not be approved yet — check with whoever raised it.
- 3
Enter the quantities you actually received
For each line, record the delivered quantity. Any line where the received amount differs from what was ordered is flagged for you.
- 4
Save the GRN
Saving updates stock at that location straight away and creates a GRN reference you can search for or print.
Match against the purchase order
When quantities match the PO, the line clears automatically. When they don’t, the difference is held as a variance so nothing is quietly written off — you decide how to resolve it.
- Supplier records — what you ordered versus what turned up
- Stock on hand — accurate the moment the GRN is saved
- Finance’s three-way match — PO, delivery and invoice line up
Handle short or damaged deliveries
Deliveries rarely arrive perfect. Record what you actually received — an accurate GRN is what protects you in a supplier dispute.
| If this happened | What to do |
|---|---|
| Short delivery | Receive the quantity that arrived. The shortfall stays open on the PO for a later delivery. |
| Damaged goods | Receive only the usable units and add a note. Raise the damage with the supplier separately. |
| Extra / over-delivery | Receive what you’ll keep. Anything beyond the PO needs an admin to approve the variance. |
- Received quantities match the physical count
- Damaged or short lines have a note
- Variances are flagged for an admin to review
- Goods are ready to move to putaway