Delivery Notes
A Delivery Note records that you've shipped goods to a customer. It moves stock out of your warehouse and (depending on settings) prints as a packing slip the driver carries.
When you need a Delivery Note
- You sell physical goods (services don't need one)
- You want a paper or PDF trail of what left your warehouse and when
- You bill after delivery — the Sales Invoice can be created from the Delivery Note
If you bill on order (services, advance-pay, full-prepay), you can skip Delivery Notes and go straight to Sales Invoice.
Create from a Sales Order
The usual flow: open the Sales Order → Create → Delivery Note. Lines copy across; if you're shipping partial, edit quantities down to what you're shipping now and submit. The remaining quantities stay open on the Sales Order for the next Delivery Note.
What happens on submit
- Stock is deducted from the source warehouse (a Stock Ledger Entry is created)
- The Sales Order's Delivered Percentage updates
- The Delivery Note becomes part of the customer's history
Printing for the driver
Most customers print a delivery note PDF that goes with the goods. The customer can sign on receipt — and you can scan the signed copy back into ERPNext as an attachment for proof.
Billing from a Delivery Note
Once delivered, open the Delivery Note → Create → Sales Invoice. The invoice pulls the delivered lines; you submit when ready to bill. Great for "ship now, bill on the 1st of next month" workflows.
Returns
A customer returned goods? Make a Delivery Note with Is Return = Yes. The quantities should be negative. On submit, stock comes back to the warehouse and the Sales Order's delivered percentage adjusts down.
Status
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Draft | Editable, no stock movement |
| To Bill | Submitted, stock moved, awaiting invoice |
| Completed | Both delivered and billed |
| Cancelled | Reversed (stock returned) |
Common situations
- Partial delivery — edit quantities on the Delivery Note before submitting. The remainder stays open.
- Multiple Delivery Notes per order — keep creating Delivery Notes until the Sales Order is fully delivered.
- Wrong item shipped — cancel the Delivery Note (stock returns), create a new one with the right item.