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Create a delivery note

A delivery note records the goods you send out to a customer, typically alongside a sales invoice. It is a despatch document: it lists what was delivered but carries no prices to…

Create a delivery note

A delivery note records the goods you send out to a customer, typically alongside a sales invoice. It is a despatch document: it lists what was delivered but carries no prices to the ledger, so it has no effect on your accounts.

Note: Although this guide sits with the purchasing documents, a delivery note is a customer-facing despatch note. You will find it under Sales → Delivery Notes.

Before you begin

  • You need the customer on file.
  • To track a partial delivery against an invoice, you need the related sales invoice. You can also raise a freeform delivery note with no invoice link.

Steps

  1. Go to Sales → Delivery Notes and select New.
  2. Choose the Customer and set the Document Date.
  3. Optionally choose a Related Invoice. When you link an invoice, its lines are loaded for you and the quantities you can deliver are capped at what is still outstanding on that invoice. Leave it as No Invoice (Freeform Delivery) to list items by hand.
  4. Add a Delivery Address and any Notes.
  5. Under Items Delivered, add each item with its quantity and, if relevant, serial numbers.
  6. Select Save Draft.
  7. When the note is ready, open it and select Issue. You can optionally record the name of the person who took delivery in Received By, then select Issue Delivery Note.

[Screenshot required: Create Delivery Note page showing the Related Invoice selector and Items Delivered list]

What happens next

  • While it is a Draft, the delivery note can be freely edited.
  • When you Issue it, the note is given its document number, its status becomes Issued, the delivery date is recorded, and the note becomes read-only.
  • Once issued, you can Send Email to send it to the customer as a PDF, or Download PDF. Both are also available on the delivery note's row in the list — the envelope button opens the same send window.

Important notes

  • A delivery note never posts to your general ledger. It records what was despatched, not money.
  • There is no void for delivery notes. Once a delivery note is issued it cannot be voided or edited — issuing is final. Check it carefully before you issue.
  • When linked to an invoice, you cannot deliver more than the invoice's remaining quantity. Trying to do so gives a message that the quantity "exceeds the remaining deliverable quantity" for that line.
  • A linked invoice must belong to the same customer as the delivery note.

Troubleshooting

  • "This delivery note can no longer be edited because it is no longer a draft." — the note has been issued and is read-only. Because there is no void, you would raise a new delivery note to record any correction.
  • "A delivery note must have at least one line." — add at least one item before issuing.
  • The over-delivery message appears. Check the remaining deliverable quantity on the linked invoice; reduce the quantity or record the balance on a later delivery note.
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