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Purchase Order Generator

Raise a purchase order your vendor can work from and your accounts payable team can match an invoice against. Line items, tax and shipping, payment and FOB terms, and a running total as you type. The PDF is built on your device — nothing is uploaded.

  • Free · no sign-up
  • Tax & shipping
  • Payment & FOB terms
  • Separate ship-to
  • Sign on screen
  • PDF or print

Purchase order generator

1. Your company (buyer)

The company raising and paying for this order.

2. Vendor (supplier)

The company being asked to supply the goods.

3. Ship to
4. Order details

FOB decides who carries the loss if the freight is damaged in transit. FOB Destination keeps that risk with the vendor.

5. Items

Tax is applied to the subtotal after discount, and shipping is added afterwards. Some states tax freight as well — use the rate your accountant gives you.

6. Notes & authorization

Sign with a finger on a touchscreen, a stylus, or a mouse or trackpad. The ink is drawn straight onto the purchase order and never leaves this device.

Authorized signature

Not signed

Used when nothing is drawn — handy on a keyboard, or if drawing is awkward.

Document preview

Total $0.00

Purchase Order

This number must appear on all invoices, packing slips and correspondence.

PO No.
Date
Required by
Terms

Vendor

Ship to

Payment terms

FOB

Ship method

Items ordered
# SKU Description Qty Unit price Amount
Subtotal
Total

Terms

Acceptance of this order constitutes agreement to the prices, quantities and terms stated above. Any change to price, quantity or delivery date must be agreed in writing before shipment. Invoices that do not quote this purchase order number may be returned unpaid.

Authorized signature

Generated with vendordesk.tools. This is a template, not legal or tax advice.

Readiness check

Total $0.00

What a purchase order is for

A purchase order is the buyer's half of a contract. You state what you want, how many, at what price and by when; the vendor accepts, and both sides now have the same written record of the deal. Everything downstream depends on it — the vendor ships against it, the warehouse receives against it, and accounts payable matches the invoice to it before anyone releases money.

That three-way match — purchase order, receiving record, invoice — is the reason POs exist at all. Without one, an invoice arrives and nobody can say whether the price is what was agreed, whether the quantity is what turned up, or whether the order was authorized in the first place.

The fields that cause arguments

The PO number is what ties the whole chain together. Vendors quote it on the invoice, your AP system matches on it, and many systems will not process an invoice without one.

FOB terms decide who owns the goods while they are on a truck. FOB Destination leaves the risk with the vendor until delivery; FOB Origin transfers it to you the moment the carrier collects. If a pallet arrives crushed, this one line decides whose loss it is.

Payment terms set when the money is due, and an early payment discount like 2/10 Net 30 is worth taking seriously — 2% for paying twenty days early is a very high annualised return on cash.

The required-by date is the one vendors plan around. Leaving it blank invites whatever lead time suits them.

When the order ships on a pallet

If what you are buying moves as LTL freight, the shipment needs a bill of lading, and the PO number belongs on it — that is how the receiving dock knows which order has arrived. The bill of lading generator has a field for exactly that. If you are the one arranging the freight, the freight class calculator works out the class before you book.

This is a template, not legal or tax advice. Sales tax treatment varies by state and by what you are buying — check the rate with your accountant, and have a lawyer review your standard terms before you rely on them.

FAQ

Purchase order questions

What is a purchase order?
A purchase order is the document a buyer issues to a vendor to order goods or services at an agreed price. Once the vendor accepts it, it becomes a binding contract covering what was ordered, what it costs, when it is needed and on what terms. It is also what the vendor’s invoice gets matched against before anyone pays it.
What is the difference between a purchase order and an invoice?
The buyer issues the purchase order before the goods ship; the vendor issues the invoice afterwards to ask for payment. The PO says what you agreed to buy, the invoice says what you owe. Accounts payable teams match the two, along with the receiving record, before releasing funds.
What does FOB mean on a purchase order?
FOB marks the point where title and risk pass from vendor to buyer. FOB Destination means the vendor owns the goods until they arrive, so a shipment damaged in transit is the vendor’s problem. FOB Origin means you own them from the moment the carrier collects, and the loss is yours. It is a small field with large consequences.
What are Net 30 payment terms?
Net 30 means the full amount is due 30 days after the invoice date. Variants shorten or lengthen that window — Net 15, Net 45, Net 60. A term written as 2/10 Net 30 adds an early payment discount: take 2% off if you pay within 10 days, otherwise the full amount is due at 30.
Does this calculate sales tax correctly?
It applies the tax rate you enter to the subtotal after any discount, then adds shipping on top. That is the ordinary treatment, but sales tax varies by state and by what you are buying, and a number of states tax freight as well. Enter the rate your accountant or tax software gives you rather than assuming a default.
Can I sign the purchase order online?
Yes. The authorisation section has a signature pad you can sign with a finger on a touchscreen, a stylus, or a mouse or trackpad. The ink is drawn straight onto the purchase order and goes into the PDF with it. Nothing is uploaded — the signature is produced in your browser. You can type the authorising name instead if that is easier, and leaving both blank prints an empty signature line to sign by hand.
Do I need a PO number?
Yes, in practice. The PO number is what ties your order to the vendor’s invoice, the receiving record and the eventual payment. Most vendors will ask for it, and many accounts payable systems will not process an invoice that lacks one. The generator suggests a dated number you can overwrite with your own scheme.

Shipping the order on a pallet?

Create the bill of lading that travels with it, with your PO number and the freight class already on the document.

Open the bill of lading generator