Overview
Receiving a Purchase Order lets you log when ordered items arrive and place them directly into inventory. Receive everything at once or in partial shipments — each entry records what arrived, how many, and where it was stored, keeping your inventory and PO status up to date automatically.
The list shows every purchase order with a status in the In Progress group, including custom statuses, and each status appears by the name your organization assigned.
Accessing Receive Purchase Order
Tap the Tools tab in the bottom navigation bar, then under Resources, tap Inventory.
Tap Receive Purchase Orders (iPhone and iPad) or Purchase Orders (Android).
Tap the Purchase Order you want to receive against
NOTE: On Android, Inventory can be pinned to the bottom navigation bar from Tools, then Menu Settings. When it is pinned, tap the Inventory tab, then tap Purchase Orders.
How to Receive Items from a Purchase Order
Receiving items transfers them from the order into a stockroom location in your inventory.
Tap Receive Purchase Orders (Purchase Orders on Android) from the Inventory screen
Tap the Purchase Order you want to receive against — the receive sheet opens automatically
For each item you are receiving, enter the Received Qty
Tap the Region field and select the region where the items are being placed
Tap the Location field and select the specific stockroom location within that region
Repeat for each item being received in this shipment — leave items at 0 if they were not included in this delivery
Tap Save to record the receipt
NOTE: Each item shows a PO Amount indicator (e.g. "2 of 10") so you can track partial fulfillment at a glance. A location must be selected for any item with a quantity greater than 0. If a location is missing when you tap Save, the item shows "Required" (iPhone and iPad) or "Missing Info" (Android).
How to Partially Receive a Purchase Order
If a shipment only includes some of the ordered items, you can receive what arrived and come back to receive the rest later.
Tap Receive Purchase Orders (Purchase Orders on Android) from the Inventory screen
Tap the Purchase Order you want to receive against
Enter quantities only for the items included in this shipment — leave all others at 0
Select the appropriate Region and Location for each item being received
Tap Save
When the remaining items arrive, repeat the process to receive the remainder
Note: You can receive against the same Purchase Order as many times as needed. Each submission is tracked separately. The purchase order stays on the list with its current status until every item is received.
How to Complete a Purchase Order
A purchase order is complete when every item on it has been fully received. Saving a receipt that brings every item to its ordered amount moves the purchase order to a Completed status.
Receive the remaining quantities as described in How to Receive Items from a Purchase Order.
Tap Save.
If your organization has more than one Completed status, the Select Completed Status prompt appears. Tap the status that fits, such as "Completed" or "Closed – Invoiced."
If your organization has only one Completed status, it is applied automatically and no prompt appears.
A completed purchase order no longer appears on the list.
NOTE: Tapping Cancel on the Select Completed Status prompt returns you to the receive screen without saving, so you can review the quantities and tap Save again.
Understanding Received Quantities
The receive screen shows running totals to help you track what has been accounted for. Each line item displays a PO Amount counter in the format received of ordered (e.g. "5 of 10"):
The first number reflects the cumulative quantity received across all prior submissions plus the current entry
The second number is the original quantity on the Purchase Order line item
When all line items have been fully received, the Purchase Order moves to a Completed status. If your organization has more than one Completed status, you choose which one in the Select Completed Status prompt.
Use Cases
Receiving Purchase Orders on mobile is designed for team members who are physically present when a delivery arrives. Rather than walking back to a computer to log what came in, field workers can pull up the Purchase Order on their device, enter quantities as they count items off the packing slip, and place them directly into inventory — all without leaving the receiving area.
This is especially useful for operations where deliveries happen in the field or warehouse, away from a desk. The mobile workflow keeps inventory counts accurate in real time and automatically updates the Purchase Order status so the broader team always knows what has arrived and what is still outstanding.
An organization that tracks extra shipping steps can add custom In Progress statuses such as "Backordered" or "In Transit." Those purchase orders appear on the mobile list with the matching status badge, and technicians receive against them as items arrive. When the final items are delivered, an organization with two Completed statuses can pick "Received – Pending Invoice" from the Select Completed Status prompt so accounting knows to follow up.
Best Practices
Receive Promptly: Log received items as soon as they arrive so inventory counts stay accurate and the team knows what is in stock.
Verify Quantities Against the Packing Slip: Count items before entering quantities to prevent discrepancies between your records and actual stock.
Use the Correct Location: Always select the location where items are physically being placed — this is what drives your inventory counts.
Check the PO Amount Before Saving: Confirm the running totals look correct before tapping Save.
Sync Before Receiving: Syncing first makes sure the list includes the latest purchase orders and status names from your organization.
Choose the Completed Status Carefully: When prompted, pick the Completed status that matches your organization's process, since it is the status the purchase order keeps after it leaves the list.
Troubleshooting
Issue: A purchase order doesn't appear on the list
Solution:
Check the purchase order's status. Only purchase orders with a status in the In Progress group appear. Draft (New), Completed, and Canceled purchase orders do not.
Sync your device. Purchase orders and status changes made by others appear after the next sync.
Clear the search bar in case a search is filtering the list.
On Android, a purchase order that already has a completed or canceled date does not appear, even if its status is still In Progress.
Issue: The status name on a purchase order isn't what you expect
Solution:
Status names come from your organization's settings. Sync your device to pick up recent changes.
Contact your administrator if a status needs to be renamed or moved to a different group.
Issue: Received Qty field shows a red border with the message "Can't receive more inventory than what was ordered"
Solution: The quantity entered exceeds the ordered quantity for that line item — reduce it to match the remaining amount on the order.
The quantity entered exceeds the ordered quantity for that line item
Reduce the quantity to match or be less than the remaining amount on the order
If you believe more items were delivered than originally ordered, contact your administrator to adjust the Purchase Order
Issue: Cannot select a Location
Solution: Ensure a Region has been selected first — the Location picker filters by region.
Ensure a Region has been selected first — the Location picker filters by region
If no locations appear, ensure your organization has stockroom locations configured in Redlist
Contact your administrator to add stockroom locations if none are available
Issue: Saving shows "Required" (iPhone and iPad) or "Missing Info" (Android)
Solution:
An item with a received quantity has no Location. Select a location for every item you are receiving, then tap Save again.
Issue: Purchase Order status is not updating to Completed after receiving
Solution: Check that all line items show a received count equal to the ordered count — any remaining balance will prevent completion.
Check that all line items show a PO Amount where the received count equals the ordered count
If any item still shows a remaining balance, receive the outstanding quantity
If the Select Completed Status prompt appeared, make sure a status was selected. Tapping Cancel on the prompt leaves the purchase order unsaved.
Contact Redlist support if the status does not update after all items are fully received
Summary
Receiving Purchase Orders closes the loop between procurement and inventory — every item you log as received is placed into a stockroom location and counted in your inventory automatically. With support for partial shipments and running quantity totals, you always know exactly what has arrived and what is still outstanding. The list includes every purchase order in an In Progress status, shown by the status names your organization uses, and when an order is fully received you can choose among your organization's Completed statuses.