What Should Every Sales Invoice Form Have?

Sales Invoice Forms are very important documents for businesses that rely on selling merchandise. This form documents what is being sold and to whom. Like many business forms, invoice forms can come in a variety of sizes; just choose the size appropriate for your business. Half sheet invoice forms (8.5″ x 5.5″) are perfect for businesses that need to fill out invoices on-the-go or if you typically have smaller orders. A slightly bigger form that may work for your business is the 8.5″ x 8.5″ size; it offers a little more room to include more items sold. If your sales are usually large or you need a lot of room for details, then the 8.5″ x 11″ form will be perfect for your business. This larger form will accommodate additional legal verbiage such as return policies and warranties. Regardless of the size that you decide to purchase or design for you company, most Sales Invoice Forms are composed of the same elements. After you have designed your forms, they can be printed as carbonless set; you can also find carbonless ready-to-print forms that can be customized for your business. Purchasing carbonless multi-part invoice forms allow you to provide a copy to your customer and to keep one for your records. Below you will find a list of the sections that you need to consider when designing or purchasing your Sales Invoice Forms.

Your Company’s Information

For a professional look, make sure that your invoice forms include your company’s information. It is typical to find this information at the top of the invoice form. All parties need to know the name of your company and all of your contact information. The company information that you will most likely want to include:

Company Name
Logo
Address
Telephone Number
Fax Number
Website Address

“Bill To” Information

Most business forms will include areas to document the customer’s information. Sales/Merchandise Invoice Forms go a step further; you may need two separate areas to document who purchased the goods and who will actually be receiving goods. One example where two separate areas will be needed is when the goods are being purchased as a gift. Another example is when your purchaser is a larger company; they may have their headquarters located at one address but have several stores in which the merchandise can be shipped to. Your “Bill To” section can simply comprise of a few lines or boxes with specific fields to be filled in. You may need to document the following in the “Bill To” section:

“Bill To” Name
Street Address
City, State & Zip

“Ship To” Information

The information that you will probably need in the “Ship To” section is very similar to that of the “Bill To” section. You will need areas to document the following.

“Ship To” Name
Street Address
City, State & Zip
Phone Number to Schedule Delivery

Order Details

When an order is created and needs to be shipped out, you need to document several details. Details such as dates, shipping methods and payment terms should be noted on the form. Your invoice form can include boxes for the following:

Customer Order No.
Date Shipped
Shipped VIA
Tracking Number
Payment Terms
F.O.B.
Salesman’s Name

Item Details

This section will need to include several lines so that information regarding the purchased goods can be documented. In the Item Details section you can describe all aspects of the merchandise; description of item, quantity being sold and the price. Your invoice form should have columns for the following information:

Quantity Purchased / Ordered
Quantity of Items on Back-order
Quantity of Items Shipped
Item or Model Number
Description of Item(s)
Price Per Unit
Total Price

Totals

In the bottom right corner of the Item Description section, the form should include areas to indicate other charges and the grand total. Make sure that your form includes boxes to note any of the following:

Subtotal
Tax
Freight / Shipping Charge
Discounts
Grand Total

Notes / Verification of Received Goods

Depending on the size and format of your invoice form, there may be additional room for Notes or a Signature to be filled in when the goods are received. A section for notes may be needed if the recipient needs to indicate the condition of the received goods; goods may have been damaged during shipping or the shipment could be incomplete. Including a section for a signature will provide proof that the goods were received so that you can properly bill the customer.

We hope this information has been helpful in providing you tips on what to look for in a Sales Invoice Form. An invoice form can be as simple or detailed as you need it to be. Look to the internet for inspiration if you need to design a form, there are many layouts to consider. If you are pressed for time, search the internet for a company that offers customizable invoice forms, such as ourselves; they should be able to print your company’s information as well as making small adjustments.

Categorised in: Business Forms 101

This post was written by Progressive Printing Team

Back to blog