A supplier is anyone you buy from. The supplier record holds their name, contact details, and tax number, and it is the party you pick on every purchasing document, from a Purchase Order through to a GRN, a Bill, and a Supplier Payment. The bookkeeper or accountant creates suppliers once, and everyone selects from the list when they raise a purchase.
A supplier record also carries the defaults that prefill each purchase: a payable account, a payment method, and a payment term. Setting these once on the supplier means every document for that supplier starts correct, so you type less and post fewer mistakes.
Before you start
A new business starts with no suppliers. Add them as you take on each one, or import them in bulk.
Several fields on the supplier point at other master files. You do not have to set them up first, but the supplier form only prefills them if they already exist:
- A Supplier Type to classify the supplier.
- A payable account from the Chart of Accounts for the Default AP Account.
- A Payment Method and Payment Term for the payment defaults.
You need the create suppliers permission to add one, the edit suppliers permission to change one, the approve suppliers permission to approve it, and the delete suppliers permission to remove one. These are set per user under Users, seats & permissions.
Defaults prefill from your workspace
When you open a new supplier, ZyncLedger prefills the Default Payment Method, Default Payment Term, and Default AP Account from your workspace defaults, set under Organization settings. Those defaults flow onto the supplier, and the supplier's defaults then flow onto each purchase you raise for them. You can override any of them on the supplier, and again on an individual document.
Create a supplier
Open the Suppliers list
Go to Purchase → Suppliers. The list shows every supplier with its name, Code, Supplier Type, Balance, AP Account, and Status (Active or Inactive, and Approved or Pending).
Start a new supplier
Select Add Supplier. The Create New Supplier panel opens from the right.
Enter the code and name
The Supplier Code identifies the supplier. If your workspace generates supplier codes automatically, this field reads Auto-generated and fills itself on save. If it is set to manual, type a unique code (required). You set this mode under Document numbering.
Type the supplier's Name (required).
Classify the supplier (optional)
Use Supplier Type to group the supplier, for example as Local or Imported. Only types that are Active and Approved appear in the list. Leave it blank if you do not classify suppliers. See Supplier Types.
Set the contact details (optional)
Enter the supplier's contact details. Both are optional and print on the supplier's documents.
Field What it does Email The supplier's contact email. If you enter one, it must not already belong to another user in your workspace. Phone The supplier's phone number, up to 15 characters. Add addresses (optional)
Enter a Billing Address and a Shipping Address. Both are optional and print on the supplier's documents.
Set the payment defaults (optional)
These two fields decide what a new purchase for this supplier starts with. Each one is optional and can be changed on the document.
Field What it does Default Payment Method Prefills the payment method on the supplier's payments. Default Payment Term Prefills the credit term, which sets the due date on bills and GRNs. Set the accounting and tax details
- Default AP Account is the payable account this supplier's purchases post to. The search lists only accounts of the payable type from your Chart of Accounts. It prefills from your workspace default and flows onto each bill and GRN.
- Tax Number is the supplier's tax registration number, printed on their documents. Optional.
Set the status flags
Two checkboxes finish the record:
Field What it does Active On by default. An inactive supplier stays for history but is not offered when you pick a supplier on a document. Approved Off by default. A supplier is only offered for selection once it is both Active and Approved. Ticking this needs the approve permission, and once approved the box is locked. Save
Select Create Supplier. The supplier is created, and once approved it appears in the Supplier search on purchasing screens.
Opening balances are set separately
This form does not capture what you already owe a supplier at go-live. A new supplier starts with a zero balance. Enter what you owe with the Import Opening Balance action on the Suppliers list, or as part of your opening balances setup, not on this form.
Approval gates availability
A new supplier is created as Pending until someone with the approve permission approves it. Until then it will not appear when you pick a supplier on a document. If a supplier you created is not showing up, check that it is both Active and Approved on this screen.
Edit, deactivate, or delete
Select the edit icon on any row to change a supplier's details, defaults, or flags.
To stop a supplier being used without losing their history, clear the Active flag rather than deleting the record.
Heads up
Deleting a supplier also deletes its associated user account and cannot be undone. ZyncLedger blocks the delete if the supplier is referenced by any active document such as a purchase order, GRN, bill, or supplier payment. Because those documents point back to the supplier, removing it would break that history. Deactivate the supplier instead.
Related
- Supplier Types — classify suppliers for grouping and reporting.
- Chart of Accounts — the payable account a supplier's purchases post to.
- Payment Terms and Payment Methods — the credit and settlement defaults a supplier carries.
- Customers — the sell-to counterpart of a supplier.
- GRN and Bill — where a supplier's defaults prefill the purchase.
- Supplier Payment — record a payment against a supplier's open bills and GRNs.
