A Commercial Invoice is the final export billing document between seller and buyer. Use it for customs clearance, international trade documentation, and conversion to a sale invoice. Commercial invoices do not post to accounts or inventory until converted to a sale invoice.
The Commercial Invoices list shows all commercial export documents with customer, date, amount, and status. Use quick filters to view Approved, Draft, Cancelled, Closed, or Multi Level Approval entries. From the list you can create new commercial invoices, open existing ones, edit drafts, or delete draft entries.
List ViewList row actions
| **Action** | **Available when status is** |
|------------|------------------------------|
| Edit | Draft, For Revisal |
| Delete | Draft, For Revisal |
| View | All statuses |
Creation sources
| **Source** | **Description** |
|------------|-----------------|
| Direct | Create from Sales → Commercial Invoice → New. |
| Sale Order | Use Create Commercial Invoice on an approved Sale Order. |
Quick Start — Create a Commercial Invoice
1. Navigate
Go to Sales → Commercial Invoice from the left menu.
2. Create new commercial invoice
Click New to open the entry screen, or create from an approved sale order.
3. Fill in details
Select Form Type and enter the Commercial Invoice Number.
Choose the Customer and add item lines with Qty, Unit, and Rate.
Set Payment Term, Due Date, and Delivery Term as needed.
Add Notes or Internal Notes for export and customs reference.
4. Save
save — keeps the commercial invoice as a Draft.
Save And Approve — approves the commercial invoice in one step.
Cancel — closes the form without saving.
5. After approval
Use Add Export Details to record shipping, port, and customs data when export settings are enabled.
Convert to a Sale Invoice from the more menu for accounting and inventory posting.
Header Fields Reference
| **Field** | **Description** |
|-----------|-----------------|
| Date * | Date of the commercial invoice. |
| Form Type | Sale type that controls numbering, tax rules, and print layout. |
| Commercial Invoice Number * | Unique commercial invoice reference. Auto-generated when numbering is configured on the sale type. |
| Customer * | Customer receiving the commercial invoice. |
| Customer Billing Address | Auto-filled from the customer. Read-only. |
| Shipping Address | Delivery or export shipping address. |
| Contact person | Customer contact. Enabled after a customer is selected. |
| Reference Name | Optional reference label. Shown when Show Reference Name & Phone field is enabled in Sale Settings. |
| Reference Phone | Phone linked to the reference name. |
| Notify Party | Third-party notify party. Shown when Show Notify Party field is enabled. |
| Notify Party Address | Address for the notify party. |
| LPO/FPO Id | Customer purchase order reference. |
| Employee | Sales employee responsible for this document. |
| Prepared By | Employee who prepared the document. Shown when Show Prepared by field is enabled. |
| Payment Term | Customer payment terms. |
| Delivery Term | Delivery or incoterms text. Shown when Show Delivery Terms is enabled. |
| Due Date | Payment due date based on payment terms. |
| Branch | Branch for the transaction. Shown when multi-branch is enabled. |
| Brand | Brand for brand-wise profit tracking. |
| Billing center * | Billing center for the transaction. |
| Project | Optional project link. |
| Project Task | Task within the selected project. |
| Currency / Currency Exchange Rate | Shown when multi-currency is enabled. |
| Notes | Remarks printed on the commercial invoice. |
| Internal Notes | Internal remarks not shown on print. |
> Many optional header and line fields are controlled by Sale Settings.
Item Lines — ITEMS
| **Column** | **Description** |
|------------|-----------------|
| Sl.No | Line serial number. |
| Item | Item being invoiced. Required. |
| Item code, Variant, Description, HSN, MRP, Brand | Optional columns enabled in Sale Settings. |
| Qty | Quantity on the commercial invoice. Required. |
| Unit | Unit of measure. Required. |
| Rate | Price per unit. Required. |
| Amount, Trade Discount, discounts, Taxable Amount, Taxes, Tax Amount, Total | Calculated based on tax and discount settings. |
Actions & Status
View toolbar actions
| **Action** | **Description** | **Available when status is** |
|------------|-----------------|------------------------------|
| Approve | Finalizes the commercial invoice. | Draft |
| Edit | Opens the commercial invoice for editing. | Draft, For Revisal |
| Delete | Permanently removes the commercial invoice. | Draft, For Revisal |
| Clone | Creates a copy of the commercial invoice. | All (if permitted) |
| Print | Prints the commercial invoice. | All |
| Export | Exports the commercial invoice to Excel. | All |
More menu (⋮) actions
| **Action** | **Description** | **Available when status is** |
|------------|-----------------|------------------------------|
| Create Invoice | Opens a new Sale Invoice pre-filled from this commercial invoice. | Approved, Open |
| Revise Commercial Invoice | Creates a revised commercial invoice from an approved one. | Approved |
| Cancel | Cancels the commercial invoice. | Approved |
| WorkFlow Request | Starts a company process linked to this commercial invoice. Does not approve the invoice. See WorkFlow Request. | Approved, Closed |
| Add Export Details | Captures export shipping and customs details. Shown when export settings are enabled. | Approved, Closed |
| Mark As Closed | Manually closes the commercial invoice. | Approved |
| Undo Close | Reverts a manual close. | Closed (only when manually closed) |
| Add/Update Note | Adds or edits an internal note. | All |
| Master Update | Updates selected header fields. See Master Update. | Approved, Closed |
| Update Secondary Status | Updates a custom secondary status. | Approved, Closed |
| Get PDF | Downloads a PDF copy. | All except Draft |
| Export Items | Exports item lines to Excel. | All |
Statuses
| **Status** | **Description** |
|------------|-----------------|
| Draft | Saved but not yet approved. Can be edited or deleted. |
| For Revisal | Sent back for changes. Treated like Draft for edit and delete. |
| Approved | Finalized. Can be converted to sale invoice. |
| Open | Active commercial invoice not yet fully processed. |
| Closed | Commercial invoice is closed — typically after conversion to sale invoice or manual close. |
| Cancelled | Commercial invoice has been cancelled. |
| Multi Level Approval | Awaiting multi-level approval workflow. |
Posting note: Commercial Invoices do not post to accounts or inventory. They are export documentation until converted to a sale invoice.
Master Update
Master Update lets you change selected header fields on an approved or closed commercial invoice without editing item lines. Open the three-dot menu and select Master Update.
| **Field** | **Can be updated?** | **Notes** |
|-----------|---------------------|-----------|
| Date * | Yes | Cannot be set before the accounts closing date. |
| Payment Term | Yes | |
| Delivery Term | Yes | Shown when delivery terms are enabled in Sale Settings. |
| Due Date | Yes | Payment due date. |
| Employee In charge | Yes | |
| Prepared By | Yes | Shown when prepared-by is enabled in Sale Settings. |
| LPO/FPO Id | Yes | Customer purchase order reference. |
| Branch | Yes | When multi-branch is enabled. |
| Brand | Yes | When brand-wise tracking is enabled. |
| Project | Yes | |
| Customer, centers, item lines, totals | No | Edit the full document (Draft / For Revisal) or cancel and revise. |
Click Confirm to save or Cancel to close without saving.
View Tabs & Side Panels
When you open a commercial invoice in full view (not in a small modal), the right side shows tabbed panels. Click the expand icon on a tab to open the same data in a larger modal.
Top panel
| **Tab** | **What it shows** |
|---------|-------------------|
| Summary | Linked documents created from this commercial invoice — sale invoices and related follow-up transactions. See Sale Transaction Summary. |
Bottom panel (all transactions)
| **Tab** | **What it shows** |
|---------|-------------------|
| History | Activity log — who created, approved, edited, or cancelled the commercial invoice and when. |
| Attachments | Files uploaded to this commercial invoice. |
| Secondary Status | Custom secondary status history and updates, when secondary status is configured. |
Best Practices
Complete Add Export Details before printing or sharing with customs authorities.
Approve the commercial invoice before Create Invoice so export line details carry forward.
Use commercial invoices for final export billing; use Pro Forma Invoice for preliminary estimates.
Configure Sale Types for correct numbering and tax rules before creating commercial invoices.
FAQ
What is the difference between a Commercial Invoice and a Pro Forma Invoice?
A Pro Forma Invoice is a preliminary estimate. A Commercial Invoice is the final export billing document used for customs and conversion to a sale invoice.
Does a commercial invoice post to accounts?
No. Use Create Invoice to generate a sale invoice that posts to accounts and inventory.
When is Add Export Details available?
When export-related settings are enabled for your company. The action appears in the more menu on approved or closed commercial invoices.
Can I create a commercial invoice without a sale order?
Yes. Create directly from Sales → Commercial Invoice → New.
Why is Customer Info or Profit Summary not shown?
Commercial invoices show only the Summary tab in the top panel. Customer and profit widgets are not available on this transaction type.
Can I create a commercial invoice from a sale order?
Yes. On an approved sale order use Create Commercial Invoice to build the export billing document from order lines.
Who uses the commercial invoice vs sale invoice?
Commercial invoice is for customs and export documentation. Sale Invoice is the statutory accounts and inventory document in ERP.
Does commercial invoice update inventory?
No. Use Create Invoice on the commercial invoice to generate the posting sale invoice.
When should I add export details?
After approve when shipping, port, and customs fields are known. Export details print on export layouts configured in Sale Settings.
List row actions
| **Action** | **Available when status is** |
|------------|------------------------------|
| Edit | Draft, For Revisal |
| Delete | Draft, For Revisal |
| View | All statuses |
Creation sources
| **Source** | **Description** |
|------------|-----------------|
| Direct | Create from Sales → Commercial Invoice → New. |
| Sale Order | Use Create Commercial Invoice on an approved Sale Order. |
