Packing Slip Template
A packing slip goes inside the box and tells the person who opens it what should be there: which order it belongs to, which items and how many, which box of the shipment this is, and what is still to come. It has no prices, tax or payment terms. That is deliberate: the box may be opened by a gift recipient, a warehouse clerk or a store's receiving team, none of whom need to see what was paid, and the invoice goes separately to whoever pays. The most useful column is the difference between quantity ordered and quantity shipped, because that is what the receiver checks first and what the invoice should follow. This download is an editable HTML packing slip with your business and the recipient (ship-to) address, an item table with item number or SKU, description, quantity ordered, shipped and back-ordered columns, and fields for the slip and order numbers, ship date, box count, carrier and tracking, back-ordered items, packer's initials and returns instructions. Fill it in your browser and print one copy per box. InvoiceQuickly does not create or store packing slips: it creates invoices, estimates and credit notes.
Preview this editable document
Download the HTML file to edit its fields, then print or save as PDF. Totals are entered manually.
What This Template Includes
- Packing slip number
- Order number and order date
- Customer purchase order number (business orders)
- Ship date
- Sold-to or bill-to name, if different from the ship-to recipient
- Box number, for example box 1 of 2
- Carrier, service and tracking number
- Items back-ordered or shipping separately, with expected date
- Packed by and checked by (initials)
- Returns or exchange instructions and customer service contact
How to fill in this Packing Slip
- Download the template. It opens as an editable HTML file in your browser.
- Replace each bracketed field with your details. Totals are not calculated for you, so check the arithmetic.
- Print it or save it as a PDF from your browser. InvoiceQuickly does not create or store this document type.
Payment terms and the packing slip
A packing slip has no payment terms because it does not ask for payment and shows no prices. Payment terms belong on the invoice (or, for an online order already paid at checkout, the order confirmation or receipt). Keep the two linked: put the order number on both, and invoice what the packing slips show as shipped. If part of an order is back-ordered, either invoice only the shipped quantities now and the rest when it ships, or invoice the full order upfront if that is what the customer agreed; do not leave the receiver to work out which.
Tax and the packing slip
A packing slip is not a tax document: it shows no prices, so it shows no sales tax, VAT or GST, and it does not replace the invoice or receipt the buyer needs. For goods shipped across a border, it is also not a customs document. US Customs regulations require each commercial invoice for imported merchandise to state in adequate detail what merchandise is contained in each individual package (19 CFR 141.86(e)), so international shipments need a commercial invoice (and usually a packing list) prepared for customs, plus the carrier's transport document. This template is only a layout; check any record-keeping or shipping rules where you trade. Last reviewed 28 October 2026.
Industry context (2026)
Packing slips belong to order fulfilment rather than billing. Their content is usually set by what the receiver needs to check the shipment, and some large retail customers set their own supplier requirements for slips and labels, so ask a new wholesale customer whether it has one. Where a legal requirement does exist, it sits on other documents. For imports into the United States, Customs and Border Protection regulations require each commercial invoice to state in adequate detail what merchandise is contained in each individual package (19 CFR 141.86(e), accessed 28 October 2026). Carriers set their own requirements for the bill of lading or shipping label. So a packing slip is a working document: its value is in matching three things (the purchase order, what was packed and what is invoiced) by the same order number and quantities.
Worked example
Worked example: a candle maker ships a wholesale order to a gift shop. The shop's purchase order PO 7781 (dated 3 November 2026) asks for 24 lavender candles (LAV-08), 24 cedar candles (CED-08), 12 gift sets (GS-03) and 6 reed diffusers (DIF-01). Only 2 diffusers are in stock; the rest are due on 27 November, and the shop agrees to a split shipment. On 13 November the order (WS-2210) ships in two boxes by ground carrier, each with its own slip. Packing slip PS-2210-1, box 1 of 2: LAV-08, lavender candle 8 oz, ordered 24, shipped 24; CED-08, cedar candle 8 oz, ordered 24, shipped 24. Packing slip PS-2210-2, box 2 of 2: GS-03, gift set of 3 minis, ordered 12, shipped 12; DIF-01, reed diffuser 100 ml, ordered 6, shipped 2, back-ordered 4, expected 27 November. Both slips show the ship-to (the shop's stockroom), PO 7781, the tracking number, the packer's and checker's initials, and 'Report damage or shortages within 5 days to orders@...'. Neither shows a price. The shop's receiving clerk counts 62 items against the PO, sees that 4 diffusers are expected, and does not report a shortage. The candle maker's invoice for WS-2210 goes to the shop's accounts payable and bills the 62 items shipped, not the 66 ordered. On 27 November the remaining 4 diffusers ship with packing slip PS-2210-3, 'balance of back-order, PO 7781', box 1 of 1, ordered 6, previously shipped 2, shipped 4, and a second invoice bills those 4.
Common mistakes to avoid
Printing the invoice as the packing slip
An invoice in the box shows prices to gift recipients and warehouse staff, and can be mistaken for a second bill. Use a slip without prices and send the invoice to whoever pays.
Only listing what shipped
If the slip shows 2 diffusers and the PO says 6, the receiver reports a shortage. Show ordered, shipped and back-ordered quantities together.
One slip for a multi-box order
Boxes arrive separately. Put a slip in each box, numbered 1 of 2 and 2 of 2, listing that box's contents.
No order or PO number
A receiving team handles many deliveries a day. Without the PO number, they cannot match the box to an order, and the invoice may be held.
Invoicing the full order after a partial shipment
Unless the customer agreed to pay upfront, bill what the slips show as shipped and invoice the back-order when it ships.
Invoicing Tips
- 1Show quantity ordered and quantity shipped side by side for every line. A receiver who sees '6 ordered, 2 shipped, 4 back-ordered' knows the box is not short.
- 2Number the boxes ('box 1 of 2') and put a slip in each, listing only that box's contents. One slip for the whole order in box 1 leaves box 2 a mystery if it arrives first.
- 3Use the customer's identifiers: their PO number for business orders, your order number for online orders, and the SKU or item code they will search for.
- 4Leave prices off, even for business orders. The receiving team checks quantities against the purchase order; accounts payable checks prices against the invoice.
- 5Have someone other than the packer check the box against the slip and initial it. Most shipping complaints come from a wrong or missing item, not from the carrier.
- 6Give the next shipment its own packing slip that names the same order and says 'balance of back-order', so the receiver can close the order.
Related Resources
- Delivery note template: signed proof that a whole delivery arrived
- Commercial invoice template: the customs document for international shipments
- Purchase order: definition
- Commercial invoice: definition
- Ecommerce invoicing guide
- All invoice and document templates
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a packing slip?
A document placed inside a shipment that lists what the box contains: the order it belongs to, each item and quantity, and anything still to come. It helps the recipient check the delivery. It has no prices and is not a request for payment.
What should a packing slip include?
Your business name and address, the ship-to name and address, a packing slip number, the order number and date, the customer's PO number for business orders, the ship date, each item with its code, description, quantity ordered and quantity shipped, the box number, back-ordered items, carrier and tracking details, and returns instructions.
Does a packing slip show prices?
No. Leaving prices off is the point: gift recipients, warehouse staff and store receiving teams open the box, and none of them need to see what was paid. Prices go on the invoice or the order receipt, which goes to the buyer.
What is the difference between a packing slip and an invoice?
A packing slip lists what is in the box so the receiver can check it; an invoice asks for payment and shows prices, tax, the total and the due date. They share the order number, and the invoice should bill what the packing slips show as shipped.
What is the difference between a packing slip, a delivery note and a bill of lading?
The names overlap, but commonly a packing slip lists the contents of each box, a delivery note covers the whole delivery and is signed by the recipient as proof it arrived, and a bill of lading is the carrier's transport document for freight, recording what the carrier received and where it is going. International shipments also need a commercial invoice for customs.
Can a packing slip be used for an international shipment?
It can go in the box, but it does not replace customs paperwork. US Customs, for example, requires the commercial invoice for imported goods to state what is in each package. Prepare a commercial invoice, a packing list if needed and the carrier's documents.
Can InvoiceQuickly create packing slips?
No. InvoiceQuickly creates invoices, estimates and credit notes, and it has no inventory or product catalogue. Use this editable HTML template for packing slips, then raise the invoice for the shipped quantities in InvoiceQuickly with the order number in the invoice notes.