{"id":4823,"date":"2026-06-22T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inventory-one.com\/?p=4823"},"modified":"2026-06-19T11:05:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T09:05:14","slug":"inventory-as-of-a-specific-date","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inventory-one.com\/en\/2026\/06\/22\/stichtagsinventur\/","title":{"rendered":"Point-in-Time Inventory: Definition, Process, and Deadlines Explained Simply"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The <strong>Point-in-Time Inventory<\/strong> This is the best-known and most widely used form of inventory taking: The entire inventory is physically counted on a specific cutoff date\u2014usually the balance sheet date. This article explains the definition, legal basis, procedure, and deadlines for cutoff-date inventory, as well as its advantages and disadvantages.<\/p>\n<h2>Key Points at a Glance<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>In a point-in-time inventory, the entire inventory is counted on or near the <strong>Balance Sheet Date<\/strong> recorded.<\/li>\n<li>The legal basis is <strong>\u00a7 240 and \u00a7 241 of the German Commercial Code (HGB)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Physical intake is permitted within a time window of approximately <strong>ten days<\/strong> by the deadline.<\/li>\n<li>Advantage: simple and easy to understand. Disadvantage: peak workload and potential operational disruptions at the end of the year.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What Is a Point-in-Time Inventory? \u2013 Definition<\/h2>\n<p>In the <strong>Point-in-Time Inventory<\/strong> All of a company's assets are recorded in terms of quantity and value as of a single, specified reporting date. The date used is usually the <strong>Balance Sheet Date<\/strong> (often December 31). The inventory calculated in this way is included directly in the financial statements.<\/p>\n<h2>Legal Basis and Deadlines<\/h2>\n<p>The requirement to conduct an inventory arises from <strong>\u00a7 240 HGB<\/strong>. For practical reasons, the count does not have to be taken exactly on the cutoff date: The tax authorities accept a physical inventory taken within approximately <strong>ten days before or after the deadline<\/strong>. Changes in inventory between the date of entry and the reporting date are adjusted forward or backward to the reporting date in terms of both quantity and value.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/inventory-one.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/infografik-stichtag-inventur.png\" alt=\"Balance Sheet Date Inventory: A window of approximately \u00b110 days around the balance sheet date\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The physical examination may take place approximately ten days before or after the balance sheet date.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Procedure for the Period-End Inventory<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Preparation:<\/strong> Assign counting teams, organize the warehouse, and provide counting lists or mobile devices.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Physical Examination:<\/strong> All inventory items are counted, measured, or weighed.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Data collection:<\/strong> Quantities are recorded\u2014ideally by scanning a barcode or QR code rather than by hand.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Rating:<\/strong> The quantities are valued at their prices.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Calibration and Log:<\/strong> Target and actual inventory levels are compared, and any discrepancies are documented.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>Advantages and Disadvantages of the Point-in-Time Inventory<\/h2>\n<h3>Advantages<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>A simple, widely accepted procedure that requires no special prerequisites.<\/li>\n<li>A clear inventory record as of the balance sheet date.<\/li>\n<li>No ongoing inventory records are required.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Disadvantages<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>High peak loads and frequent service interruptions at the end of the year.<\/li>\n<li>Prone to errors due to time pressure when dealing with large inventories.<\/li>\n<li>No current inventory data is available for the current year.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Distinction from Other Types of Inventory Counts<\/h2>\n<p>If you want to avoid the peak workload at the end of the year, you can switch to a continuous or staggered inventory. You can find a complete comparison of all methods in our overview of inventory types.<\/p>\n<h2>Conduct a digital inventory as of a specific date<\/h2>\n<p>Speed is key to data quality, especially during a point-in-time inventory. With mobile data collection via an app, multiple teams can count inventory simultaneously and enter the data directly into the system\u2014without paper forms or manual data entry.<\/p>\n<p>With <a href=\"https:\/\/inventory-one.com\/en\/inventory-software\/\">Inventory ONE<\/a> Record inventory using <strong>Barcode or QR Code Scan<\/strong>, the <strong>Mobile Inventory Count via App<\/strong> processed directly at the warehouse and received <strong>audit-compliant records<\/strong> at the touch of a button. Learn more on our pages about <a href=\"https:\/\/inventory-one.com\/en\/inventory-software\/\">Inventory Software<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/inventory-one.com\/en\/inventory-management\/\">Inventory management<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently Asked Questions About the Point-in-Time Inventory (FAQ)<\/h2>\n<h3>When is the point-in-time inventory conducted?<\/h3>\n<p>As of the balance sheet date, which is usually December 31. The physical examination may take place approximately ten days before or after the balance sheet date.<\/p>\n<h3>What is the difference between a point-in-time inventory and a continuous inventory?<\/h3>\n<p>In a point-in-time inventory, everything is counted on the inventory date; in a continuous inventory, the counting is spread out over the entire year, and on the inventory date, a book inventory is sufficient.<\/p>\n<h3>Is the point-in-time inventory mandatory?<\/h3>\n<p>No. It is a permissible method of taking inventory, but companies may also choose other methods in accordance with Section 241 of the German Commercial Code (HGB).<\/p>\n<p><!--SERIES-NAV--><\/p>\n<h2>Series: An Overview of Inventory Types<\/h2>\n<p>This post is part of our series on inventory types. Here you'll find all related articles:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/inventory-one.com\/en\/?p=4822\">Inventory Types \u2013 A Comprehensive Overview<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/inventory-one.com\/en\/?p=4821\">Continuous Inventory<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Point-in-Time Inventory<\/strong> (this article)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/inventory-one.com\/en\/?p=4824\">Inventory by Sampling<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/inventory-one.com\/en\/?p=4825\">Postponed Inventory Count<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cut-off Date Inventory Explained Simply: Definition, Legal Basis, Process, Deadlines, and the Pros and Cons of the Traditional Cut-off Date Inventory.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":4833,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inventur"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inventory-one.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4823","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inventory-one.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inventory-one.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inventory-one.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inventory-one.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4823"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/inventory-one.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4823\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4845,"href":"https:\/\/inventory-one.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4823\/revisions\/4845"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inventory-one.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4833"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inventory-one.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4823"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inventory-one.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4823"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inventory-one.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}