What to include in a sales order
Use this page as the template check before you send a sales order. Each of the 9 fields below has a reason and an example, because the point of a sales order is that the buyer can act on it without asking a question.
The 9-point checklist
Every field on a sales order answers a question the buyer would otherwise have to ask: who is this from, what is it for, which earlier document does it belong to, what do I do next. A sales order that confirms that the seller has accepted the buyer's order and will fulfil it cannot do that with a field missing.
- Sales order number. Your own reference for picking, dispatch and invoicing; keep it distinct from the buyer's PO number. Example: SO-1042
- Issue date. Starts the clock for validity, delivery and payment terms; for invoices it usually sets the tax point. Example: 18 September 2026
- Seller name, address and contact. Identifies who is supplying and who to contact about the document. Example: Northgate Joinery Ltd, 14 Mill Lane, Leeds LS1 4AB, accounts@northgatejoinery.co.uk
- Buyer name, address and contact. Identifies who is ordering or paying; on invoices the legal entity name matters for tax. Example: Harbour Café Ltd, 3 Quay Street, Bristol BS1 6XN
- Buyer's PO reference. Without it the buyer's accounts payable cannot match the document to an authorised order and will park it. Example: Your PO: PO-2026-0142
- Line items. Description, quantity, unit price and line total for each item, so both sides can check the arithmetic. Example: 12 × oak worktop 3 m @ $185.00 = $2,220.00
- Subtotal, tax and total. Shows the tax separately so the buyer can reclaim it and the seller can report it. Example: Subtotal $2,220.00, VAT 20% $444.00, total $2,664.00
- Delivery date. The date the buyer is relying on; missing it is the most common cause of disputes. Example: Deliver by 30 September 2026
- Payment terms. States when and how payment is expected; on quotes and POs it sets expectations, on invoices it is enforceable. Example: 50% deposit on order, balance within 14 days of delivery
Numbering
Numbering: The seller's own order number, used to track picking, dispatch and invoicing internally. Keep the sequence unbroken; a gap looks like a missing document to anyone checking the books.
What it does in the accounts
In the accounts, a sales order is creates an open order in the seller's system, not yet revenue. That is why the amounts and the tax must be exact and why the date matters: it decides which period the document falls into.
The mistake to avoid
The most common mistake with sales orders is confusing the seller's sales order number with the buyer's purchase order number on the invoice. The checklist above prevents it if it is followed before sending, not after.
Make a sales order now with the Quotation Maker; it carries every one of the 9 fields on this list and runs in your browser.
Compare it with the documents it is most often confused with: Quote vs sales order, Sales order vs purchase order, Sales order vs invoice.