Adjust stock for waste, damage and counts
Stock adjustments record stock that leaves without a sale: breakage, spoilage, theft or a count that came up short. Each one has a type, a reason and any money you got back, and the totals flow into profit and loss.
Stock adjustments in SeroPOS
Normal or abnormal
Mark everyday losses as normal and unusual ones, like a flood or theft, as abnormal.
Reason on every entry
Write why the stock was removed, so the record makes sense months later.
Amount recovered
Enter money you got back, such as a supplier credit or insurance.
Several products at once
Add every product from one incident to a single adjustment.
Feeds profit and loss
Adjustments and recovered amounts appear in the Profit / Loss report.
Expired stock write-offs
Find expired lots on the Stock Expiry Report, then write them off with an adjustment.
Record losses properly
Stock goes missing in every business. A case of glasses breaks, milk passes its date, a jacket walks out the door, or a count finds fewer than the system says. If those losses are not recorded, your stock figures drift and your profit looks better than it is. A stock adjustment removes the stock and records why.
Open Stock Adjustment › Add in the back office. Choose the location, the date and a reference, which fills in from your prefix, then add the products and quantities. You can add several products to one adjustment, so a dropped crate of mixed bottles is recorded once with every item that was lost, rather than as a string of separate entries.
Normal and abnormal adjustments
Each adjustment has a type. Normal covers the losses you expect in the course of business: breakage, spoilage, small shrinkage. Abnormal covers the unusual: a freezer failure, a burst pipe, a burglary. Keeping them apart shows what is routine and what was a one-off, both for you and for your accountant.
Add a reason in your own words and, if you got money back, the total amount recovered, such as a supplier credit for a damaged delivery or an insurance payout. Clear reasons help later, when you review why stock was lost and decide what to change. Keep them short. Plain words work best.
- Location, reference and date
- Type: Normal or Abnormal
- Products and quantities
- Total amount recovered
- Reason
Where adjustments show up
Each adjustment reduces stock at that location and appears as a line in the product's stock history. The Stock Adjustment Report totals normal and abnormal adjustments and the amount recovered for any period and location, with the full list of adjustments underneath. Use it to spot patterns. Then act on them.
Profit / Loss includes stock adjustments and recovered stock as their own lines. You see the true cost of losses beside sales, purchases and expenses, rather than discovering it as a gap at stocktake. Seeing losses each month makes it easier to act on them, for example by changing a supplier, ordering smaller quantities or tightening how a product is stored.
Expired stock and permissions
If you track expiry dates, the Stock Expiry Report lists stock left per lot with its expiry date, so you can see which lots have passed their date. Write those units off here with a Normal adjustment and Expired as the reason, so dated goods leave the count when you clear the shelf.
Stock adjustments are a module you can turn on or off in Business Settings › Modules, and roles control who can add them. Many owners let managers record adjustments while cashiers cannot. Reference prefixes for adjustments are set in Business Settings › Prefixes, so each adjustment number is easy to recognise in reports and stock history.
Frequently asked questions
How do I write off damaged stock?
In the back office, open Stock Adjustment and add a new adjustment. Choose the location, set the type to Normal or Abnormal, add the damaged products and quantities, enter a reason and any amount recovered, then save. Stock drops right away.
What is the difference between normal and abnormal adjustments?
Normal adjustments are everyday losses you expect, such as breakage or spoilage. Abnormal adjustments are unusual events, such as theft or equipment failure. The Stock Adjustment Report totals each type separately. Use whichever fits the event best. Pick per event.
What is amount recovered?
It is any money you got back for the lost stock, such as a supplier credit or an insurance payment. It is recorded on the adjustment and shown in the Stock Adjustment Report and in Profit / Loss. Leave it at zero if nothing was recovered.
Do stock adjustments affect profit?
Yes. The Profit / Loss report includes stock adjustments and recovered stock as separate lines, so the cost of losses is part of your profit figures. Losses are no longer hidden in the gap between counts at stocktake time. Figures stay honest.
How do I remove expired stock?
When expiry tracking is on, set the Stock Expiry Report to Expired to list what has passed its date. Then add a stock adjustment for those units, with the lot if you track lots and Expired as the reason. That keeps stock and reports accurate. Check it at least monthly.