What is a Sales Order? And How Do You Create One?

In accounting, when a sales invoice is recorded, it consists of a debit to the accounts receivable and a credit to the sales revenue. When a customer pays a sales invoice, it is recorded as a debit of cash and a credit of accounts receivable. This is the most common type of professional sales invoice small businesses use to request payment from their customers. Keep in mind that if your client is a large company, your point of contact for payment might not be your standard contact. If you’re using a template, make sure the template includes all the fields you need. Your software may only require the customer’s email address, but it’s always best to include the physical address as well for any snail-mail emergencies.

This legally binding document acts as a detailed bill requesting payment. It will list the services rendered, the amount owed by the customer, and the different methods of payment accepted. A pro-forma invoice is sent to the customer before goods or services are rendered. Rather than a typical sales invoice requesting payment right away, the pro-forma invoice informs the customer what they can expect to pay once the items or services are provided.

Free invoice templates.

When it comes to helping companies plan and budget their finances, a sales invoice is a vital tool. This is because the sales invoice provides information as to the revenue that it can expect to receive in a future period. If a company knows that it has a lot of revenue coming in soon, then it can make business investments, such as purchasing more inventory. If the projected revenue numbers are down, then the company will be able to plan accordingly. After the purchase order has been approved, the seller is responsible for providing the product or service as agreed upon. During this stage, it can also generate and send an invoice to the buyer for the amount indicated on the purchase order.

In accounting systems, the due date is usually automatically generated by using the invoice date and the customer payment terms. It could be an exact date, i.e., “Payment Due October 31, 2018” or “Payment Due Upon Receipt.” Most sales invoices include a delivery date as well. After providing a service or a product to your customer, your business will send out a paper or digital invoice.

Streamline your billing process

Ensure each item on the list has a quantity and a corresponding unit price if applicable. Utilize Skynova's free sales invoice template to create professional invoices in minutes. Once you've provided a service or delivered a product, the sales invoice creates a liability for your client to pay. Sales invoices are an essential component of your business's financial statements. When invoicing a client, it creates an obligation to pay on their part and accounts receivable on your part. It's considered a good business practice to prepare a sales invoice after delivering items or providing services to clients.

With the right template, purchase orders can be easy and simple to create, even if you don’t have a dedicated vendor relationship manager on your team. The below PO example checks all the boxes — it includes the customer’s information, the desired products, the shipping terms, and the PO number. A purchase order system is software that generates, tracks, and manages digital purchase orders in a streamlined and secure network. Without a system in place, important agreements can be lost in transition and cause friction between buyers and sellers dependent on one another. We already made the distinction between invoices and purchase orders, but you can find both under this keyword in Excel.