Sales order vs invoice is a question of timing and purpose. The sales order is raised by the seller before the goods ship and confirms what the customer agreed to buy, at what price, with what discount, tax, shipping and deposit; it is the seller's reply to the customer's purchase order. The invoice is raised after the goods ship and asks for the money, carrying the same lines and the balance due after the deposit. They should agree because the second is produced from the first, and the point of keeping the order as a record is that they do. This guide is what each carries and where they differ.
The sales order: confirmation and price, before shipping
A sales order carries the customer, the ship-to address, the goods, the units at a unit price, any discount, the tax on the goods, the shipping charge, the total and the deposit due on confirmation. It exists to confirm the agreement and to fix the figures before anything is made or picked. The sales order worksheet on this site works those figures on the page, free, and prints or saves as PDF as the confirmation the customer sees.
The invoice: the request for payment, after shipping
An invoice carries the same customer and the same lines, now as the goods actually shipped, with the total, the deposit already taken, the balance due, the payment terms and the due date. It is the document the customer's bookkeeper pays from, so it has to read what the order showed. Where the two differ, the difference should be a dated change on the order, such as a reduced quantity on a short shipment, not a figure typed from memory.
Why the record between them matters
Every dispute about a balance is a difference between the sales order and the invoice that nobody can explain. Jobcardo keeps the order as a record with its lines, its status and a date on every change, and exports it so the invoice reads from it; it does not raise the invoice itself, because invoicing is its own product. What sales tax applies to the goods or the shipping on either document is a question for your state and your accountant.
Questions people ask about sales order vs invoice
Does a sales order come before an invoice?
Yes. The sales order confirms the agreement before shipping; the invoice asks for payment after, and should read the order's lines and total.
Is a sales order a legal document?
Whether a confirmed sales order binds the customer is a question for your state and your attorney. The worksheet works the figures; it publishes no rule.
Can the sales order and the invoice have different totals?
Only for a reason the record shows, such as a short shipment or a dated price change on the order. A difference nobody can explain is the dispute the record exists to prevent.