A purchase order template you can print or save as PDF — built around the fields that let you match the vendor’s invoice back to what you actually ordered and received.
A purchase order is the document you issue to a supplier to place an order. It states what you want, how much of it, at what price, when you need it, and on what terms. Once the supplier accepts it, it is the commercial agreement the whole transaction is measured against.
Like a quotation or a proforma invoice, a purchase order has no standing under GST. It is not provided for in the CGST Act or the CGST Rules, so there are no mandatory particulars and no prescribed format. It charges no tax and creates no input tax credit — the supplier’s tax invoice does that.
Its real job is downstream. A purchase order is what makes it possible to check that the goods that arrived are the goods you ordered, and that the invoice you have been asked to pay matches both. That three-way match — order, receipt, invoice — is the single most effective control an SME can put on purchasing, and it only works if the purchase order carries the right fields in the first place.
| Field | What to enter | Why it belongs here |
|---|---|---|
| Title: "Purchase Order" | Label the document clearly, with your own PO number and date. | The PO number is the key everything downstream is matched on. Ask the supplier to quote it on the invoice and challan. |
| Buyer details | Your name, address and GSTIN. | Your GSTIN determines whether the supplier bills you CGST + SGST or IGST. |
| Supplier details | Name, address and GSTIN of the vendor. | Verify the GSTIN before ordering — an unregistered or cancelled supplier changes your credit position entirely. |
| Ship-to address | The delivery location, if different from your registered address. | A separate ship-to is common for multi-site businesses, and it drives where the goods and the e-way bill actually go. |
| Description, HSN/SAC, quantity | Precise specification, the HSN or SAC code, quantity and unit. | Specification prevents the wrong material arriving. HSN/SAC lets the bill be raised from the order without re-keying. |
| Rate and taxable value | Agreed unit rate, any discount, and the value before tax. | This is the number the vendor invoice must agree with. Rate creep between order and invoice is the commonest leakage in SME purchasing. |
| Indicative tax breakup | CGST, SGST, IGST or cess, shown as indicative. | Lets you approve the landed cost. The tax actually charged is whatever is correct on the date of supply. |
| Expected delivery date | The date, or the schedule for staggered delivery. | Without it, "late" is unenforceable. It is also what your production plan is built on. |
| Payment terms | Credit period, advance if any, and what triggers the clock. | State whether the credit period runs from invoice date or from receipt of goods — the two differ by weeks in practice. |
| Inspection and rejection terms | Right to inspect on receipt, and who bears the cost of returns. | Turns a quality dispute into a contractual question rather than a negotiation. |
| Authorised signatory | Name and signature of whoever is authorised to commit the spend. | The internal control. An order nobody is named on is an order nobody approved. |
Source: GST law prescribes no format for a purchase order — it is not provided for in the CGST Act or Rules. Fields above are commercial best practice, aligned to the CGST Rule 46 tax-invoice particulars so the PO reconciles to the vendor bill. Verified 21 Jul 2026.
Purchase OrderOriginal for Recipient Kalyani Textile Mills Pvt Ltd Gat 118, Ranjangaon MIDC Shirur, Pune, Maharashtra, 412220 GSTIN: 27AABCK9034N1Z7 Phone: +91 21382 44190 Email: purchase@kalyanitextile.example Customer Details: Deccan Bearings & Transmission Co. Shop 14, Nana Peth Industrial Market Pune, Maharashtra, 411002 GSTIN: 27AAGFD1123L1ZP GSTIN: 27AAGFD1123L1ZP Purchase Order No.PO/2026-27/0271 PO date21 Jul 2026 Expected delivery11 Aug 2026 Place of SupplyMaharashtra (27) PO Reference- E-Way Bill No.- Vehicle No.- Referred By- Quotation RefDBT/Q/2026/0884 dated 14 Jul 2026 Shipping AddressKalyani Textile Mills Pvt Ltd — Stores Gate 2 Gat 118, Ranjangaon MIDC Shirur, Pune, Maharashtra, 412220 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total Items / Qty: 3 / 2350.00 Subtotal₹2,46,500.00 CGST @ 9%₹22,185.00 SGST @ 9%₹22,185.00 Total (incl. GST)₹2,90,870.00 Total amount (in words): Rupees Two Lakh Ninety Thousand Eight Hundred Seventy Only
For Kalyani Textile Mills Pvt Ltd Authorised Signatory Notes Thank youThis is a purchase order, not a tax invoice. Please quote the PO number on your invoice and delivery challan. Goods are subject to inspection on receipt; rejected material will be returned at supplier cost. Tax shown is indicative — invoice at rates prevailing on the date of supply. Terms & conditions
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Computer generated invoice. No signature required. |
Sample — your details fill in automatically when you raise a purchase order in ReadyBooks.
In ReadyBooks a purchase order carries its own numbering series, tracks what has been received against it, and converts into the vendor bill — bringing the supplier, items, quantities and rates across so the bill can be checked against the order instead of retyped from it. Sign up to run purchasing from your own data.