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Australia (AU)InventoryStock Movements

Stock Movements

The Stock Movements page shows a complete history of all inventory changes. Track what came in, what went out, and why—providing an audit trail for your inventory.

Overview cards

At the top of the page, summary cards show movement activity:

Movements Today

  • Count: All stock adjustments made today
  • Purpose: Daily activity snapshot
  • Resets: Each day at midnight

Stock Increased

  • Count: Entries where quantity was added
  • Examples: Purchases, returns, adjustments
  • Purpose: Track inbound stock

Stock Decreased

  • Count: Entries where quantity was removed
  • Examples: Sales, damage, shrinkage
  • Purpose: Track outbound stock

Movement list

The main table shows all stock changes:

Columns

ColumnShows
DateWhen movement occurred
ItemProduct name and code
TypeIncrease or Decrease
QuantityAmount changed
ReasonWhy adjustment made
ReferenceRelated document (PO, invoice, etc.)
UserWho made the adjustment

Row details

Click any row to see:

  • Full item details
  • Before and after quantities
  • Notes or comments
  • Linked transactions

Filters

Type filter

Filter by movement direction:

  • All Types: Both increases and decreases
  • Increase: Stock added only
  • Decrease: Stock removed only

Reason filter

Filter by adjustment reason:

  • All Reasons: Everything
  • Stock Received: Purchases, inbound goods
  • Damaged: Broken, spoiled, unsellable
  • Shrinkage: Loss, theft, unexplained
  • Adjustment: Correction, audit, count
  • Sale: Customer order fulfillment
  • Return: Customer returns
  • Other: Custom reasons

Understanding movement types

Stock increases

Stock Received:

  • New purchase order arrived
  • Supplier delivery
  • Most common increase reason

Return:

  • Customer returned goods
  • Items back in inventory
  • Usually quality check needed

Adjustment (positive):

  • Found missing stock
  • Count correction
  • Initial setup

Stock decreases

Sale:

  • Goods sold to customer
  • Auto-deducted on invoice
  • Linked to invoice number

Damaged:

  • Broken in handling
  • Expired (perishables)
  • Quality issues
  • Remove from sellable stock

Shrinkage:

  • Theft
  • Unexplained loss
  • Data entry errors (discovery)
  • Requires investigation

Adjustment (negative):

  • Count correction
  • Data cleanup
  • System reconciliation

Manual adjustments

When to adjust manually

Do adjust:

  • Stocktake discrepancies
  • Damaged goods
  • Shrinkage discovery
  • Returns processing
  • Initial stock setup

Don’t adjust (system handles):

  • Normal sales (invoices auto-deduct)
  • Purchase receipts (bills auto-add)

Making adjustments

From Tracked Items:

  1. Find item
  2. Click Adjust Stock
  3. Enter quantity (+ or -)
  4. Select reason
  5. Add notes if needed
  6. Save

Movement automatically appears in Stock Movements.

Movement details

Date and time

  • Exact timestamp of adjustment
  • Shows local time zone
  • Sortable by date

Item information

  • Full product name
  • Item code/SKU
  • Link to item details

Quantity change

  • Amount added or removed
  • Running balance not shown (check item)
  • Can be decimal for partial units

Reason code

Standardized categories:

  • Ensures consistent reporting
  • Affects accounting treatment
  • Required for all manual adjustments

Reference

Links to source documents:

  • Invoice number (for sales)
  • Bill number (for purchases)
  • Adjustment ID
  • Manual entry notes

User tracking

  • Who made the adjustment
  • Timestamp
  • Audit trail accountability

Reporting and analysis

Movement reports

Generate reports by:

  • Date range
  • Item(s)
  • Reason
  • User

Uses:

  • Cost analysis
  • Shrinkage investigation
  • Purchase verification
  • Sales reconciliation

High shrinkage:

  • Security issues
  • Process problems
  • Need investigation

Frequent adjustments:

  • Count procedures need improvement
  • System vs physical mismatch
  • Training opportunity

Seasonal patterns:

  • Understand demand cycles
  • Optimize reorder points
  • Plan for peaks

AU-specific considerations

GST implications

  • No GST on internal movements
  • GST already claimed on purchase
  • GST charged on sale already handled
  • Adjustments don’t affect GST

Accounting treatment

Different reasons have different accounting:

  • Stock Received: Debit inventory, credit liability
  • Damaged: Debit expense, credit inventory
  • Shrinkage: Debit expense, credit inventory
  • Sale: Already handled by invoice

Audit requirements

Maintain records for:

  • ATO compliance (5+ years)
  • BAS reconciliation
  • Year-end stock valuation
  • Insurance claims

COGS calculation

Cost of Goods Sold derived from:

  • Opening stock
  • Purchases (Stock Received)
  • Closing stock
  • Adjustments (damage/shrinkage)

Best practices

Record promptly

  • Adjust same day as discovery
  • Don’t batch adjustments
  • Keep movement records current

Be specific

Reason codes:

  • Use most specific reason available
  • Add notes for context
  • Reference source documents

Regular review

Weekly:

  • Check for unusual movements
  • Verify large adjustments
  • Confirm reasons appropriate

Monthly:

  • Movement summary by reason
  • Shrinkage analysis
  • Trend identification

Quarterly:

  • Full reconciliation
  • Process improvements
  • Audit preparation

Security

  • Limit adjustment permissions
  • Require approval for large adjustments
  • Review user access regularly
  • Investigate unusual patterns

Common workflows

Processing a return

  1. Customer returns item
  2. Inspect for resaleability
  3. If good: Go to Tracked Items
  4. Find item
  5. Click Adjust Stock
  6. Enter positive quantity
  7. Select reason “Return”
  8. Add customer/order reference
  9. Save
  10. Stock increased, movement logged

Recording damaged goods

  1. Discover damaged stock
  2. Go to Tracked Items
  3. Find damaged item
  4. Click Adjust Stock
  5. Enter negative quantity (amount damaged)
  6. Select reason “Damaged”
  7. Add details in notes
  8. Save
  9. Stock decreased, movement logged
  10. Consider insurance claim if significant

Stocktake adjustment

  1. Complete physical count
  2. Compare to system (Tracked Items)
  3. Note discrepancies
  4. For each variance:
    • Go to item
    • Click Adjust Stock
    • Enter correction (+ or -)
    • Select “Adjustment”
    • Note “Stocktake correction”
    • Save
  5. All movements appear in history
  6. Investigate large variances

Investigating shrinkage

  1. Review Stock Movements
  2. Filter by “Shrinkage” reason
  3. Identify patterns:
    • Which items?
    • Which location?
    • Which time periods?
    • Which staff?
  4. Implement controls:
    • Security cameras
    • Access restrictions
    • Count procedures
    • Staff training

Troubleshooting

Movement missing

  • Check date filter
  • Verify user permissions
  • Check archived items
  • Review filter settings

Wrong quantity recorded

  • Cannot edit past movements
  • Make new adjustment to correct
  • Use “Adjustment” reason
  • Note correction reference

Can’t find specific movement

  • Use search (item name/code)
  • Adjust date range
  • Clear all filters
  • Check linked reference numbers

Duplicate movements

  • Review before saving adjustments
  • Check if system already recorded
  • Delete duplicate if not needed
  • Document correction

Integration with other modules

Bills & Purchases

  • Purchase orders → Stock Received
  • Bills link to movements
  • Three-way match (PO, Bill, Stock)

Quotes & Invoices

  • Invoices auto-deduct stock
  • Movements show as “Sale”
  • Link to invoice reference

Reports

  • Inventory valuation
  • COGS analysis
  • Shrinkage reporting
  • Movement summaries
Last updated on
Tracked ItemsItems