Negative on-hand: why it happens and how to clear it

On-hand can go below zero at one location while the business total still looks fine. A negative means Skuvelo recorded more units leaving that location than it has recorded arriving. Something real is usually missing from the record, so find what it is before you bring it back above zero.

Find which items and locations are negative

1. Open Inventory.
2. Under Columns, turn on On hand, then sort by it so the lowest come first.
3. Open an item to see its on-hand at each location. The list shows the total across all locations, so a negative at one site can be hidden inside a positive total.

Three common reasons stock goes below zero

• A sale before its receipt was posted. The goods arrived and sold, but the purchase order was never received. Check the order on Purchasing → Receiving.
• A receipt posted to the wrong location. One location is negative and another has the same count of extra units.
• A sale at a location before its transfer was received. Units were sold from the receiving location before the transfer arriving there was marked received. Check Transfers.

Bring a negative back above zero

Pick the step that matches the reason:

1. Post the missing receipt or transfer if goods arrived but were never recorded. This lifts the negative and keeps the trail to the supplier.
2. Count the item on Inventory → Cycle counts if you are not sure what is on the shelf. The count sets on-hand to what was really there.
3. Record an adjustment with a reason on Adjustments when you know the real quantity and why it went negative, for example Recount correction or Data entry correction.

Do not set the item to zero first and then add stock back. That creates two movements that hide what happened. Skuvelo never lets you delete or edit posted history. Each entry is a new movement, so the record shows how the stock went negative and who brought it back.

Who can clear a negative

• Owners, admins and planners can post adjustments and receipts.
• Warehouse staff can count the item, receive goods and report a difference with Report difference. A planner, admin or owner then reviews it.
• Read-only members can see negatives but cannot change them.

See counting and adjusting inventory for the full count and adjustment steps.