Supplier Opening Balance records outstanding payables owed to suppliers at the start of using Freespace or at the beginning of a new accounting period. Use it to bring forward unpaid bills so supplier statements and ageing reports are correct from day one.
Go to Purchase → Settings → Supplier Opening Balance from the left menu.
Each opening balance entry is a transaction with draft and approved statuses. Approve the entry to post the payable to accounts. You can attach individual reference bills with due dates and balances, or enter a lump-sum amount.
List columns
| **Column** | **Description** |
|------------|-----------------|
| Id | Transaction ID. |
| Date | Effective date of the opening balance. |
| Supplier | Supplier whose payable is being opened. |
| Employee | Employee in charge. |
| Center | Billing or shipping center when centers are enabled. |
| Amount | Total opening balance amount. |
| Notes | Optional remarks. |
| Status | Draft, Approved, Cancelled, or Closed. |
Quick filter tabs
| **Tab** | **Shows** |
|---------|-----------|
| Default | All non-cancelled entries (default). |
| Approved | Approved entries. |
| Draft | Draft entries. |
| Cancelled | Cancelled entries. |
Advanced filters
| **Filter** | **Description** |
|------------|-----------------|
| Id | Filter by transaction ID. |
| Supplier | Filter by supplier. |
| Notes | Search in notes. |
| Status | Document status. |
| Date | Effective date range. |
| Created Date | Date the entry was created. |
List row actions
| **Action** | **Available when status is** |
|------------|------------------------------|
| View | All |
| Edit | Draft, For Revisal |
| Delete | Draft, For Revisal |
New Supplier Opening Balance
Fields
Header
| **Field** | **Description** |
|-----------|-----------------|
| Date * | Effective date of the opening balance. |
| Supplier * | Supplier whose payable is being opened. Active suppliers only. |
| Amount * | Total opening balance. Auto-calculated as the sum of reference bill opening balances when reference lines are used. Read-only when driven by lines. |
| Notes | Optional remarks. |
| Form Type | Purchase type applied to reference bill lines when used. |
| Employee | Employee in charge of the entry. |
| Center | Shipping or billing center when centers are enabled. |
Reference Bills
Optional table of individual unpaid supplier bills:
| **Column** | **Description** |
|------------|-----------------|
| Bill Number | Supplier's invoice or internal reference number. |
| Date | Bill date. |
| Due Date | Payment due date. Must be on or after the bill date. |
| Total | Original bill total. |
| Opening Balance | Portion still payable at opening. |
The header Amount equals the sum of Opening Balance on all reference lines.
Actions
List header:New
| **Action** | **Description** | **Available when status is** |
|------------|-----------------|------------------------------|
| Approve | Posts the opening balance to accounts | Draft |
| Edit | Opens the edit form | Draft, For Revisal |
| Delete | Removes the entry | Draft, For Revisal |
| Cancel | Cancels an approved entry | Approved, Closed |
| Master Update | Updates selected header fields — see below | Approved, Closed |
| Add/Update Note | Adds an internal note | All |
Form buttons:Update, Reset, Cancel
See List row actions for list-level actions. Approve, Cancel, and Master Update are available from the document view after opening a record.
Master Update
On approved or closed opening balance entries, open the more menu and select Master Update.
| **Field** | **Can be updated?** | **Notes** |
|-----------|---------------------|-----------|
| Date * | Yes — approved and closed entries only | Use Master Update to change the opening balance date after approval. Not available on draft entries through this workflow. |
| Notes | Yes | |
| Employee | Yes | |
| Center | Yes | |
| Supplier, Amount, Reference Bills | No | Edit the full document while Draft, or cancel and recreate. |
FAQ
When should I use opening balance instead of a purchase invoice?
Use opening balance for historical payables at migration or period opening. Use purchase invoices for new purchases after go-live.
Must I enter reference bills?
No. You can enter a single amount. Reference bills help ageing and statement reports show due dates per bill.
Does approving opening balance affect inventory?
No. It posts accounts payable only.
Can I change the date after approval?
Yes. Use Master Update on an approved entry to change Date.
What is Has References on opening balance?
When enabled, each reference line creates a draft opening Purchase Invoice tied to the supplier. Approving the opening balance approves those invoices and closes the entry.
What happens on approve without reference bills?
The system posts a single supplier payable journal for the total amount. No opening purchase invoices are created.
Can opening balance amount be negative?
Yes. A negative balance represents advance paid to the supplier or a net debit position — journal entries reverse direction accordingly.
Why are opening invoices hard to edit or cancel?
Opening invoices created from reference bills are system-linked to the opening balance entry. Use opening balance workflows and limited master update rather than treating them like regular purchases.
Does opening balance affect supplier ageing?
Yes, when reference bills include due dates. Those dates feed Supplier Aging and statement reports after approval.
