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ServiceM8 how-to

Why don't ServiceM8 stock levels go down when materials are used?

Because ServiceM8 does not count stock itself. Stock is tracked in your connected accounting package: when an invoice containing tracked items is approved and synced, Xero, QuickBooks Online or MYOB moves the stock, and ServiceM8 imports the new quantity on its next item sync. Untracked items, unapproved invoices or no accounting link mean nothing changes.

Last checked 25 Sep 2026 against the sources listed at the end of this page.

Partly

Partly: ServiceM8 shows stock, but the count is kept by Xero, QuickBooks Online or MYOB and only moves when a tracked item is on an approved, synced invoice.

Step by step

  1. Confirm your accounting package is connected in ServiceM8. If not, stock will never move on its own.
  2. In Xero (or your package), open the item and make sure it is a tracked inventory item with an opening quantity.
  3. In ServiceM8, open the same material and confirm Track Inventory (app) or Item is inventoried (Online Dashboard) is on, and that it is the synced item, not a lookalike.
  4. Add the material to a test job, complete it, then approve the invoice from Invoicing, Awaiting Approval.
  5. Check the quantity in Xero, then wait for the next item sync (about 30 minutes) and check the Quantity In Stock on the material in ServiceM8.
  6. For live checks on site, add barcodes to materials (More, Materials, Barcode) so techs can scan an item with the Job camera to see its price and stock.
  7. Clean the list: tidy duplicates in the accounting package, archive dead items, and limit material creation to office roles.

Gotchas

  • Quotes and work orders never move stock. Only approved invoices that sync to the accounting package do.
  • Switching on tracking in ServiceM8 does not switch it on in Xero or make a matching stock adjustment there.
  • Manual quantity edits in ServiceM8 can be overwritten by the next import from your accounting package.
  • A zero value invoice is not sent to Xero when approved, so materials on a no charge job do not reduce stock.
  • Items deleted or made inactive in Xero are not deleted in ServiceM8, so dead items linger until archived.
  • Xero's inventory page describes managing up to 4,000 items. A very large supplier catalogue may need a separate inventory app.

What the official help article misses: It explains where stock appears and that the accounting package does the counting, but not the four reasons a quantity stays the same, the lookalike material problem, or how zero value and unapproved invoices affect stock. Read ServiceM8's article.

How stock actually moves

ServiceM8's help centre is clear once you find it: its inventory management works with a connected accounting package, and that package is where stock is tracked. ServiceM8 shows the quantity it last imported. The chain has four links.

A tech adds a tracked material to a job. The job is invoiced, and the invoice is approved from the Invoicing screen, which sends it to Xero (or QuickBooks Online or MYOB). The accounting package processes the sale and reduces the item's quantity on hand. Then ServiceM8's item sync imports the new quantity. With Xero, item changes sync within about 30 minutes, so it is not instant.

Break any link and the number never changes. Adding materials to a quote, a work order or even a completed job does nothing to stock until the invoice is approved.

The four usual causes

No accounting package connected. Without one, Quantity In Stock is only a number you type. Nothing reduces it.

The item is not tracked in the accounting package. ServiceM8 has its own tracking switch (Track Inventory in the app, Item is inventoried online), but ServiceM8 says changing it does not turn on tracking in your accounting package. Xero only moves quantities for items set up as tracked there.

The invoice has not been approved. Jobs sitting in Invoicing, Awaiting Approval have not reached Xero, so no stock has moved.

The material on the job is not the accounting item. A material created in ServiceM8 is only sent to Xero with an approved invoice, and it arrives as a new item that Xero is not tracking. If techs create "Copper 15mm" on the fly instead of picking the existing item, stock of the real item never moves.

Also watch manual edits: ServiceM8 warns that later imports from your accounting package can replace quantities you changed by hand in ServiceM8.

Cleaning up a messy materials list

Stock only works if techs pick the right item, and they only pick the right item if the list is short and searchable. ServiceM8 helps a little: with 500 or more materials, it automatically archives any material not added to a new job in the past 12 months (unless it is in a job or service template, or was created or imported in that time). Archived items still appear via a link at the bottom of search.

The rest is housekeeping. Tidy duplicates in the accounting package, which is the master for integrated items. Give each item a barcode so techs can scan it instead of searching. Use Material Pricing Strategies (Markup Billing) so sell prices follow cost without hand editing. Then restrict who can create new materials, which is set by security role.

Sources

  1. For integrated items, stock is managed in Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks Online; when an invoice containing tracked items is approved and synced, the accounting package processes the stock movement and ServiceM8 imports the updated quantity, which may not appear immediately. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
  2. Changing Track Inventory or Quantity In Stock in ServiceM8 does not enable tracking or make an equivalent stock adjustment in the accounting package, and later imports can replace manual changes. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
  3. Items and contacts changed in Xero sync to ServiceM8 within 30 minutes; materials created in ServiceM8 are only sent to Xero with an approved invoice; zero value invoices are not sent to Xero; items deleted or inactive in Xero are not deleted in ServiceM8. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
  4. When an account has 500 or more materials, ServiceM8 automatically archives materials not added to a new job card in the past 12 months, except those in service or job templates or created or imported in that period. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
  5. The ServiceM8 Job camera can scan a material's barcode to show its saved price and stock level, where inventory tracking is enabled. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
  6. Material Pricing Strategies calculate a material's sell price from its purchase cost using fixed or tiered markup, and need Markup Billing activated. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
  7. Xero's inventory feature page says it manages up to 4,000 finished items of inventory. Xero, checked 25 Sep 2026.