The quick answer
Open Create Inventory Count and, if you want item names in the list, click Customize and include Display Name. Choose the subsidiary and location, set Count Start Date and Count End Date to the count day, select the item and click Submit. NetSuite creates an inventory count in Open status. Click Start Count, click Edit, enter the counted quantity and save. Then click Complete Count. The count moves to Completed/Pending Approval, and Approve is left to someone who is allowed to approve.
This example counts one item, FST-4102 Lock Washer, 1/2 in, at Lakeside Warehouse. The system quantity is 240, the clerk counts 236 and the variance is -4. The company, user, warehouse, item and account names in the screenshots are fictional example data.
Before you start
You need the Inventory Count feature and items that have a Next Count Date and a count interval at the location. Multi-Location Inventory, subsidiaries, bins and inventory status matter only if your account uses them. Your role needs to create, edit and complete inventory counts. Approving a count is a separate permission in many accounts, and the exact levels depend on your roles, so ask an administrator which roles can approve.
Create Inventory Count builds a calculated count from the items that are due at a location. To count one item that is not due, use Enter Inventory Count instead. Serialized and lot-numbered items need the advanced inventory features your account has for them.
Customize is optional. In the account observed it opened a Customize Sublist page, and the Display Name column appeared after Classification in that account. The choice was saved for the user. The fields offered, the column order and how long the choice lasts can differ by role, form and version. This guide covers the standard Inventory Count and not a WMS cycle count plan or Smart Count.
01 · Open Create Inventory Count
Go to Transactions > Inventory > Create Inventory Count. The item list shows Select, Item, Next Count Date, Last Count Date and Classification, so you see item codes only. Click Customize above the list.
02 · Add Display Name
On Customize Sublist, stay on Additional Columns, tick Include beside Display Name and click Save. NetSuite returns to Create Inventory Count with empty filters. Customizing the list does not change the count, the criteria or the item.
03 · Set the list for the count day
Choose your subsidiary and Lakeside Warehouse in Location. The list now has a Display Name column after Classification. Set Count Start Date and Count End Date to the count day, 10/14/2026. The start date includes items due on or after it and the end date includes items due on or before it, so the same date in both fields targets one day. Two items are due in this example. The number of rows in your account depends on each item's schedule at the location, the classification filter, bin settings and any existing count. Select or check Account before you submit. A default preference can fill it in, and this example uses Inventory Over and Short, which is not a name every company has. NetSuite uses the account on the count for the variance when an adjustment is created later. Two check boxes, Count Bin Rows With Zero Quantity and Sort Rows By Bin, change which bin rows show and in what order.
04 · Select one item and submit
The list only offers candidates. Select FST-4102 only and click Submit. NetSuite creates inventory count IC0071 in Open status with one line for the item, and in the account observed it opened the new count. If yours returns to a list, open the count before you continue. The Count Quantity is empty. Submit posts nothing and takes no snapshot yet. If the item sits in several bins or carries lot, serial or status detail, it can produce more than one line. This item has one.
05 · Start the count and enter the quantity
Click Start Count. The status becomes Started, and NetSuite captures the on-hand quantity, 240 here, as the snapshot. The snapshot columns can stay hidden until you complete the count. Starting does not freeze inventory, so a receipt or a fulfillment that follows can change the variance. Think about those transactions before you enter or review a count. Click Edit, enter 236 in Count Quantity and click Save, then reopen or view the count if your account returns to a list. Some forms show an OK button on the line, and then you click OK before Save. Items tracked by bin, lot, serial number or inventory status can need Count Detail that adds up to the quantity, and a zero count can need to be entered rather than left blank.
06 · Complete the count
Click Complete Count. The status becomes Completed/Pending Approval. The line shows Snapshot Quantity 240, Count Quantity 236 and Adjusted Quantity -4, which is the count minus the snapshot. Completing does not create an adjustment. Approve does, for lines with a variance. A missing permission, a closed accounting period, an inactive item or a result that would leave negative inventory can block it. Approve and Reject belong to an approver, so this guide stops here.
Check the result
- List: The Display Name column named FST-4102 as the lock washer, and only items due on 10/14/2026 were listed.
- Count: IC0071 went from Open to Started to Completed/Pending Approval for one item.
- Variance: Snapshot 240, count 236 and Adjusted Quantity -4 wait for approval, and no inventory has changed yet.
Common questions
How do I show the item display name on the Create Inventory Count list?
Click Customize above the item list, and on Customize Sublist include Display Name under Additional Columns, then save. In the account observed the column appeared after Classification and the choice was saved for the user, and that can differ in yours. The fields offered and the column order can differ by role, form and version. Customizing does not change the count.
What do Count Start Date and Count End Date do on Create Inventory Count?
They limit the list to items whose count is due inside the range. The start date includes items due on or after it, and the end date includes items due on or before it. Using the same date in both fields targets one day. The list also depends on each item's Next Count Date and count interval at the location, the classification filter, bin settings and any existing count, so the number of rows can differ from the two in this example.
What does Submit create, and does it post anything?
Submit creates an inventory count in Open status for the items you selected. It posts nothing and takes no snapshot. Select each item you want in the count, because the list only offers candidates.
What happens when I click Start Count and Complete Count?
Start Count makes the count Started and captures the on-hand quantity as the snapshot quantity. Complete Count moves the count to Completed/Pending Approval and shows the Adjusted Quantity, which is Count Quantity minus Snapshot Quantity. Neither step creates an adjustment. Inventory can still move after the snapshot, and that can change the variance.
Does completing an inventory count change inventory, or only approving it?
Approving does. Complete Count only hands the count to review. When an approver clicks Approve, NetSuite creates the inventory adjustment for lines with a variance, using the account on the count. A missing permission, a closed accounting period, an inactive item or negative resulting inventory can block it.
Which account should I choose on Create Inventory Count?
The adjustment uses the Account selected on the inventory count, and a default preference can supply it. Choose an account that suits count variances, often an inventory variance or write-off account, and check it before you submit. Your accounting policy decides whether every count uses the same one.