Purchase order format

The buyer issues a purchase order to communicate an authorised request and its commercial terms to the selected supplier.

It is not the seller's invoice, receiving evidence or payment record, and this template does not imply that Invoicera performs purchasing or supplier-bill approval.

• Issued by: The authorised buyer
• Given to: The selected supplier and the buyer's retained purchasing record
• Keep the source and approval with the final document.
• Confirm jurisdiction-specific requirements before issue.

Put this into practice with what is a purchase order.

If you invoice business clients, the purchase order usually comes from the client. The client's buyer raises it, approves it under the client's own process and sends it to you as the supplier. Your part is to check it against your quote, deliver what it authorises and quote the PO number and date on your invoice, so the client's accounts team can match the invoice to its order.

Use this purchase order template when you are the buyer, or share it with a client who asks what a PO should contain. Invoicera works on the supplier's side of that exchange: invoice fields are configurable, so the client's PO number can sit on the invoice you send.

• The client (buyer) issues the PO; the supplier receives it.
• The supplier checks scope, quantities and rates against its quote.
• The supplier quotes the PO number and date on the related invoice.
• The invoice bills what was delivered and accepted, not the PO maximum.

Once the invoice that quotes the PO is issued, clients can view, download and pay it in Invoicera's client portal.

The purchase order format in Excel lays out buyer and supplier details, PO number and date, delivery and billing addresses, payment terms, and a line table with quantity, unit, agreed rate, tax rate and amount. The purchase order format in Word holds the same fields as an editable document. Both files are free, open in Excel or Word and can be imported into Google Sheets or Google Docs.

Neither file calculates totals, so check the line amounts and the PO value before it is approved and sent.

Put this into practice with quotation template.

The downloadable HTML provides a printable starting structure. Complete every field that explains the parties, document identity, commercial basis and resulting amount or movement. Remove irrelevant prompts only after confirming that they are not required for the transaction.

A field list cannot determine classification, tax, authority or legal effect. Those decisions come from the underlying agreement, actual event and current applicable rules.

• Buyer and supplier identities
• Unique PO number and issue date
• Delivery and billing addresses
• Goods or service descriptions
• Quantity, unit and agreed rate
• Expected taxes, charges and currency
• Delivery date, instructions and payment terms
• Authorised buyer and supporting scope

Put this into practice with invoice template.

Begin with the source record rather than typing from memory. Confirm the issuer, recipient, reference, date and currency or movement context, then complete the line detail and arithmetic. A second person should review material or regulated documents before release.

Keep the final issued version immutable in ordinary operations. If a fact changes, use the appropriate revision, cancellation, credit or replacement process instead of silently overwriting history.

• Confirm supplier and purchasing authority.
• Use the accepted quote or scope as source.
• State quantities, rates and delivery conditions.
• Obtain the buyer's required authorisation.
• Send the PO and retain acceptance or change evidence.

Put this into practice with invoice approval workflow.

The example below demonstrates how the fields relate. It is not a claim that the same tax, rate, wording or commercial treatment applies to another transaction.

Retain the calculation and evidence behind every total. A reader should be able to connect the final document to the authorised order, delivered item, accepted work or verified payment without reconstructing it from private messages.

• Authorised units: 100
• Agreed rate: $40
• PO value: $4,000 before applicable tax
• Delivered later: 90 units
• Supplier invoice basis: actual accepted quantity, not PO maximum alone

Put this into practice with what is an invoice.

Check identity, direction, date, reference, quantity, rate, amount, currency, tax treatment where applicable, delivery or payment evidence and authorised sign-off. Confirm that the document name matches the event it records.

A complete-looking template can still be wrong when it uses the incorrect issuer, duplicates an existing number, confuses a preliminary document with a final one or records intent as though the underlying event occurred.

• Seller issuing the PO to itself
• Treating authorised quantity as proof of delivery
• Missing delivery or acceptance terms
• Using the PO as a payment receipt
• Assuming this template performs AP matching

Put this into practice with Templates.