Planning – weeks before
- Count date set
- Method chosen: full count, cycle count or sampling
- Count teams assigned: one person counts, one writes
- Count sheets prepared by storage location
- Process agreed with your accountant
CheckLoop › Checklists › Stocktake
Stocktake checklist: an inventory count, step by step
A stocktake rarely goes wrong at the counting. It goes wrong in the preparation. This checklist takes you through planning, count day and reconciliation, for warehouses, restaurants and shops.
Stocktake checklist
22 steps in four stages, from setting the date to filing the paperwork.
Preparation – days before
- Storage areas tidied, stock sorted
- Damaged and expired stock set aside
- All deliveries and dispatches before the count date booked in
- Third-party and consignment stock labelled
- Scales, scanners and counting devices checked
Count day
- Stock movements stopped
- Every item counted, weighed or measured
- Quantity and unit recorded
- Counted areas marked
- Unclear items counted again
- Count sheets signed
Afterwards
- Count results entered
- Counted stock reconciled against the system
- Larger discrepancies investigated
- Stock adjustments posted
- Stock valued
- Paperwork filed
This list is a starting point, not a verified template. It may contain errors or gaps. Review it and add what your business needs before you use it.
Stocktake: once a year or more often?
Your year-end accounts need it. Your business often benefits from more.
For the year-end. Most businesses count their stock at least once a year, usually at the end of the financial year. Which obligations and record-keeping periods apply to you is something to clarify with your accountant.
How restaurants do it. Many kitchens count monthly or even weekly. It is the only way to work out food costs and spot where stock goes missing.
The most common mistake. The business keeps running during the count. Anything that comes in or goes out on count day without being booked distorts the result. That is why “stop stock movements” comes first on count day.
Not tax or legal advice. Agree the method and record keeping with your accountant.
The stocktake as an app
Several people count at once, and every quantity lands in the same list straight away.
Input field — enter the quantity directly (Pro)
Plain flour in kg
37.5
Dropdown — pick the storage location (Pro)
Location
Dry store
If/Else — ask for the reason when a count is off (Pro)
Differs from the system?
Yes
No
Yes/No — area finished
Walk-in fridge fully counted?
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A count sheet per area
Set up the count sheet once as a template – walk-in fridge, dry store, drinks – and reuse it for every stocktake.
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Count as a team
Everyone counts at the same time in a shared Space, even without signal in the cellar. Whatever one person enters, the others see straight away.
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Keep the result
The completed list goes to your bookkeeper as a PDF (Pro). Every run is kept as a record (Pro, beta).
Stocktake FAQ
When should you do a stocktake?
Most businesses count at least once a year, usually at the end of the financial year. Which date and method suit you best is worth agreeing with your accountant.
What is the difference between a full stocktake and cycle counting?
A full stocktake counts everything on one day. Cycle counting spreads the counting over the year, a few areas at a time, and relies on stock records that are kept up to date in between.
How often should a restaurant do a stocktake?
At least once a year. To keep food costs under control, many restaurants count monthly or even weekly. With a fixed count sheet, that takes a manageable amount of time.
Can several people count at the same time?
Yes. Everyone in a Space works in the same list, and every entry is visible to all of them straight away.
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More than a stocktake
Goods in, ordering, stock checks: every routine in your storeroom becomes a checklist in CheckLoop.