Sales order generator
Sales Order
A sales order is your confirmation of what a customer asked for, written before you fulfil it. It carries their own purchase order reference, the agreed lines and the delivery date. This one confirms 3 lines totalling $2,145 against customer PO 8841.
The document that sits between the order coming in and the invoice going out. It says back to the customer what you understood them to be buying, at what price, arriving when. Get that agreed once and the argument about scope happens now, on paper, rather than later on an unpaid invoice.
The field that matters most is their purchase order reference. In most companies an invoice with no PO number on it is not refused, it is simply never paid, because the accounts system has nothing to match it against.
- Free sales order generator
- Carries their PO reference
- Printable sheet or PDF
- Nothing leaves your browser
Nothing on it yet. Add a line and it appears here.
Made with invoicetools.com
Copy sales order as image puts the whole document on the clipboard, so one paste sends it to an email, a chat or a note. Copy as text gives you the wording instead, which is what most purchasing inboxes prefer. Print or save PDF opens your own print dialogue: choose Save as PDF as the destination.
Sales order, purchase order, invoice
These three describe the same transaction from different seats. The customer raises a purchase order, which is their instruction to buy. You raise a sales order, which is your confirmation of what you are going to supply. The invoice comes last and asks for the money.
If you are the one buying materials rather than the one selling, the purchase order generator is the document you want instead. Same transaction, other side of it.
Why the PO reference is the field that matters
In a company of any size, an invoice arriving with no purchase order number does not get rejected with an explanation. It gets set aside, because the accounts payable system has nothing to match it to and nobody has been given authority to approve it. You find out weeks later when you chase it.
Capturing the reference at order time, on this document, means it is already on the invoice when the invoice is raised, because the invoice is built from this.
Deposits and part shipments
If you are taking money up front, say so on the order rather than mentioning it in the covering email, which is where terms go to be forgotten. If you are shipping in parts, the packing slip generator tracks ordered against shipped, so what is still to follow is visible on the paperwork rather than held in somebody's head.
Questions people ask
What is a sales order?
A sales order is the seller's written confirmation of what a customer has ordered: the lines, the prices, the delivery date and the terms. It is raised after the order comes in and before the work or the shipment starts.
How is a sales order different from a purchase order?
They are the same transaction from opposite sides. The buyer raises a purchase order to instruct the purchase. The seller raises a sales order to confirm the supply. If you are buying rather than selling, use the purchase order generator.
How is a sales order different from an invoice?
A sales order confirms what will be supplied. An invoice asks for payment once it has been. The invoice should quote the same lines and the same customer PO reference, which is why this page can hand them straight across.
Do I need the customer's PO number?
If they are a company of any size, yes. An invoice with no purchase order reference usually cannot be matched by their accounts system, and an invoice that cannot be matched does not get paid until somebody chases it.
Should the sales order be signed?
It does not have to be, but a signed one is what fixes the scope before you commit stock or time. Sign by typing the name or drawing it with a finger, and it prints on every export.
Can bill-to and ship-to be different?
Yes, and they often are. Accounts sits at head office and the goods go to a site. Both addresses print on the sheet, separately, because sending the goods to the accounts address is an expensive and very common mistake.
Can I turn a sales order into an invoice?
Yes. The buttons under the sheet carry the lines, the customer and the currency into the invoice generator, or onto a packing slip if the goods go first.
Is a sales order legally binding?
Once both sides agree to it, a sales order can form part of a contract, and a signed one is strong evidence of what was agreed. It is not legal advice, and a large or unusual order is worth putting in front of someone qualified in your area.
How do I number sales orders?
Use a unique, sequential number such as SO-2026-0231 and never reuse one. A year prefix sorts correctly and tells you when the order was taken.
How do I save a sales order as a PDF?
Use Print or save PDF and choose Save as PDF as the destination in your own print dialogue. The sheet is scaled to one page first, so it does not split.