Acest ghid nu este încă tradus în limba ta — se afișează versiunea în engleză.
A purchase order and an invoice can look almost identical at a glance — both list what's being bought, the quantities, and the price. The real difference isn't in the layout, it's in who issues each one, and when.
A purchase order comes from the buyer, before the sale
A purchase order is issued by the client — the buyer — as their own internal authorization to make a purchase, sent to you before (or as) work begins. It represents their commitment: "we're ordering this, at this price, and it's been approved on our end."
An invoice comes from the seller, after the sale
An invoice is issued by you — the seller — after goods or services have been delivered (or at an agreed milestone). It represents your request for payment: "here's what we delivered, and here's what's owed."
Why the distinction matters in practice
Confusing the two — or treating a PO as if it were itself a request you can bill against without a corresponding invoice — causes real problems. A PO alone doesn't get you paid; it's an authorization on the buyer's side, not a payment claim on yours. You still need to send your own invoice, referencing the PO number, before payment can be processed on most companies' systems.
How they work together
The typical sequence: you send a quote, the client accepts it and issues a PO (their internal go-ahead), work happens, and you invoice — citing the PO number so the client's accounts-payable process can match your invoice to their already-approved order. Skipping the reference, or invoicing for a different amount than the PO authorized without flagging the change, is one of the most common reasons a correct, honest invoice still gets stuck in review.
If a client doesn't use purchase orders
Plenty of businesses, especially smaller ones, don't issue POs at all — an accepted quote or estimate serves as the equivalent commitment, and you invoice directly against that. Neither approach is more "correct"; it depends entirely on how formal the client's own procurement process is.
Same information, opposite direction. A PO says "we're going to buy this." An invoice says "we sold this, please pay." Keeping that direction straight is what keeps both documents doing their actual job.