Pharmacy Stock Register Format

A batch-wise stock register for an Indian medical store — every column explained below, plus an Excel sheet that works out closing stock for you. Landscape, pre-bordered, 200 rows, prints straight from the file.

Download the template

No signup, no email address, no account. The Excel version calculates closing quantity automatically.

Keep it batch-wise, not item-wise

This is the decision that determines whether the register is useful or merely present. An item-wise register tells you that you hold 88 capsules of a medicine. A batch-wise one tells you that 40 of them expire in November and 48 next March — which is the only version that can answer the two questions a stock register actually gets asked: which units do I sell first, and which units are affected by this recall.

Batch and expiry are also what make expiry loss visible before it happens rather than after. Stock that quietly ages out is not a stock-taking problem; it is a register that never recorded which units were closest to expiry.

The columns

ColumnWhat goes in it
S. No. / DateConsecutive, and the date of the movement.
Medicine, pack / strengthAs printed on the pack, so the line matches what is on the shelf.
Batch no.From the strip. Without it the register cannot support a recall.
ExpiryMonth and year as printed — record the month, not a guessed day.
Opening qtyWhat the batch line started with.
ReceivedPurchases in, against the supplier invoice.
SoldSales out.
Returned / expiredSent back to the distributor or destroyed. Keep this separate from sales — it is a different economic event and a different record.
Closing qtyOpening + received − sold − returned. Pre-filled as a formula in the Excel version.
Purchase rate (PTR)Ex-GST, per unit. This is the cost basis for margin and for GST input credit.
MRPPrinted on the pack.
Supplier, invoice no.Ties the line back to the purchase bill so the two reconcile.
On the expiry column: record the month. A pack printed EXP 11/2027 is legally sellable through the last day of November 2027. Writing an arbitrary day — the 1st, or the 28th — throws away up to a month of saleable stock per line, or worse, keeps stock sellable past its real date. Use the expiry date decoder if a pack's printed format is ambiguous.

What makes a stock register fail to reconcile

Mixed units

Ten in one row meaning ten tablets and ten in the next meaning ten strips makes every downstream number wrong. Pick strips or loose units and hold it throughout — the template's guidance row says so for this reason.

Returns posted as sales

Expiry returns and breakage are not sales. Posting them together hides your real expiry loss and overstates turnover, which then makes reorder decisions worse.

Updated weekly instead of at the counter

A register reconstructed later carries guessed batch numbers, and a guessed batch number is worse than a blank one because it looks reliable.

Never counted against the shelf

A register that is never reconciled against a physical count will drift, and the drift is only discovered by an inspector or by an expiry write-off. Count a section at a time rather than waiting for an annual stock-take.

If you keep it in Excel. A spreadsheet has no audit trail, is easy to overwrite, and is exactly as current as the last person to update it. Keep dated backups, and confirm what your state drug control authority expects to be produced during an inspection — requirements are enforced at state level and differ.

This template and page are a practical reference, not legal, tax or compliance advice, and this is not an official government form. Record-keeping requirements under the Drugs & Cosmetics Rules are enforced by state drug control authorities and vary; GST record retention is a separate obligation. Verify the current requirements that apply to your licence before relying on this. As of August 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is a pharmacy stock register?

A batch-wise record of medicines received and supplied — opening, purchases, sales, returns and closing stock. Rule 65 requires purchase and sale records to be maintained and produced on inspection.

Should it be batch-wise or item-wise?

Batch-wise. Item-wise totals cannot answer a recall or tell you which units expire first.

How long must stock records be kept?

Drugs & Cosmetics records are generally kept two years; GST requires books for six years from the annual return due date. The longer period governs in practice, since the same invoices support both.

Is a stock register mandatory for a medical store?

Purchase and sale records are a licence condition under Rule 65, and GST law separately requires stock records.

What is FEFO and why does it matter here?

First Expiry First Out — dispensing the soonest-expiring batch. It only works if expiry is recorded per batch, which is why that column is not optional in practice.

Can I keep it in Excel?

Yes, and most shops do. Keep backups, and check what your state authority expects to see on inspection.

What units should quantities be in?

One convention throughout — strips or loose units, never a mix.

Is this template free?

Yes. No signup, no email, no account.

Related free tools

Schedule H1 register formatThe Rule 65 H1 register columns, with a free Excel template Expiry date decoderTurn a printed pack expiry into the real last sellable day PTR / PTS calculatorPrice to Retailer and Stockist from MRP, with the GST step Schedule H1 checkerIs a medicine OTC, Schedule H, H1 or X Medicine GST calculatorHSN code and GST slab, with the CGST/SGST split

Or stop keeping it by hand

Nesayo keeps the batch-wise register as you bill — expiry tracked per batch, expired stock blocked at the counter rather than flagged after the fact, and closing stock always current. Billing is free, with no invoice limit and no card.

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