Free Purchase Order Template: Fill In and Print to PDF
Fill in your purchase order in minutes: your business, the supplier, the delivery address and date, the items you are ordering and who approves the order. 5% GST and 9.975% QST are calculated automatically, and you can print the document or save it as a PDF straight from your browser. Below the tool: what a purchase order is and how to use one.
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This is what will print. Choose “Save as PDF” in the print dialog.
GST number:
QST number:
Supplier
Ship to
To the buyer’s address, above.
| Description | Qty | Unit price | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
Instructions
Terms
Approved by
Signature
Date
Please put this purchase order number on your invoice and on the packing slip.
This tool is provided for information purposes only. Once the supplier accepts a purchase order, you are bound by its terms: re-read it before sending it.
What is a purchase order?
A purchase order is the document a business sends to its supplier to order goods or services: it sets what is bought, how many, at what price and by when.
The buyer issues it, before delivery, under its own number. Once the supplier accepts it, in writing or by shipping, the purchase order becomes the reference for everything that follows: receiving the goods, then the supplier’s invoice.
Purchase order, estimate or invoice: who does what?
| Document | Issued by | When | What it says |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | The supplier | Before the order | The price offered to you |
| Purchase order | The buyer | When ordering | What you are buying, and on what terms |
| Invoice | The supplier | After delivery | The amount to pay |
Selling rather than buying? The estimate template and the invoice generator are the other two documents in the chain.
When does a small business need one?
- You order often, from several suppliers, and need to know what has been ordered but not yet received.
- More than one person buys for the business: the purchase order shows who approved the spending.
- The purchase is large, custom-made or delivered later: the terms are written down before delivery.
- The supplier requires it: many large suppliers ship nothing without a purchase order number, and public bodies pay no invoice without one.
What should a purchase order include?
- A unique number and the order date.
- The buyer’s and the supplier’s contact details.
- The delivery address and the requested delivery date.
- For each item: the description, the quantity and the agreed unit price.
- Taxes and the total, so you know the real cost of the purchase.
- Payment and delivery terms.
- The name of the person who approves the order, and their signature.
The three-way match: purchase order, receiving, invoice
Before paying a supplier invoice, you compare three documents: the purchase order (what you ordered, and at what price), the receiving slip (what was actually delivered) and the invoice (what you are asked to pay). If all three agree, you pay. If not, you pay for what was received, or ask for a credit note.
Example: you order 10 cases at $24.00, you receive 8, and the invoice bills 10. The gap is $48.00 before tax, $55.19 with GST and QST: money you would have paid for nothing.
Quebec sales taxes on a purchase order
The purchase order shows GST (5%) and QST (9.975%) so you know the real cost of the purchase. It is the supplier, however, who charges the taxes, on its invoice, if it is registered for GST and QST. If it is a small supplier that is not registered, uncheck both taxes.
To recover the taxes you paid (input tax credits and refunds, ITCs and ITRs), keep the supplier’s invoice, with its registration numbers: the purchase order is not enough. The $30,000 registration threshold explains who must register.
Frequently asked questions
Is a purchase order a contract?
Once the supplier accepts it, in writing or by shipping the goods, the purchase order is evidence of the agreed terms: items, quantities, prices and delivery dates. Until then, it is an offer to buy, which you can change or cancel, unless you gave the supplier a deadline to accept it. For a large order, ask for a written confirmation.
Purchase order or invoice: what is the difference?
The purchase order comes from the buyer, before delivery: it says what you are ordering. The invoice comes from the supplier, after delivery: it says what you owe. Comparing the two, with the receiving slip, keeps you from paying for what was never delivered.
Do you need GST and QST on a purchase order?
It is not required, but it helps: the tax-included total is what you will actually pay. The supplier charges the taxes if it is registered; if it is not, uncheck them. To recover the taxes you paid (ITCs and ITRs), keep the supplier’s invoice, not the purchase order.
How should I number my purchase orders?
With a single sequence and no gaps, for example PO-2026-001, PO-2026-002. Ask the supplier to put that number on its invoice and packing slip: you find the order at a glance.
How do I save the purchase order as a PDF?
Click “Print or save as PDF”, then pick “Save as PDF” as the destination in the print dialog. Only the purchase order prints: the form and the rest of the page do not appear. Nothing is sent to our servers.
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