A packing slip is a document that’s included in packages that are delivered to customers. The document contains information about the sale.
The packing slip—also called shipping note—should be included in all shipments. It contains information about the supplier, recipient, delivery date, and the product information, such as product name, quantity, and weight.
It usually doesn’t contain information about the value or price of the product, only the product specifications.
Packing slip when you send packages
If you sell goods that you ship to your customer you should include packing slips. The packing slip confirms what was sent. The customer needs it in case they want to make a return, make a warranty claim, or simply for their own records.
If you send items to a business, the packing slip is part of their accounting documentation, which they’re required to keep to verify what they enter in their general ledger.
If the client doesn’t pay upfront, you can include an invoice in the package too, or send it straight from your invoicing software to the client’s email inbox.
When you receive packages
A packing slip is an overview of what’s in the shipment you receive, including information about weight and size.
It’s not the same as an invoice: It doesn’t include information about price, payment terms or due date. In other words, it’s not a payment request, and doesn’t tell you how to pay.
However, you need to keep the slip as part of your business documentation. In any case, it’s useful to compare it with the invoice, once you receive it. You want to verify that the contents of the invoice match the contents of the slip.
If the invoice is missing important information, it’s especially important to attach the packing slip as well when you bookkeep.
In general, you need to keep most documentation for a set amount of years, depending on what country you operate in. The time period begins when you create or acquire the document, or when you conclude the transaction, if that happens after the document was created or acquired.