Creating a Sales Order
A sales order is a confirmed order from a customer — it records what a customer has agreed to buy before you fulfil and invoice it. Sales orders are common in trading, manufacturing, and distribution businesses.
How to Create a Sales Order
- Go to Sales → Sales Orders
- Click New Sales Order
- Fill in the details
- Click Save
Sales Order Fields
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Customer | The contact placing the order |
| Sales Order Number | Auto-incremented, unique |
| Order Date | Date the order was placed |
| Delivery Date | Expected delivery or fulfilment date |
| Reference | Customer PO number or internal reference |
| Line Items | Products/services ordered (qty, rate, unit, discount, tax) |
| Ship To | Optional delivery address if different from billing address |
| Shipping Method | How the goods will be delivered |
| Notes / Terms | Footer text on the document |
Sales Order Statuses
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Draft | Saved but not confirmed |
| Confirmed | Order is accepted and in process |
| Converted | Fully converted to an invoice |
| Expired | Delivery date passed without conversion |
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a sales order affect my accounts?
No. Like estimates, sales orders are non-posting documents. Accounting entries are only created when the sales order is converted to an invoice.
Can I partially fulfil a sales order?
Not directly. You can convert it to an invoice and adjust the quantities to reflect what was actually delivered, then convert the remainder later.
What's the difference between a sales order and an estimate?
An estimate is a quote sent before the customer commits. A sales order is the confirmation — the customer has agreed to buy and you're preparing to fulfil.
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