Let's take a closer look at the differences between a sales order and a sales receipt in QuickBooks...
Sales Orders:
- Designed to track orders that you have received but not yet shipped to your customers
- Do NOT post to any ledger accounts or sales history reports in QuickBooks
- Uses a sales order "form" in QuickBooks that can be customized (i.e. add logo, etc.), just like an invoice or quote can
- Can be turned into either a purchase order or invoice with one click
- Requires you to create an invoice once an order is complete and shipped to track the money that will be due at a later date
- Can print packing slips or pick tickets directly from the sales order screen
- Only found in the Premier and Enterprise editions of QuickBooks. Not included as a feature in the Pro version. (need to upgrade?)
Sales Receipts:
- Designed to handle on-the-spot sales where payment is received at the same time the sale was made (vs. creating an invoice where the expectation is you will be paid at a later date)
- Posts immediately to your ledger accounts and sales history when saved
- Uses a sales receipt "form" in QuickBooks that can be customized just like any other forms/templates
- Cannot be turned into a purchase order or invoice
- Cannot print packing slips or pick tickets directly from sales receipts (without some additional workarounds)
- Completely bypasses the "receive payment" screen in QuickBooks. The sales receipt records both the sale AND the receipt of the customer payment at the same time
Many businesses use a combination of both of these forms. They use sales orders for products/services/projects that can't be shipped immediately and use sales receipts for those where there is immediate shipment AND payment (i.e. sales from a web site).
Hope this helps you get a better understanding of the key differences between these buttons in QuickBooks!
RELATED INFORMATION:
- Understanding sales orders in QuickBooks (in-depth)
- What the heck is undeposited funds in QuickBooks?
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