Items Table & Tax
Line items are where revenue lives. Every column on the items table has a specific role — here is what each one does and how tax is applied.
The items table is the core of every sales document. It is where you specify what was sold, at what price, with what discount, and at what tax rate. The table is the same across invoices, estimates, sales orders, credit notes, delivery notes and sales receipts — same columns, same behavior.
Items Table Columns
| Column | Required | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Item | Yes | Searchable picker. Type to search by item name or SKU. Filter by category with the chips, and switch between List and Grouped (by category) views. Selecting an item auto-populates the rate and tax from the item catalogue. |
| Stock Badge | N/A | Shown beside each product in the picker: the quantity on hand in green, Low in amber, or Out in red. Services carry no badge. Quantity is center-specific if a location is selected on the document. |
| One-off | No | Toggle Item / One-off on a line to enter a description and price that are not saved to the catalogue. Use it for ad-hoc charges, sundry fees, or unique service descriptions. |
| Qty | Yes | Numeric input with up to 2 decimal places. Supports fractional quantities for items sold by weight, volume, or partial units. |
| Rate | Yes | Auto-populated from the item catalogue when an item is selected. If a center is assigned on the document, the center-specific price is applied if one exists. Editable per line — changing it here does not update the catalogue. |
| Discount | No | Per-line discount, chosen from the line's discount control. No Discount by default. Applied before tax: a 10% discount on a USD 500 line reduces it to USD 450 before tax is applied. |
| Tax | No | Per-line tax rate, chosen from the rates configured in Finance. No Tax by default. |
| Note | No | An optional note under each catalogue line ("+ Add note"). Printed on the document. |
| Amount | Auto | Calculated: (Qty × Rate) minus Discount, plus Tax. Read-only. |
How Stock Badges Work
Stock status is computed by the server for each product and material from posted documents:
| Badge | Condition | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| Quantity (green) | Quantity on hand is above the item's reorder point, or no reorder point is set | Sufficient stock to fulfil this line |
| Low (amber) | A reorder point is set and the quantity available is at or below it | Low stock — fulfil now but plan a reorder |
| Out (red) | Quantity on hand is zero or negative | Out of stock — the invoice will still post, but inventory will go negative |
Trabalance allows you to post an invoice even if stock is at zero — a warning is shown when you pick an out-of-stock product. The inventory balance will go negative. This is intentional — it accommodates scenarios where a purchase order is in transit. The cost of sales journal is still written at the current weighted average cost. Negative inventory should be resolved by receiving the corresponding goods receipt as soon as the stock arrives.
Adding and Removing Lines
- Click Add Item to add a new line
- Click the × on a line to remove it (a document keeps at least one line)
- Click Change Currency → under the totals to set the document currency and exchange rate
Tax Calculation Detail
Tax is applied per line, not on the document total. This matters when different items carry different tax rates.
| Scenario | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Single tax rate on all lines | Each line is taxed at the same rate. The document total tax is the sum of all line-level taxes. |
| Mixed tax rates | Line A at 5%, Line B at 10%. Tax is calculated independently per line and summed into the document total. |
| Tax-exempt lines | Leave the line at No Tax. It is excluded from the tax total. |
| Inclusive pricing | A tax rate configured as inclusive back-calculates the tax from the line amount rather than adding it on top. |
One-off Items
One-off items let you add a line that does not exist in the catalogue. This is useful for:
- A unique delivery or handling fee
- A custom service described specifically for this customer
- An adjustment or surcharge that does not recur
In the item picker, toggle Item / One-off. The line turns amber and takes a description instead of a catalogue item.
Type the description that will appear on the invoice. Enter the quantity and rate.
Pick a tax rate on the line. One-off items support the same per-line discount and tax as catalogue items.
One-off items are not saved to the item catalogue. They exist only on the document where they are created. If you find yourself creating the same one-off item repeatedly, add it to the catalogue instead.
Related
- The form the table sits in: Creating an invoice.
- The other fields on that form: Optional field pills.
- Where the tax rates come from: Tax rates.
- Where the stock badges come from: Stock overview.