A delivery note records what arrived, not what it costs
That is why this one has no money columns on it at all, and it is deliberate.
A delivery note travels with the goods. It gets handed to whoever takes them in, checked against what is on the pallet, and signed. The person signing is a site labourer or a receptionist, and they have no business seeing your rates. Suppliers who print prices on delivery notes end up showing their margin to the wrong people, and on a site with several trades that gets back to somebody it should not.
Prices belong on the invoice, which goes to accounts. Quantities belong on the delivery note, which goes to site.
The signature is the whole document
An unsigned delivery note proves you loaded a van. A signed one proves somebody received the goods.
When a customer says four bundles never arrived, the signed note is the entire argument. Which is why this one carries ruled lines for a name, a signature and a date whether or not you typed anything into them: it gets signed on site with a pen by somebody who was never near a computer.
Two copies is the old habit and it is still the right one. They keep one, you bring one back. If you only ever have the copy they signed and they lose theirs, nobody is any worse off.
Shortages and damage have to be noted at the point of delivery
This is where delivery notes actually earn their keep, and where most people lose money by being polite.
If something is short, damaged or wrong, it goes on the note before it is signed. Not in a phone call afterwards, not in an email that evening. Once a clean note is signed, the position is that everything arrived in good order, and unpicking that is on whoever wants to argue it. Signing "unchecked" is better than signing clean, but noting the actual shortage is better than both.
That is why the note carries a line asking the recipient to check the goods before signing and to record shortages or damage at the point of delivery. It is not there to be difficult, it is there because the alternative costs somebody money every time.
Matching it up afterwards
Carry the purchase order number onto the delivery note.
Then the three documents line up: what was ordered, what arrived, what you are being billed for. If all three agree the invoice gets paid without anybody thinking about it. If the delivery note says three and the invoice says four, the discrepancy is visible before the money goes out instead of turning up in a reconciliation months later.
What to put on it
- A delivery note number, in its own sequence.
- The order or PO number it relates to.
- The delivery address, which is often not the billing address.
- Quantities and descriptions clear enough to check against a pallet.
- The date it actually went out.
- Space for a printed name, a signature and a time.
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Common questions
Why does a delivery note not show any prices?
Because a delivery note records what arrived, not what it costs. It is signed by whoever takes the goods in, often a site labourer or a receptionist, and they have no business seeing your rates. Prices belong on the invoice, which goes to accounts; quantities belong on the delivery note, which goes to site.
What actually proves a delivery arrived if a customer disputes it later?
The signature. An unsigned delivery note only proves you loaded a van; a signed one proves somebody received the goods. That is why this one carries ruled lines for a name, a signature and a date whether or not you typed anything into them, ready to be signed on site with a pen.
When should shortages or damage be noted, and where?
On the note itself, before it is signed, not in a phone call or an email afterwards. Once a clean note is signed, the position is that everything arrived in good order, and unpicking that afterwards is on whoever wants to argue it.
How many copies of a delivery note should I keep?
Two. They keep one and you bring one back, so if you only ever hold the copy they signed and they lose theirs, nobody is any worse off.
What information should be on a delivery note?
A delivery note number in its own sequence, the order or PO number it relates to, the delivery address, quantities and descriptions clear enough to check against a pallet, the date it actually went out, and space for a printed name, a signature and a time.
How does a delivery note connect to the purchase order and the invoice?
By carrying the same purchase order number through all three documents, so what was ordered, what arrived and what you are billed for line up. If the delivery note says three and the invoice says four, the discrepancy is visible before the money goes out rather than turning up in a reconciliation months later.