Lots and expiry dates on a bill

For products that expire or have batch numbers (pharmaceuticals, food, perishables), you can assign lots and expiry dates to bill items. This lets you track shelf life and manage rotation (FIFO).

Before you start

• Your products are configured to use lots and expiry dates (a system-wide setting)
• The bill includes inventory items that require lot tracking
• You have the vendor's invoice showing lot numbers and/or expiry dates

Steps

1. On the bill form, add an inventory line item as usual (see "Adding lines").

2. After entering the product and quantity, look for a Lot or Batch field on that line.

3. Enter or select the lot number:

   • If the lot already exists in your system, search and select it
   • If it is a new lot, type the batch number provided by the vendor
   • Usystems creates a new lot record automatically if needed

4. Enter the expiry date:

   • Click the Expiry Date or Use By field
   • Enter the date from the vendor's documentation
   • The system may prevent you from using items past their expiry in sales or POS (depending on settings)

5. Repeat for each item with a lot:

   • If the bill contains multiple items or batches of the same product, add separate lines for each lot
   • (Example: 100 units, Lot A, Expires Dec 2026; 50 units, Lot B, Expires Jan 2027)

6. Save the bill — lot and expiry information is captured and linked to inventory records.

Accounting impact

• Each lot is tracked separately in inventory, but the accounting entry (inventory debit, payable credit) is based on the total cost across all lots on the bill.

Tips & common mistakes

• Separate lines per lot — even if both batches of a product come from the same vendor invoice, create a separate bill line for each lot to ensure correct rotation and expiry tracking.
• Expiry dates matter for compliance — in regulated industries (pharmacy, food), expired inventory must be removed or destroyed; tracking prevents sell-through of expired goods.
• Lot numbers are unique — do not reuse a lot number for different batches or shipments; if the same vendor sends goods with the same lot number on different dates, treat them as separate lots in your system.
• FIFO rotation — Usystems can help enforce FIFO (first in, first out) in sales/POS if you've enabled it; always use lots to enable this.