Delivery Note vs Invoice: What Is a Packing Slip?

A delivery note lists what was sent in a shipment so the receiver can check that everything arrived. An invoice lists what is owed and asks for payment. The delivery note travels with the goods and carries no prices. The invoice follows and carries the money. A packing slip is just another name for a delivery note.

The two documents answer different questions. The delivery note answers "did I get everything I ordered?" The invoice answers "what do I have to pay?" Mixing them up is common, and it usually shows up as prices printed on a slip that the warehouse staff never needed to see.

	Delivery note	Invoice
Main purpose	Confirm what was shipped and received	Request payment
Shows prices?	No, quantities only	Yes, with totals
Travels with the goods?	Yes, inside or on the parcel	No, sent separately
Who checks it	The person receiving the goods	The person paying
Also known as	Packing slip, dispatch note	Bill

What a delivery note is for

A delivery note is the paperwork that goes with a physical shipment. It lists each item and the quantity included so that whoever opens the box can tick the contents off against what they ordered. It deliberately leaves prices out, because the people receiving and unpacking goods do not need to know costs, and often should not.

The receiver signs the delivery note to confirm the goods arrived in the stated quantity and condition. That signature matters later. If a dispute comes up about whether something was delivered, the signed delivery note is the proof. It is the physical-world equivalent of a read receipt.

This is also exactly what a packing slip is. The names vary by region and industry, with "delivery note," "packing slip," and "dispatch note" all describing the same thing: a no-price list of contents that ships with the goods. If you supply physical products, you can produce one with the delivery note generator in your browser.

What an invoice is for

An invoice exists to collect money. It carries the prices the delivery note omits, plus the totals, the due date, and your payment details. It is sent separately from the shipment, usually by email, to whoever handles the buyer's payments rather than the loading dock.

Because the invoice is the document that gets you paid, it needs the full set of billing fields: your details, the client's details, a unique invoice number, the line items with prices, the subtotal and total, and clear payment terms. The delivery note can be informal. The invoice cannot.

How the two work together

In a typical goods transaction, both documents appear, in order. The delivery note ships with the products so the receiver can verify the contents on arrival. The invoice arrives separately so the finance team can pay. One confirms the physical handover, the other settles the financial side.

In organisations that use purchase orders, these documents form a chain. The buyer raises a purchase order, the goods arrive with a delivery note, and the seller sends an invoice. Finance then matches all three before paying, in the process described in purchase order vs invoice. The delivery note is the "what actually arrived" piece of that match, which is why getting its quantities right matters as much as the invoice totals.

Why prices stay off the delivery note

It is worth being deliberate about this, because it trips people up. Prices belong on the invoice, not the delivery note, for two reasons.

The first is practical. The delivery note is handled by warehouse, courier, and receiving staff. They need quantities to check the shipment, and nothing more. Pricing on the slip is clutter at best.

The second is commercial. Goods sometimes pass through several hands, and you may not want every party in the chain seeing your prices. Keeping costs off the slip is normal discretion. If a buyer wants the priced breakdown, that is what the invoice is for, sent to the right person.

When you need each one

You need a delivery note whenever you ship physical goods and the receiver should verify the contents. Services do not need one, because there is nothing to unpack and check. A web developer does not send a delivery note. A supplier shipping fifty boxes of stock does.

You need an invoice whenever you want to be paid, for goods or services alike. Every billable transaction ends in an invoice. So a product business often issues both, a delivery note with the shipment and an invoice for payment, while a service business usually issues the invoice alone.

The quick way to tell them apart

If the document has prices and a due date, it is an invoice. If it has quantities and a place to sign on receipt, it is a delivery note, also called a packing slip. If you are unsure which to send, ask what question the reader is trying to answer. Checking a box of goods is a delivery note. Paying a bill is an invoice. For the broader distinction between requesting and recording payment, invoice vs bill covers the naming that confuses people most.

When you need either document, both are quick to produce: the delivery note generator for the shipment and the free invoice generator for the payment, each running in your browser with no signup and nothing stored on a server.

Common questions

Is a packing slip the same as a delivery note?

Yes. Packing slip, delivery note, and dispatch note all describe the same document: a list of contents, with quantities but no prices, that travels with the goods so the receiver can check what arrived. The name varies by region and by industry, but the purpose is identical. If someone asks for a packing slip, they want the no-price contents list that ships inside or on the parcel.

Why are there no prices on a delivery note?

Because the people who handle it do not need them. Warehouse, courier, and receiving staff use the delivery note to check quantities against what was ordered, and pricing would only be clutter. There is also a commercial reason: goods sometimes pass through several hands, and keeping costs off the slip avoids exposing your prices to everyone in the chain. The priced breakdown belongs on the invoice, which goes separately to whoever handles payment.

Do service businesses need delivery notes?

No. A delivery note exists to verify physical goods on arrival, so service work has nothing for it to do. A web developer or a consultant issues an invoice alone. A product business often issues both: a delivery note with the shipment so the contents can be checked, and an invoice sent separately so the bill can be paid. If nothing physical is being handed over, you do not need a delivery note.

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Related articles

• Purchase Order vs Invoice: How They Work Together
• Invoice vs Bill: Are They the Same Thing?
• What to Put on an Invoice: The Complete Checklist