Auto-deduct stock on jobs and invoices

Manual stock tracking is where inventory goes wrong. Turn on Auto-deduct for any product and Service Buddy will reduce the on-hand count automatically whenever the item is added to an invoice or job.

Steps to enable auto-deduct

1. Click Settings in the left sidebar, then click Products & Services (under Company Management).
2. Click the edit icon on the product you want to track.
3. Check Enable automatic inventory deduction.
4. Click Update.

Note

The checkbox only appears on products whose Inventory Type is Inventory. A Non-Inventory product has no stock count to deduct from — switching a product to Non-Inventory turns auto-deduct off automatically. See Add an item to your catalog.

How auto-deduct works

• Auto-deduct applies only to Inventory products — things you physically stock and count.
• When the item appears on a new quote, invoice, or job, a stock hold is placed (status: On Hold).
• Once the invoice is paid or the job is completed, the hold converts to a deduction (status: Success) and the on-hand quantity drops.
• If an invoice is voided or refunded before it’s marked paid, the hold is released and quantity is restored.
• If a quote is archived or turned into a job, its hold is released — the job or invoice carries the stock from there, so nothing is held twice.

Example walkthrough

Say you stock 25 rolls of carpet padding, and auto-deduct is on:

1. You add 3 rolls of padding to an invoice. On-hand quantity drops to 22 when the invoice is created.
2. The client pays. The deduction finalizes.
3. A week later, another invoice uses 2 rolls of padding. On-hand quantity is now 20.
4. You receive a new shipment of 50 rolls from a purchase order. Quantity jumps to 70.

What happens next

• Your Products list always reflects real-time inventory, assuming your team uses invoices and jobs consistently.
• Low-stock items surface faster because you’re not waiting for someone to do a manual count.
• You can create purchase orders once stock crosses your comfort threshold.

Tip

Enable auto-deduct on high-volume items first — carpet padding, underlayment, tack strip, transition strips, seam tape, thinset, grout. One-off items (a single roll of carpet, a special-order hardwood lot, or a custom tile for a specific install) can be adjusted by hand as you use them.

Caution

Auto-deduct only works if your team creates invoices or jobs for the materials they use. If installers pull padding or trim from the warehouse without logging it on a job, your inventory will slowly drift out of sync.

FAQ

Should I turn on auto-deduct for everything?

No — only for items you actually want to track in inventory. Services (install labor, stair labor, binding labor, tear-out, freight) don’t have inventory and can’t have auto-deduct at all. One-off custom items (a special-order area rug, a single-job hardwood lot, or specialty tile for a single client) usually aren’t worth the overhead either.

When does the deduction actually happen — when I create the invoice or when it’s paid?

A hold is placed when the invoice or job is created (status: On Hold). The actual deduction (status: Success) happens when the invoice is paid or the job is completed. If the invoice is voided or refunded before payment, the hold releases and the quantity is restored.

What if I add an item to a quote — does that reduce stock?

It places a hold, so the material is spoken for and isn’t quoted twice to two clients. The on-hand count isn’t reduced for good until the resulting invoice is paid or the job is completed.

If you’d rather stock wasn’t held until the client actually says yes, your account can be set to hold at quote approval instead — the hold then waits until the quote is approved. Contact support to switch this on. See Contact support.

Can I disable auto-deduct on an item I had it enabled for?

Yes — open the item, uncheck Enable automatic inventory deduction, and save. Existing holds and deductions on past jobs/invoices stay as they are; new uses won’t create holds.

What if my install crew pulls padding without logging it?

Your on-hand quantity will drift over time. There’s no way for Service Buddy to catch un-logged usage automatically — the answer is process: insist that any pulled material is logged on a job or invoice immediately, and run a quarterly physical count to true up the difference.

Can I auto-deduct flooring by the square yard, square foot, or carton?

Yes — auto-deduct works in whatever unit the item is set up in. Carpet by Sq Yd, hardwood/LVP/laminate by Sq Ft, tile by Box, padding by Sq Yd. Just enter the actual quantity on the invoice line and the deduction matches the unit. Be careful with rounding: 12.5 sq yd used means on-hand drops by exactly 12.5.

Why did my stock not deduct after I marked the invoice paid?

A few possibilities: the product’s Inventory Type is Non-Inventory; auto-deduct is off for that item; or the invoice was voided or refunded before the deduction finalized. Open the item to confirm its settings and check the invoice’s activity log for any reversal events.

Related tasks

• Add an item to your catalog
• Track inventory levels
• Receive stock from a purchase order