A Stock Ledger That Knows What You Have, Right Now
Every receipt, sale, transfer, and work order material issue updates on-hand quantity and value in real time, forming the single stock ledger everything else reads from.
What perpetual inventory does
Perpetual inventory is the ledger underneath inventory accounting, manufacturing, and demand planning - it is the single record of on-hand quantity and value, updated transaction by transaction rather than reconstructed periodically.
- On-hand quantity and value updated with every receipt, sale, and transfer
- Serves as the source ledger for inventory accounting, manufacturing, and reorder decisions
- Location and lot-level tracking where relevant to the business
- Full transaction history behind every current balance
Core capabilities
| Capability | What it does | What it replaces |
|---|---|---|
| Live stock ledger | Updates on-hand quantity and value transaction by transaction | Periodic stock takes as the only truth |
| Transaction history | Preserves every movement behind a current balance | A single point-in-time count record |
| Multi-location tracking | Tracks stock across warehouses or locations | Separate spreadsheets per location |
| Shared source ledger | Feeds inventory accounting, manufacturing, and reorder logic | Disconnected systems each with their own stock number |
How it works
What updates the ledger
- 1
Receive goods
A purchase order receipt increases on-hand quantity and value at landed cost.
- 2
Sell or ship
A sale or shipment decreases on-hand quantity and posts COGS at actual cost.
- 3
Issue to production
A work order material issue moves stock from inventory into work-in-process.
- 4
Transfer or adjust
Location transfers and count adjustments post as their own tracked transactions.
A single, traceable source of stock truth
Because inventory accounting, manufacturing costing, and demand planning all read from the same perpetual ledger, there is one number for on-hand stock across the business - not a warehouse system, an accounting system, and a planning spreadsheet each with a different answer.
What the ledger preserves
- Every receipt, sale, transfer, and adjustment, with timestamp and actor
- Current on-hand quantity and value by location
- The cost basis behind every unit currently on hand
Frequently asked questions
How is perpetual inventory different from a periodic count?
A periodic count only tells you stock levels at the moment you count. Perpetual inventory updates on-hand quantity and value with every single transaction, so the system knows current stock position at any moment, and counts become a check against that expected balance.
Does perpetual inventory support multiple warehouse locations?
Yes. Stock is tracked by location, and transfers between locations post as their own transactions, so you can see on-hand quantity per location as well as company-wide.
Do other Fintra modules use the same inventory numbers?
Yes - inventory accounting, manufacturing work order costing, and demand planning all read from the same perpetual ledger, so there is one consistent stock number across accounting, production, and planning rather than three systems that can disagree.
Can I see the full history behind a current stock balance?
Yes. Every receipt, sale, transfer, and adjustment that contributed to the current on-hand balance is preserved in the transaction history, so any balance can be explained back to the individual transactions behind it.
Stay in the loop
One practical finance briefing a week - new guides, checklists, and benchmarks.
Know your stock position without a count
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