Supplier
A Supplier is an individual or organization from whom your company purchases goods or services. ERPNext stores supplier information centrally so it can be reused across purchasing, invoicing, payments, and reporting.
Supplier records also allow you to define default payment terms, currencies, tax information, payable accounts, and purchasing restrictions, reducing manual data entry during transactions.
To access the Supplier list, navigate to:
Home > Buying > Supplier > Supplier
1. How to Create a Supplier
- Go to the Supplier list.
- Click New.
- Enter the Supplier Name.
- Select the appropriate Supplier Group.
- Click Save.
After the supplier is created, additional options such as payment terms, tax details, currency, contacts, addresses, and purchasing controls become available.
2. Features
2.1 Default Values
You can configure default values for a supplier that are automatically populated in future purchase transactions.
These include:
- Default Bank Account
- Default Payment Terms Template
- Billing Currency
- Price List
- Default Payable Account
Using defaults reduces manual work and ensures consistency across Purchase Orders and Purchase Invoices.
2.2 Tax Details
ERPNext allows you to maintain supplier-specific tax information.
Available fields include:
- Country
- Tax ID
- Tax Category
- Print Language
- Tax Withholding Category
- GST Category (India)
- PAN (India)
- Is Transporter
- Internal Supplier
- Disabled
When a Tax Category is assigned, ERPNext automatically applies the corresponding Purchase Taxes and Charges Template through Tax Rules.
2.3 Purchase Controls
Buying Settings may require Purchase Orders or Purchase Receipts before creating Purchase Invoices.
For individual suppliers, these rules can be overridden by enabling:
- Allow Purchase Invoice Creation Without Purchase Order
- Allow Purchase Invoice Creation Without Purchase Receipt
This provides flexibility for suppliers who require different purchasing workflows.
2.4 Currency and Price List
Suppliers can transact in currencies different from your company’s base currency.
When a Billing Currency is selected:
- The currency is automatically used in future purchase transactions.
- Exchange rates are fetched automatically.
- Purchase documents are created in the supplier’s currency.
You can also assign a default Buying Price List. Whenever the supplier is selected in a purchasing transaction, ERPNext automatically fetches the associated Price List.
2.5 Payment Terms and Supplier Hold
You can define a default Payment Terms Template for every supplier.
ERPNext also allows temporarily blocking suppliers using the Block Supplier option.
Available hold types include:
- Invoices — Prevent creation of Purchase Orders and Purchase Invoices.
- Payments — Prevent creation of Payment Entries.
- All — Block both invoices and payments.
If no release date is specified, the supplier remains blocked until manually released.
2.6 Default Payable Accounts
A supplier can have company-specific payable accounts.
By default, ERPNext posts supplier liabilities to the company’s Default Payable Account (typically Creditors).
If required, you can assign a different payable account for individual suppliers by adding entries in the Default Payable Accounts table.
This is especially useful when the same supplier is used across multiple companies.
2.7 Additional Information
The Supplier record also lets you maintain additional business information such as:
- Website
- Notes and remarks
- Freeze accounting entries using Is Frozen
Freezing a supplier prevents new accounting entries unless the user has permission to edit frozen accounts.
2.8 Contacts and Addresses
Contacts and Addresses are maintained separately from the Supplier master.
After saving the supplier, you can create multiple:
- Addresses
- Contacts
When a supplier is selected in a transaction, the Primary Contact and Primary Address are automatically fetched.
2.9 Supplier Dashboard
Once the Supplier is saved, ERPNext provides shortcuts for creating and viewing related transactions.
These include:
- Request for Quotation (RFQ)
- Supplier Quotation
- Purchase Order
- Purchase Receipt
- Purchase Invoice
- Payment Entry
- Pricing Rule
The dashboard also provides quick access to:
- Accounting Ledger
- Accounts Payable
- GST Update Reminder (India)
