Knowing how to invoice sales order in Business Central is a key step in the sales cycle. This guide explains how to set the quantity to invoice, post with the Invoice option, and locate the resulting posted sales invoice document.
Invoice Sales Order in Business Central: An Overview
In Business Central, shipping and invoicing are two separate steps. After you ship goods from a sales order, you can invoice the customer when you are ready. When you invoice sales order, you control exactly which items and quantities to bill. This is especially useful when shipments happen in stages. Furthermore, you invoice only what you have shipped, which keeps billing accurate and avoids charging customers for goods they have not yet received.
The process follows on naturally from posting a sales shipment. Overall, Business Central keeps shipping and invoicing tightly linked to the same sales order throughout. Once you ship items, the Quantity to Invoice column on the order lines becomes the focus. That column tells Business Central what to bill in the current posting. As a result, the same order can produce multiple invoices over its lifetime if you ship goods in more than one batch.
Opening the Sales Order
To invoice sales order in Business Central, start from the Sales Orders page. Use the search bar to find it quickly. Type “sales order” and select Sales Orders from the results. Business Central presents you with a list of all open orders. Simply scroll through or use a filter to find the right one. Select the one you want to work with and it opens in full detail.
In this example, the order has two lines: one desk and four chairs. You have already shipped the chairs in a previous step. However, you have not yet shipped the desk. That means, for now, you can only invoice the chairs at this stage. The desk must wait until you ship it.
Setting the Quantity to Invoice
Scroll to the right on the order lines to find the Quantity to Invoice column. This field controls how many units Business Central includes in the current invoice posting. The system may pre-fill it with the full shipped quantity. However, always verify it before posting. However, you can change it as needed.
In this case, set the Quantity to Invoice for the desk to zero because you have not shipped it. Leave the chairs at four. In other words, you are billing exactly what left the warehouse. This keeps the invoice accurate and avoids disputes. It also means your financial records match what actually left the building. Furthermore, the desk stays on the order with its quantities intact, waiting for the next shipment and invoice cycle.
Invoicing Part of an Order
Partial invoicing works the same way as partial shipping. In fact, the two steps mirror each other closely. This makes the process easy to learn once you understand one of them. Overall, the logic is consistent throughout. You set the quantity you want to invoice and leave the rest at zero. Business Central does not close the order. Instead, it updates the invoiced quantity on each line and keeps the remaining items open. As a result, you maintain the full order history in one place throughout the entire process.
How to Invoice Sales Order Using the Post Menu
Once you set the Quantity to Invoice correctly, go to the Post menu at the top of the order. Click it and you will see three options: Ship, Invoice, and Ship and Invoice. These options give you full control over what happens next. This time, select Invoice. Click OK. Business Central processes the posting and generates the posted sales invoice document. It also updates the financial ledger entries automatically.
After posting, moreover, scroll to the right on the order lines again. You will notice the Quantity Invoiced column now shows four for the chairs, matching what you just invoiced. Meanwhile, the desk still shows zero for both shipped and invoiced quantities, because you have not moved it yet. The order stays open until you fully ship and invoice all items.
Moreover, it is good practice to review the order lines after every posting. This confirms that the system recorded everything correctly. In particular, check that the invoiced quantities match what you intended to bill before moving on.
Finding the Posted Sales Invoice
To locate the invoice you just created, navigate to the Posted Sales Invoices page. Use the search bar to find it. Sort by date descending to bring the most recent entry to the top. Open the document. It shows the customer, the order reference, and the line details. In this example, you see the four chairs with their unit price and line total. The desk line shows a quantity of zero, indicating it was on the original order but you did not bill it in this run.
Furthermore, the posted sales invoice includes a reference back to the original sales order number. This link lets you trace the invoice back to the order at any time. Additionally, from the posted invoice, you can print or send the document directly to the customer. The printed layout shows only the items and amounts you billed, making it a clean document to include in the delivery or send by email. In short, everything the customer needs to see is right there in one place.
Invoice Sales Order: What Happens in the Background
When you invoice sales order in Business Central, several things happen automatically. First, Business Central creates a posted sales invoice, which is a permanent record. Second, it generates the corresponding accounts receivable entries in the general ledger, recording the revenue and the amount the customer owes. Third, it creates the applicable tax entries at the same time. Consequently, you do not need to make any manual journal entries after posting.
It is also important to understand that you cannot edit or delete posted invoices. If you need to correct an error, you must use a credit memo or a sales return order to reverse the transaction. However, this is by design. Posted documents in Business Central act as permanent records that keep your books clean and auditable. Indeed, this approach protects the integrity of your financial data at every stage. Additionally, it means your auditors have a reliable and complete record to review at any time. Therefore, understanding this behaviour helps you work with Business Central correctly from the start.
Wrapping Up
To invoice sales order in Business Central, open the order, set the Quantity to Invoice on each line, go to Post, and select Invoice. Business Central creates the posted sales invoice automatically. Partial invoicing works the same way – just set the quantities to match what you want to bill. If you want to explore more of the sales order lifecycle or need help with your Business Central setup, reach out at navseal.com or connect on LinkedIn.
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