Sales order generator
Free sales order generator
A sales order is your confirmation of what a customer asked for, written before you fulfill it.
- Free sales order generator
- Carries their PO reference
- Printable sheet or PDF
- Nothing leaves your browser
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What a sales order is for
It is 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.
It carries the customer's own purchase order reference, the agreed lines and the delivery date. The sample on this page confirms 3 lines totaling $2,145 against customer PO 8841. The usual step before it is a quote: send one from the quote generator, then confirm the order here.
What to include on a sales order
Use this page as a sales order template: each item below is a field in the form.
- Your business and the customer
- Your sales order number and their PO number
- The order date and the required-by date
- Bill-to and ship-to addresses, which can differ
- How it ships
- Each line with quantity and unit price
- Any agreed discount, shipping and sales tax
- The deposit required and the payment terms
- A confirmed-by signature
Sales order example
A filled-in sales order, using sample names and figures:
- Sales order SO-2045, dated June 2, 2026, for the customer's PO 7781.
- Required by June 16, shipping by freight to the customer's warehouse, billed to their head office.
- Lines: 40 steel shelving units at $129.00 each, $5,160.00, and 40 shelf dividers at $12.50 each, $500.00.
- Shipping $240.00, for an order total of $5,900.00 before any sales tax.
- A 30% deposit of $1,770.00 due on confirmation, the balance on Net 30 after delivery.
- Confirmed by the customer's buyer, with a signature and date.
Once the goods ship, the invoice repeats these lines and quotes PO 7781, so the customer's accounts team can match all three documents.
Sales order vs purchase order vs 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. And if the customer has to pay before you supply anything, send a proforma invoice for them to pay against.
Sales order vs order confirmation
Many businesses call the same document an order confirmation or a sales order acknowledgement. Whatever the name, it is the seller saying back what was ordered, at what price and by when. This page makes that document: send it as the confirmation, ask the customer to check it, and keep the signed copy.
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 a deposit up front, say so on the order rather than mentioning it in the covering email, which is where terms go to be forgotten. The deposit required field prints on the sheet next to the terms. 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.
Sales order questions
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.
Do I need a sales order if the customer already sent a purchase order?
It is optional, but it is how you catch a wrong price, quantity or date before you commit stock or time. Their purchase order says what they want; your sales order says what you will supply.
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.
Can a sales order be used as an invoice?
No. A sales order confirms what will be supplied, and an invoice asks for payment once it has been. Raise the invoice from the same lines when the goods or the work go out.
Can one sales order have more than one invoice?
Yes, for deposits, part shipments or staged work. Quote the same sales order number and customer PO number on each invoice so the customer can match them.
Is a sales order the same as an order confirmation?
For most small businesses, yes. Both confirm back to the customer what they ordered, at what price and by when. Some call it a sales order acknowledgement.
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.
What does a sales order look like?
Like the preview on this page: your business at the top, both order numbers, the bill-to and ship-to addresses, the lines, the totals, any deposit, the terms and a signature line.
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 dialog. The sheet is scaled to one page first, so it does not split.
Need a different document?
Free and in your browser, like this one: Quote generator · Purchase order generator · Packing slip generator · Proforma invoice generator · Invoice generator.