STOCK-COUNT RECONCILIATION SHEET
USPSConsolidator editorial team | Reviewed 7 October 2026

Use this blank planning sheet alongside:
https://uspsconsolidator.com/blog/us-stock-counts-live-orders-picks-transfers-returns/

DEFINE THE COUNT
The CSV has 40 column headings and no data rows. Assign count_ref and unique record_id values. Use row_type to distinguish system_balance, observation, event, comparison and approval. Specify SKU, variant_ref, unit_basis, location and count_boundary. State whether shelves, staging, packing, quarantine and returns receiving are included.

Record baseline_at, observation_at and comparison_at with timezones. Keep event_at separate from recorded_at and submitted_at. A whole-location physical count can be compared with that location's On hand balance; a shelf-only count requires a boundary reconciliation first.

RECORD MOVEMENT ONCE
Use physical_delta_units as a signed quantity: positive for a physical receipt across the boundary, negative for a physical departure. Reservations, allocation changes and movements inside the same boundary have zero physical delta. Keep order_line_ref, warehouse_task_ref, transfer_ref, shipment_ref or return_ref and supporting evidence_ref with the event.

For the Shopify example, recorded_on_hand_units equals recorded_available_units plus recorded_committed_units plus recorded_unavailable_units. Keep recorded_incoming_units separate. Held stock still exists physically; counting it does not approve it for sale.

COMPARE AT ONE TIME
Normalise observations and confirmed movements to comparison_at:
expected_units = verified opening physical quantity + confirmed physical deltas
variance_units = observed_units - expected_units
system_gap_units = observed_units - recorded_on_hand_units at comparison_at

Use system_gap_units only when the physical boundary corresponds to the complete platform location. On comparison rows, use state snapshots from that same time. In an invented example, an opening physical count of 60, three departures, two received units and one returned unit give an expected closing count of 60. An additional reservation and an internal shelf-to-staging move do not change this total.

REVIEW BEFORE CORRECTING
Record posting_status, record_owner and the evidence behind any difference. Check delayed or pending updates before approving an adjustment. Keep approved_action, approved_by, approved_at, review_due_at and status together. Blank values mean unknown or not applicable. The sheet requires manual calculations and review; agree the actual platform workflow and permissions before entering a correction.