What Is the Adjustment Category Type?
The Adjustment category type is used in Blackpurl when you need to increase or decrease part stock quantities, part costs, or unit costs outside of the normal Vendor Order (VO) process. Each adjustment transaction can be assigned an Adjustment Category, which controls how the transaction integrates into your accounting package and which General Ledger (GL) accounts are impacted.
When Adjustments Are Used
Adjustments apply to two types of inventory:
Parts — Use an adjustment to increase or decrease part stock quantities or costs. This applies when making a change directly in the parts record or via a part count/stocktake, rather than through a Vendor Order.
Units — Use an adjustment to change the cost price of a unit. Common reasons include applying a factory rebate that reduces the cost price or correcting a data entry error.
For step-by-step instructions on processing these adjustments, see:
Setting Up Adjustment Categories
Blackpurl is set up with one Adjustment Category by default, but you can create multiple categories to suit your dealership's needs. For each Adjustment Category, you only need to specify the Income General Ledger. This GL account acts as the offset when an adjustment is processed — the other side of the entry posts to your Inventory General Ledger.
If you have more than one Adjustment Category configured, you must designate one as the default.
Accounting Integration
When an adjustment is processed in Blackpurl, a journal entry is sent to your accounting package. The GL accounts involved and whether they are debited or credited depends on the type of adjustment (increase or decrease) and the inventory type (part or unit).
Part Adjustments
A parts adjustment creates a journal entry between two accounts:
Parts Inventory GL — determined by the category assigned to the part being adjusted
Adjustment GL — determined by the Income GL set on the Adjustment Category
For example, when a dealership processes a decrease in part quantity, the journal entry sent from Blackpurl to the accounting package reflects a credit to Parts Inventory and a debit to the Adjustment GL.
Unit Stock Adjustments
A unit stock adjustment creates a journal entry between two accounts:
Unit Inventory GL — determined by the category assigned to the unit being adjusted
Adjustment GL — determined by the Income GL set on the Adjustment Category
For example, when a dealership processes a decrease in the cost of a unit, the journal entry sent from Blackpurl to the accounting package reflects a credit to Unit Inventory and a debit to the Adjustment GL.
Correcting a Data Entry Error on a Unit Cost
If you need to fix a dollar amount entered incorrectly when receiving a unit into stock, a Unit Cost Adjustment alone is not the recommended approach. The cost adjustment will update the Unit Inventory GL in Blackpurl, but it will not alter the Vendor Invoice in your accounting package.
The recommended approach is to contact Blackpurl Support, who can correct the dollar error for you directly.
If you choose to handle this yourself using a Cost Adjustment, you must also manually update the Vendor Invoice in your accounting package:
1. Open the Vendor Invoice in your accounting package and edit the bill.
2. Add a line and enter the amount of the cost adjustment.
3. Use the Inventory Adjustment GL account as the offset — this is necessary because the Unit Inventory GL was already adjusted when you processed the adjustment in Blackpurl.
4. Account for any tax implications that apply in your tax jurisdiction before saving.
The end result is that your Vendor Invoice is correct, your inventory balance is accurate, and the entries to the Inventory Adjustment GL cancel each other out so no extra expense is recorded.
