Recording a bill from a supplier

When a supplier sends you an invoice for goods or services they have provided, record it as a bill in Blankitt so it shows on your Accounts Payable ledger and feeds the cash-flow forecast.

Step-by-step

1. Go to Spending → Bills, then click New Bill.
2. Pick the supplier from the dropdown. If the supplier is not listed, head to Sales → Contacts, add them with type Supplier (or Both if they are also a customer), then come back.
3. Bill date — the date on the supplier's invoice, not today's date. This drives the ageing calculation.
4. Due date — when payment is owed. Defaults to Net 30 from the bill date; change to match the supplier's payment terms.
5. Currency — defaults to GBP. If the supplier billed you in another currency, pick it here and Blankitt will store the FX rate at bill date for GBP-equivalent reporting.
6. Line items — one per distinct charge:
   • Description — what the line is for (e.g. Office rent — May 2026).
   • Qty + Unit price — typical bills are quantity 1; itemised bills (e.g. consultancy hours) split out.
   • VAT rate — 20% Standard / 5% Reduced / Zero / Exempt / None. Leave as No VAT for non-VAT-registered suppliers.
   • Expense account — which P&L category this hits. Blankitt picks a sensible default (Miscellaneous or your first expense account), but switching to the right account improves your reports.
7. Notes — optional. Capture the supplier's own invoice number (e.g. Supplier ref: INV-2026-456) or a PO reference here.
8. Record Bill — the bill saves as Draft. Drafts do not affect your accounts.
9. Confirm — on the bill detail page, click Confirm to post the journal entry. The bill moves to Received status and shows on your AP ledger.

What posts to the books

When you Confirm a bill, this journal posts automatically:

Account	Debit	Credit
Expense (per line)	Subtotal	—
VAT Input (acc-2110)	VAT total	—
Accounts Payable (acc-2000)	—	Total

Tips

• Bill date drives ageing. A supplier invoice dated 1st April is overdue by 19 days on 20th May, even if you only enter it in Blankitt on the 20th. Use the date on the supplier's invoice, not today.
• VAT reclaim on bills. Bills with VAT flow to Box 4 (VAT you can reclaim) on your VAT return. If the supplier is not VAT-registered, set VAT rate to No VAT.
• Multi-currency. Bills in EUR / USD / other are stored with the FX rate at bill date. The cash-flow forecast and AP balance show the GBP-equivalent.
• Foreign suppliers. Imports may include reverse-charge VAT (treated as both input and output). Use the appropriate VAT rate for the supplier's tax treatment.

See also: Bills overview · Paying a bill.