Templates
Sales order format with GST, free in Excel, Word and PDF
A sales order records what a customer has ordered, at what price and by when, before anything is billed. Download the format, fill in five blocks, and send it to the customer to confirm.
Free download, no sign-up
Filled with the sample shown. The Excel file has formulas for tax and totals.
In short
A sales order confirms what a customer ordered, the agreed rates and the delivery date before you invoice. The download here is free in Excel, Word and PDF, and SimpleERP turns the same order into invoices in parts.
Lakshmi Steel Furnitures
GSTIN 33AAACL1234A1ZG
Sales order
SO-2026-27-0007
Customer: Sri Murugan Traders
- Steel rack 4 shelf10 Nos
- Office chair mesh6 Nos
- Cable tray 3 m20 Nos
What this document is for
A sales order sits between the quotation and the invoice. The customer has said yes; you have not delivered yet. Writing the order down fixes the items, quantities, rates and delivery date both sides agreed, so the invoice that follows has nothing to argue about.
- It is a commitment, not a tax document. No GST is charged on a sales order; tax is charged on the invoice.
- It tracks what is left to deliver. An order for 20 cable trays billed 12 at a time still shows 8 open.
- It protects your price. If rates change before delivery, the confirmed order is your record of what was agreed.
What a sales order must contain
No GST rule prescribes a sales order format. These are the blocks a customer and your own team need to act on it.
- Your business details: name, address, GSTIN and contact phone.
- Order number and date, numbered in one series per financial year, such as SO-2026-27-0007.
- Customer details: name, billing and delivery address, GSTIN if registered, and the state code that decides CGST and SGST or IGST.
- Lines: description, HSN code, quantity, unit, rate, GST rate and amount.
- Totals: taxable value, expected GST and the order total, so the customer sees the invoice amount in advance.
- Delivery date, payment terms and any advance agreed before work starts.
How to fill the template
Put your header in once
Replace Lakshmi Steel Furnitures with your name, address and GSTIN, and save the file as your own blank copy.
Number and date the order
Use the next number in your series and the date the customer confirmed, not the date of the quotation.
Add the customer and delivery address
Write the GSTIN in capitals. Its first two digits are the state code: 33 is Tamil Nadu, so a Coimbatore seller charges CGST and SGST.
Enter the lines
Type quantity and rate; the Excel file works out amount, GST and total with formulas. In Word, check the arithmetic before you send.
Write the terms and send it
Delivery date, advance, payment days. Ask the customer to sign or reply to confirm, then keep the confirmed copy.
| Item | HSN | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steel rack 4 shelf | 9403 | 10 Nos | ₹4,990.00 | ₹49,900.00 |
| Office chair mesh | 9401 | 6 Nos | ₹6,450.00 | ₹38,700.00 |
| Cable tray 3 m | 7308 | 20 Nos | ₹1,480.00 | ₹29,600.00 |
| Taxable value | ₹1,18,200.00 | |||
| CGST 9% + SGST 9% | ₹21,276.00 | |||
| Order total | ₹1,39,476.00 |
Make it in SimpleERP instead
In SimpleERP a sales order is the same editor as an invoice. Pick the customer, type the lines, and confirm it. When goods are ready, Create invoice copies whatever is still open on the order.
- Quotation to sales order to invoice with the lines copied at each step.
- Invoice an order in parts. Each line shows ordered, invoiced and remaining.
- HSN, GST rate and price fill from the product, and the customer's GSTIN decides CGST and SGST or IGST.
- Record an advance as a customer payment kept on account, then allocate it to the invoice.
- A work order can name this sales order when the piece has to be made first, so the job shows which customer is waiting.
Illustration of the keyboard-first invoice editor with a focused line, live tax totals and shortcut hints.
Fields
Every field on a sales order, and why
GST law prescribes the tax invoice (CGST Rules rule 46), not the sales order. The fields here are what customers and auditors expect to see.
| Field | Required | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Seller name, address and GSTIN | Good practice | Identifies who is committing to supply. |
| Order number and date | Good practice | Lets the invoice and any part delivery refer back to the order. |
| Customer name, address and GSTIN | Good practice | The state code in the GSTIN decides CGST and SGST or IGST on the invoice. |
| Description, HSN, quantity, unit and rate per line | Good practice | The agreed goods and prices the invoice must match. |
| Taxable value, GST rate and expected total | Good practice | The customer approves the amount they will be invoiced. |
| Delivery date and address | Good practice | Sets when and where the goods are due. |
| Payment terms and advance | If applicable | Records any money due before work starts. |
| Customer confirmation or signature | Good practice | Evidence the customer accepted the order. |
Source: No GST format is prescribed; good practice, verified 10 October 2026.
Common mistakes
Mistakes to avoid on a sales order
- Charging GST on the sales order and then again on the invoice, so the customer's books show tax twice.
- Reusing the quotation number as the order number, which breaks the trail when one quotation is revised and reordered.
- Leaving out the delivery date, so a late delivery has no agreed date to measure against.
- Not recording what has already been invoiced, so a part-billed order gets billed in full again.
- Taking an advance with no reference to the order, then losing track of it when the invoice is raised.
Honest limits
Honest limits
- A sales order does not move stock or post to the books. The invoice does.
- No e-way bill or e-invoice (IRN) generation. Generate those on the government portals.
- No price lists per customer. The rate comes from the product and you change it on the line.
Getting started
Start with your first sales order
Sign up with your phone number
Enter your business name and GSTIN; the state, chart of accounts and GST rates are set for you.
Add your products
Name, HSN, GST rate and selling price, typed in or imported from a CSV file.
Add the customer
Type the GSTIN and the state fills itself, which decides how tax is split.
Create and confirm the order
Type the lines, confirm, and print or download the PDF for the customer.
FAQ
Questions, answered
Is a sales order mandatory under GST?
No. GST law prescribes the tax invoice, not the sales order. A sales order is a commercial document that records the agreement; the tax is charged and reported on the invoice you raise when goods are supplied.
Should a sales order show GST?
It is good practice. Showing the taxable value, the GST rate and the expected total, here ₹1,39,476.00 on a taxable ₹1,18,200.00, means the customer approves the full amount before the invoice arrives.
What is the difference between a sales order and a purchase order?
They are two sides of the same deal. The buyer sends a purchase order to the seller; the seller records a sales order for it. Many sellers note the buyer's PO number on the sales order so both can be matched.
Can I use this format in Excel with formulas?
Yes. The Excel download computes each line amount, the GST and the order total with formulas, so changing a quantity or rate updates the total. The Word and PDF files are for printing or sending as they are.
Related
Keep reading
GST billing
Tax invoices with CGST, SGST or IGST by place of supply, HSN on every line and a UPI QR on the print.
Read moreQuotation format
A quotation format with GST shown line by line, as a free Excel, Word and PDF download.
Read moreSales order
The seller's record of a confirmed customer order, between the quotation and the tax invoice.
Read more
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