Count paperwork in Uzbekistan: what local accountants usually expect

A typical situation: the Chinese manager finishes the count as head office asked, signs it and sends it to the local accountant, who replies that it cannot be used for booking. The problem is not the figures but the paper. Head office reads a summary report, while local bookkeeping needs source documents with proper names and signatures, in the form people are used to locally. What follows describes the general picture. The exact forms and signatories depend on your company, so confirm them with your chief accountant or tax adviser.

Why one count needs two kinds of paper

Head office wants a report it can read: differences, causes, recommendations. The local accountant wants documents that can serve as the basis for entries and that can be shown in a later audit or tax check. The two have different purposes and do not replace each other, so the safest course is to prepare both.

The same result raises different questions for each reader. Head office asks: what is the net difference, and why? The local accountant asks: on which document do I post this shortage, who signed it and who decided? An analytical report answers the first kind of question. Only signed source documents answer the second.

Documents local accountants usually ask for (general picture)

• a written instruction setting up the count: date, scope and the members of the count team, usually issued by management;
• count records (in Russian, Инвентаризационная опись): the counted quantity for each location or item, signed by the counters and the storekeeper;
• a difference list (Ведомость расхождений): counted against book quantities, line by line, showing surplus and shortage;
• a count result statement (Акт инвентаризации): scope, cut-off time and result, signed by the participants;
• written explanations from the responsible people for each large difference;
• a management decision on how the differences are handled, usually a short written note saying which adjustments are approved, which are still being traced and who follows up.

If an outside party takes part in the count, the documents should also name it and state its role. Accounting policies differ between companies, so the names of forms, the signatories and the filing requirements may vary. Treat this list as a starting point, not a standard.

What a proper count record looks like

• date, time, warehouse and area, with the cut-off time on every page;
• item names as they appear in 1C, with a column for the Chinese name if needed;
• unit of measure and counted quantity;
• signatures of the counter, the checker and the storekeeper;
• no pencil and no overwriting: corrections are struck through and initialled beside the change;
• numbered pages, with the total stated.

An invented example: 420 item lines at 30 lines per page need 14 pages. If two pages lack signatures, the validity of the whole statement can be questioned. Collect signatures on the spot, not afterwards.

Language, names and timing

Item names on the documents should match 1C. Names and job titles of people should be spelled as in the local HR papers, so that one person does not appear in two forms. If the documents must be bilingual, ask the accountant in advance which version is the official one. A week before the count, show the accountant the forms you plan to use. A signed set of count documents from last year is the best model. If the accountant prefers the standard layout, print the count-sheet base from 1C itself and add a column for the counted quantity. Names and units then match by construction.

After signing: copies and filing

Signing is not the end. Agree with the accountant in advance who keeps the originals, the warehouse or finance; whether head office receives scans or only the summary report; and how site photos are linked to the page numbers of the count records. Bind all papers from one count together in date order, and keep documents created after the cut-off separately. When an auditor asks months later, one folder should tell the whole story.

In short

UzWarehouse's deliverables come with the titles that local finance staff use: the difference list as Ведомость расхождений, the count records as Инвентаризационная опись and the result statement as Акт инвентаризации, so your team and local colleagues can match them up.