Cycle counts, and stock that is true

Records are accurate until the next count proves otherwise. That is why counting belongs in the calendar rather than at the end of the year. This page describes how a count runs when your stock sits with us, and what you are left holding afterwards.

Updated September 2026

Why the numbers drift

• Something was pulled in a hurry and never written down, and later nobody remembers how many.
• A return went back on the shelf without being added to the count.
• Two codes look alike and were counted into each other.
• Damaged stock was thrown out with no line recording it.

None of this can be designed away. The only answer is to count often enough that the drift stays small and the cause is still remembered.

How a count runs

1. You open a count in the account. The system refuses a second open count, so two people cannot count over each other.
2. The crew works along the shelf and enters what they find for each code.
3. Each line shows three numbers: what the system holds, what was counted, and the difference.
4. You read the variance. Some lines explain themselves, some need a word with whoever counted, and their name is on the line.
5. Close the count. Choosing apply corrects the stock to the counted figure and writes a ledger entry naming the count it came from.
6. Export the variance report to CSV for your accountant.

How often to count

It depends how much moves. Fast-moving stock with many codes and weekly movement suits a monthly count. Archives and seasonal goods are fine quarterly. What matters is that small frequent counts beat one large count at year end, because a small variance can still be traced to a cause.

After the count

The number is corrected, but the explanation is the part worth keeping. If one code drifts every single month, the problem is not the counting, it is how that code is picked or put back. The ledger holds enough history to see that, and it exports whenever you want it.

Frequently asked