Guides · Bookkeeping
How to track supplier payments
Tracking supplier payments means always knowing which supplier bills are recorded, which are due, and which are paid. Done well, it stops double payments, missed dues, and month-end surprises.
Capture the bill first
Every payable starts with a supplier document — a bill or an import paper. The first step is to record it: capture the supplier, amount, date, and due date, and keep the source document attached so the record can be checked.
A bill that is not recorded is a payment waiting to surprise you. Capturing it at receipt, not at payment, is what keeps payables complete.
Track due dates and what is paid
Once recorded, each payable needs a due date and a running status — outstanding, part-paid, or settled. Grouping by supplier shows who you owe and how much, and flags what is falling due next.
For imports, the true cost includes duty and freight, so rolling those into the bill gives the real inbound cost rather than just the invoice value.
How Lekha tracks payables
Lekha captures supplier and import documents — you upload, the fields are read for you, and you confirm or correct — then records each bill per supplier with the source document kept, and a light cost roll-up sums duty and freight into a total inbound cost.
Lekha records what your documents say and tracks the money on both sides — what you owe and what you are owed. It records and tracks; it does not replace your accountant.
Questions
- How do I keep supplier payables from being missed?
- Record each supplier bill when it arrives with its due date, keep the source document attached, and track a running paid status per supplier.
- How do I avoid paying a supplier bill twice?
- Record every bill once, mark its paid status as you settle it, and group by supplier so the outstanding amount is always clear.
- How do I find the real cost of an imported purchase?
- Add duty and freight to the invoice value. A cost roll-up that sums these gives the total inbound cost rather than just the bill amount.