Office Practice · Lesson 5

Enquiry, quotation, order, invoice, credit and debit notes, statements, receipts and stores documents

WAECNECO

What the syllabus asks

WAEC: meaning; types: administrative (nominal roll, calendar of events), sales (invoice, receipt, debit note, credit note, delivery note, price list, consignment note, order, catalogue), stores (requisition form, bin card/stock record card, stock record/inventory book), purchasing (cheque book, receipt, letter of enquiry, order, invoice, price list, catalogue, advice note, consignment note);…

NECO: meaning; types: administrative (nominal roll, calendar of events), sales (invoice, receipt, debit note, credit note, delivery note, price list, consignment note, order, catalogue), stores (requisition form, bin card/stock record card, stock record/inventory book), purchasing (cheque book, receipt, letter of enquiry, order, invoice, price list, catalogue, advice note, consignment note);…

What you will learn

Define office documents and explain their importance.
Classify documents as administrative, sales, stores or purchasing.
Describe the nominal roll, calendar of events and rosters.
Explain each trading document and its sequence.
Prepare an invoice, credit note and statement with correct arithmetic.
Write up a bin card and apply stock levels.
State rules for preparing office documents.

Key points

Documents are evidence, records and controls.
Administrative: nominal roll, calendar, rosters, registers.
Purchasing: requisition, enquiry, order, cheque book.
Sales: price list, catalogue, quotation, invoice, notes, statement.
Advice note before goods; delivery or consignment note with goods.
GRN records goods received; match order, GRN and invoice.
Invoice: trade discount first, then VAT.
Credit note reduces debt; debit note increases it.
Bin card shows quantities; stock card quantities and values.
Prepare forms accurately, numbered, signed, copied and filed.

Start here: Meaning, importance and classes of office documents

Office documents are the forms, books and papers on which office transactions and activities are recorded, so that there is written evidence of what was done, by whom, when and for how much. Every purchase, sale, issue from stores, payment and staff matter produces one or more documents.

Why office documents are important

Evidence: they prove that a transaction took place, for example that goods were delivered or money was paid. They can be produced in court or to auditors.
Source of records: invoices, receipts and vouchers are the source documents from which accounts are written up.
Control: serially numbered forms and signatures ensure that only authorised transactions happen; missing numbers reveal lost or stolen forms.
Communication: they pass precise information between departments and with outsiders.
Reference: copies on file answer later queries and disputes.
Planning: summaries of documents show trends in sales, purchases and stock.
Legal and tax compliance: tax authorities require invoices and receipts to support VAT and income-tax returns.

Classes in the WAEC syllabus

Administrative documents: nominal roll, calendar of events, duty roster, leave roster, attendance register, staff list.
Sales documents: invoice, receipt, debit note, credit note, delivery note, price list, consignment note, order (received), catalogue.
Stores documents: requisition form, bin card / stock record card, stock record or inventory book, goods received note.
Purchasing documents: cheque book, receipt (received), letter of enquiry, order (sent), invoice (received), price list, catalogue, advice note, consignment note.

Many documents appear in both the sales and purchasing lists because the same paper is a sales document to the seller who prepares it and a purchasing document to the buyer who receives it. An invoice is prepared by the seller’s sales office and checked by the buyer’s purchasing office.

Commerce (cm4) studied these documents as steps in buying and selling. Office Practice goes further: who prepares each document, how many copies, where each copy goes, how it is checked, and how it is filed.

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Practice questions

1. A document sent by a buyer asking for prices is

a letter of enquiry
an invoice
a credit note
a receipt

Show answer

A: a letter of enquiry
Enquiry.

2. A seller’s reply stating prices and terms is

a debit note
a statement
a delivery note
a quotation

Show answer

D: a quotation
Quotation.

3. An invoice sent before goods are supplied, e.g. for Form M, is

a statement of account
a bin card
a pro-forma invoice
a credit note

Show answer

C: a pro-forma invoice
Pro-forma.

4. A document that reduces the amount a buyer owes is

an order
a credit note
a debit note
an invoice

Show answer

B: a credit note
Credit note.

5. A document that increases the amount a buyer owes is

a debit note
a credit note
a receipt
a statement

Show answer

A: a debit note
Debit note.

Key words

Nominal roll: List of all staff with their details.
Calendar of events: Dated list of planned activities.
Quotation: Seller’s offer of price and terms.
LPO: Local purchase order, numbered order form.
Advice note: Notice that goods have been dispatched.
Delivery note: List of goods accompanying delivery.
Consignment note: Document for goods sent by a carrier.
GRN: Goods received note prepared by stores.
Pro-forma invoice: Invoice sent before supply.
Credit note: Document reducing the amount owed.
Bin card: Shelf record of stock quantities.
Payment voucher: Internal authority for a payment.

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