In NetSuite, users may notice that the GL Impact tab of an Item Receipt (IR) transaction sometimes displays “No Results.” This behavior can be confusing, especially when users expect the receipt of inventory to generate accounting entries. However, in most cases, this outcome is expected and directly related to system configuration, item type, or the nature of the transaction.
🔹 Advanced Receiving is Enabled
One of the primary reasons for the absence of GL impact on Item Receipts is when Advanced Receiving is enabled. In this configuration, NetSuite separates the physical receipt of goods from the financial recognition.
- Item Receipt updates inventory quantities but does not post to the GL.
- Vendor Bill triggers the actual accounting entries (e.g., debit Inventory, credit Accounts Payable).
- This behavior is configured under:
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Setup > Accounting > Accounting Preferences > Order Management > Advanced Receiving
🔹 Item Type is Not Inventory
If the items being received are not classified as Inventory Items, NetSuite will not generate any GL entries at the time of receipt.
- Non-Inventory, Service, or Other Charge items do not affect inventory value.
- These item types are financially recognized only at billing.
Always verify the item type on the transaction to understand expected GL behavior.
🔹 Drop Ship or Special Order POs
Item Receipts created against Drop Ship or Special Order Purchase Orders do not post to the GL.
- In these cases, goods do not physically enter your inventory.
- The IR is informational, serving only to track the process flow.
GL impact, if any, occurs at the Vendor Bill stage or may be omitted entirely.
🔹 Return Authorization (Vendor Return)
When processing returns to vendors using Return Authorizations and subsequent Item Receipts, GL entries may not post until a Vendor Credit is issued.
- In SuiteTax-enabled environments, tax reversal lines may be visible.
- However, accounting entries such as COGS reversal or inventory adjustments are typically triggered only after full completion of the return workflow.
🔹 Other Possible Reasons
There are several other technical or configuration-related reasons an IR may not generate GL impact:
- Accounting period is closed: Transactions cannot post to closed periods.
- Insufficient permissions: User roles without full access may not be able to view GL impact or trigger posting.
- Missing or invalid location: In multi-location inventory setups, the absence of a valid location may prevent NetSuite from determining the correct accounts for posting.
How to Verify GL Impact on an IR
To check if an Item Receipt has generated GL impact:
- Open the Item Receipt record.
- Click on the Actions dropdown.
- Select GL Impact.
- If it shows “No Results”, investigate using the reasons outlined above.