Free Purchase Order Template and Generator

What is a purchase order

A purchase order, often called a PO, is the document a buyer sends to a vendor to request goods or services. It names the buyer and the vendor, the ship-to address, each line the buyer wants, the price the buyer expects, and the terms the buyer is offering.

Teams use the PO number later to match the vendor's invoice and the goods that arrive. The form on this page collects those fields and downloads a PDF. The download happens in your browser. You can also download a blank purchase order and complete it on paper.

How to fill out a purchase order

Work from the top of the form to the total. The preview on the right follows the same fields.

1. Enter your company name and address, then the vendor name and address.
2. Add a ship-to address when the goods should go somewhere other than your company address. Leave it blank if the vendor should use the company address.
3. Set a PO number, the order date, and the date you expect delivery.
4. Choose payment terms. The list includes Net 15, Net 30, Net 45, Net 60, Due on Receipt, and 50% Upfront. Put any other arrangement in the terms box.
5. Add a line for each item. Enter a description, a quantity, and a unit price. The amount is the quantity multiplied by the unit price.
6. Enter a discount, tax, and shipping cost if they apply. Discount and tax can be a percent or a fixed amount. The total is the subtotal, minus the discount, plus tax and shipping.
7. Write notes the vendor should see, and the terms you want printed on the order.
8. Click Download PDF. The file is built in your browser. You do not need an account.

Read the PO number, the vendor, and the total once more before you send the file. Those are the three facts the vendor will quote back to you. If you want empty lines instead of typed entries, click Download blank template (PDF). That file is the same purchase order layout with write-in lines, including a line for approval.

What to include

A purchase order should be specific enough that the vendor can fulfill it without guessing. Include the items below. Optional fields can stay empty on a short order, but the buyer, the vendor, a PO number, and at least one line with a quantity and a price should be filled in before you send it.

• PO number, so the order has an identifier you can cite later.
• Order date and expected delivery date.
• Buyer name and address, which is your company on this form.
• Vendor name and address.
• Ship-to address, when delivery is not the same as your company address.
• Line items: description, quantity, unit price, and amount.
• Tax, as a percent or a fixed amount.
• Shipping cost, separate from the item prices.
• Discount, if you agreed one, as a percent or a fixed amount.
• Payment terms.
• Notes and any other terms the vendor should follow.
• Approval. The filled PDF has notes and terms, so you can type the approver's name there or sign the printed copy. The blank template has an approval line.

Purchase order vs invoice

A purchase order comes from the buyer and asks the vendor to supply something. An invoice comes from the seller and asks to be paid. They often list the same items, and the invoice should cite the PO number, but they are not the same document.

Use a purchase order to place the order. Use an invoice when it is time to bill. You can prepare that bill with the invoice generator. After the goods leave the vendor, a packing slip and a shipping label travel with the shipment. The label on the outside is not postage. Buy postage from the carrier when the parcel needs it.

PO number format examples

No single format is required for an ordinary commercial purchase order number. Pick a pattern, write it down, and do not reuse a number. The examples below are patterns, not a standard you must follow.

• PO-1001, PO-1002, PO-1003 for one increasing sequence.
• PO-2026-014 for a year plus a sequence.
• 2026-10-014 for a year, a month, and a sequence.

Keep the next number somewhere the whole team can see, such as a shared sheet, so two people do not issue the same number on the same day. This page prints the number you type. It does not reserve or store the next number for you.