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Version: 6.0

Shipments from invoice

The system may support a scenario where a shipment is created from an invoice.

This is convenient when the invoice is the “main” document and the inventory shipment is created afterwards.

When creation is available​

The shipment creation button in the invoice card is typically available if:

  • the invoice is active (not Canceled);
  • a shipment type is set for the invoice type (see Inventory settings);
  • the invoice has lines that need to be shipped (the “to ship” quantity is greater than zero).

If a shipment has already been created for all positions, the button is not shown.

What the system does when creating​

When creating a shipment from an invoice, the system:

  1. Creates a new shipment document.
  2. Copies key fields from the invoice:
  3. Creates shipment lines from invoice lines:
    • only item (goods) lines are included;
    • quantity in the shipment equals the “to ship” quantity in the invoice line;
    • the shipment line is linked to the invoice line.
  4. Opens the created shipment for further work.

Automatic shipment creation​

An invoice type can have an “Automatically create shipment” setting.

If enabled, when the invoice moves to a ready state (or when item lines appear), the system automatically creates a shipment.

Change synchronization​

If the shipment was created automatically, the system may keep the invoice and shipment synchronized in some cases:

  • if the invoice is Canceled and there was only one shipment — the shipment is Canceled automatically;
  • if the partner was changed and there was only one shipment — the partner is updated in the shipment;
  • if the item or quantity in an invoice line was changed — the item and quantity are updated in the shipment line.

Practical meaning: the shipment stays consistent with the invoice while you work with the documents.

Typical scenario​

  1. Open an invoice.
  2. Click "Create Shipment".
  3. Verify the location and delivery address.
  4. Verify line quantities (that exactly what is needed is shipped).
  5. Post/confirm the shipment.

Planned vs. immediate shipment​

A shipment created from an invoice can be either planned or immediate. The mode is controlled by the "Planned shipment" flag on the invoice type:

  • if the flag is on, the created shipment is a regular planned shipment — it goes through the usual Waiting / Ready / Done workflow;
  • if the flag is off, the created shipment is marked as immediate and is automatically moved to Done at the moment of creation. In this mode the shipment is essentially a passive record of what the invoice already declared as shipped.

Reverse direction: invoice from shipments​

The opposite flow is also supported — an invoice can be created from one or more already-existing shipments. The action lives on the shipments list and is typically called "Create invoice":

  1. Open the shipments list.
  2. Select one or more shipments that belong to the same customer and are not yet linked to an invoice.
  3. Run "Create invoice" — the system creates a new draft invoice whose lines reference the selected shipment lines.

This is convenient when the warehouse documents the shipment first and the invoice is issued afterwards.

See also: Invoicing → Invoices; Inventory → Shipments.