How should advance payments to bottlers be recorded in QuickBooks when stock hasn't been received yet?

When paying a bottler an advance (e.g. 50% upfront), you cannot match the payment directly to a PO in QuickBooks, as doing so would incorrectly increase your inventory before stock arrives.

**The recommended approach:**

- **Record the payment to the supplier account** — Allocate the advance payment in the banking tab to the supplier (bottler) without linking it to a PO. This creates a balance on the supplier's account. - **Match the PO when stock arrives** — Once production is complete and stock is received, match the PO to the invoice and reconcile it against the advance payment already recorded on the supplier account. - **Handle under/over-production** — If the bottler under-produces, any remaining balance sits on the supplier account and can be managed (credited, applied to future orders, or written off as needed).

This workflow keeps your inventory accurate (only increasing when goods are actually received) while maintaining a clear audit trail of advances and final invoices.