The quick answer
Use an Inventory Count record. Go to Transactions > Inventory > Enter Inventory Count, pick the location and the variance account, add the items, and save. Click Start Count when you're ready to count; that's when NetSuite records the snapshot quantity. Edit the count, enter what's on the shelf in Count Quantity and Count Detail, save, and click Complete Count. The line then shows Snapshot Quantity, Count Quantity and Adjusted Quantity, the difference. Nothing changes in inventory until you click Approve. Approval creates the inventory adjustment for the difference, and it's listed on the count's History subtab.
The screenshots show sample data. Person and operating-company names are fictional. Use your own location, items and account when you follow the steps.
Before you start
You need:
- Inventory Count turned on under Setup > Company > Enable Features > Items & Inventory.
- A role that can enter, start, complete and approve counts, with access to the subsidiary, location, item and account. In this example one person does all of it. Many companies split counting and approval between people, and buttons only show up for roles allowed to use them.
- An inventory-count adjustment account. This example uses 5120 Inventory Count Variance. Approval posts the difference between this account and the item's inventory asset account.
- An open period for the count date, because approval posts an inventory adjustment.
- Count dates on the item, if you want them to roll forward. GH-560 has a 45-day Inventory Count Interval at Spokane. That's what moves its next count date in step 7.
The example counts one item, GH-560 Galvanized Hose Reel, at Spokane Distribution Center. NetSuite shows 64 when the count starts, and the shelf holds 61, all in Good condition. The account uses inventory statuses, so counts are entered by status. The item doesn't use bins, lots or serial numbers, and nothing else moves it at Spokane while the count is open. Bins, lots and serials add their own detail to enter. This is the desktop count; WMS mobile cycle counts work differently.
01. Enter the count header
Go to Transactions > Inventory > Enter Inventory Count. The menu also has Create Inventory Count, which builds a count from the items that are due by their Next Inventory Count Date. Enter Inventory Count lets you pick any item, due or not.
Read the note at the top of the form: complete any pending transactions that affect the listed items before you start the count. Then choose Subsidiary Example Supply Co. Inc. (OneWorld accounts only) and Location Spokane Distribution Center. Check that Date is 11/09/2026, choose Account 5120 Inventory Count Variance, and type Aisle 7 recount in Memo.
02. Add the item and save
On the Items subtab, choose GH-560 Galvanized Hose Reel. Units Each and Rate 35.00 fill in. Leave Count Quantity empty for now and click Add. The rate only estimates the value of the variance. The adjustment's GL Impact has the real amount, which depends on the item's costing.
Click Save. NetSuite numbers the count IC18 and opens it with status Open and a Start Count button. Saving doesn't take the snapshot.
03. Start the count
Click Start Count when the counters are ready to go. The status changes to Started, NetSuite records the snapshot quantity, and Complete Count replaces Start Count.
Start Count doesn't freeze the item. If a receipt, fulfillment or transfer moves it between now and approval, the snapshot no longer matches what's on the shelf, and the count you enter has to account for that or the variance will be off. That's why the form tells you to clear pending transactions first.
Now count the shelf. Spokane has 61 hose reels, all in Good condition.
04. Enter the counted quantity
Click Edit. On the item line, type 61 in Count Quantity. Open Count Detail. Status shows Good; type 61 in Quantity and click OK. The status quantities have to add up to the count quantity.
Click OK on the line, then Save. Without inventory statuses, bins, lots or serial numbers, the count quantity may be all you need.
05. Complete the count and review the variance
Click Complete Count. The status becomes Completed/Pending Approval, and Approve and Reject buttons appear. The line now shows Snapshot Quantity 64, Count Quantity 61, Adjusted Quantity -3 and Rate 35.00. Adjusted Quantity is the count minus the snapshot.
Click View under Snapshot Detail to see what the snapshot held by status: 64 in Good.
Close it and click View under Variance Detail: -3 in Good. That's the shortage approval will adjust.
If a number looks off, don't approve it. Click Reject, which sends the count back to Started so you can edit the quantities, save, and complete it again. Once you approve, the adjustment posts, and fixing it means another adjustment.
06. Approve the count
Click Approve. The status changes to Approved, and NetSuite creates an inventory adjustment for the 3-unit shortage using 5120 Inventory Count Variance. A count with several items can produce more than one adjustment. Lines with no difference don't need one.
Open the History subtab. It lists the inventory adjustment, here IA212 dated 11/09/2026. Open it and check its GL Impact for the accounts and exact amounts.
07. Check the item's quantity and count dates
Open GH-560 Galvanized Hose Reel and scroll to its Locations list. With View set to Inventory, Spokane Distribution Center shows Quantity On Hand 61 and Value 2,135.00, which is 61 at the item's 35.00 average cost. Value comes from the item's costing, so yours won't always be a clean multiple of the count rate.
Change the Locations View to Inventory Count if your account offers it. Spokane shows Inventory Count Interval 45, Last Inventory Count Date 11/09/2026 and Next Inventory Count Date 12/24/2026. In this example Last Inventory Count Date is the count's date, not the day it was approved. NetSuite adds the interval to get the next date, and Create Inventory Count uses that date to decide what's due.
Check the result
- IC18 is Approved, with Snapshot Quantity 64, Count Quantity 61 and Adjusted Quantity -3.
- The History subtab lists the inventory adjustment.
- Spokane Distribution Center shows Quantity On Hand 61 and Value 2,135.00 for GH-560.
- Last Inventory Count Date is 11/09/2026 and Next Inventory Count Date is 12/24/2026.
Common questions
Do I need WMS to do an inventory count in NetSuite?
No. With the Inventory Count feature turned on, you can enter, start, complete and approve a count on the desktop, the way this guide does. WMS adds mobile counting and its own cycle-count workflow, but you don't need it for a basic count.
When does NetSuite take the snapshot on an inventory count?
When you click Start Count. Saving the count doesn't do it. In this example, starting the count recorded 64 hose reels at Spokane, and that number didn't show up on the line until the count was completed.
What's the difference between Snapshot Quantity, Count Quantity and Adjusted Quantity?
Snapshot Quantity is what NetSuite had when the count started. Count Quantity is what you entered from the shelf. Adjusted Quantity is the count minus the snapshot, so 61 minus 64 gives -3.
Why didn't my inventory change after I completed the count?
Complete Count only moves the count to Completed/Pending Approval so someone can review the variance. Nothing posts until you click Approve. If the count is wrong, Reject sends it back to Started instead.
Where do I find the inventory adjustment from an approved count?
On the count's History subtab. Open the adjustment from there and check its GL Impact for the accounts and amounts. A count with several items can create more than one adjustment.
What's the difference between Enter Inventory Count and Create Inventory Count?
Enter Inventory Count lets you pick any items for one location, whether they're due or not. Create Inventory Count builds the list for you from items whose Next Inventory Count Date falls in the date range you give it, optionally filtered by classification. If an item doesn't show up there, check that its next count date is in that range and that it matches the filters.
How are Inventory Count Interval and Next Inventory Count Date used?
The interval is the number of days between counts for an item at a location. After the count is approved, NetSuite sets the next count date from the interval, so 45 days moves this item from 11/09/2026 to 12/24/2026. Create Inventory Count then uses that date to decide what's due.