Proforma vs. quote vs. invoice
All three describe a price before or after work happens, but they carry different weight. A quote is an offer the client can accept or reject. A proforma invoice goes a step further: it is used once a deal is essentially agreed, often to confirm exact figures for customs, an import declaration, or an internal purchase approval before the goods ship or the work starts. A final invoice, sent after delivery, is the one that actually requests payment.
When people send one
Proforma invoices are common in international trade, where customs or a bank needs a document showing the declared value of goods before they cross a border. They also show up when a buyer's finance department needs a firm number to raise a purchase order internally before your work can be scheduled.
How to create one here
InvoiceSnap does not have a separate proforma mode, so use whichever of the two builders reads closest to your situation, and make it clear the document is not a demand for payment:
- Open the quote generator if you are still finalising terms; it already reads as pre-work wording.
- Open the invoice generator if the deal is confirmed and you need the invoice layout; prefix the number field with PROFORMA- (for example PROFORMA-2026-001) so it is unmistakably not the final invoice.
- Either way, add a line in the notes stating this is a proforma invoice and not a request for payment.
When the order is confirmed, build the real invoice with the same line items and a clean number, following the invoice number format guide.