{"id":8458,"date":"2026-05-22T08:40:40","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T06:40:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/?post_type=manual_kb&#038;p=8458"},"modified":"2026-05-22T08:40:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T06:40:42","slug":"proforma-what-is-it-and-why-you-should-use-it","status":"publish","type":"manual_kb","link":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/proforma-what-is-it-and-why-you-should-use-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Proforma &#8211; what is it and why you should use it"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"translation-block translation-block-merged\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A proforma invoice is a financial document that, while not legally binding like a standard invoice, plays a significant role in business relationships.<br>Why? It allows businesses and customers to gain a clear picture of the costs associated with a transaction before it&#8217;s finalized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_86 ez-toc-wrap-left counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/proforma-what-is-it-and-why-you-should-use-it\/#What_is_a_proforma_invoice\" >What is a proforma invoice?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/proforma-what-is-it-and-why-you-should-use-it\/#Why_is_it_worth_using_a_proforma_invoice\" >Why is it worth using a proforma invoice?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/proforma-what-is-it-and-why-you-should-use-it\/#Key_elements_of_a_proforma_invoice\" >Key elements of a proforma invoice<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/proforma-what-is-it-and-why-you-should-use-it\/#Summary\" >Summary<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_a_proforma_invoice\"><\/span><strong>What is a proforma invoice?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A proforma invoice is a type of invoice presented by a supplier before the actual performance of a service or delivery of goods. It is a document that presents the expected transaction costs, including the unit price, quantity, total value, and any additional fees or discounts. Unlike a standard invoice, a proforma invoice is not a legally binding document, but rather represents a commitment by the supplier to deliver specific products or services under specified terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_is_it_worth_using_a_proforma_invoice\"><\/span><strong>Why is it worth using a proforma invoice?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Financial transparency:<\/strong>\u00a0A proforma invoice allows the customer to understand the full scope of costs before making a purchasing decision, which promotes financial transparency.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Negotiations and agreements:<\/strong>\u00a0Providing a proforma invoice gives you the opportunity to negotiate the terms of the transaction before finalization, which may lead to agreements on prices, quantities or payment terms.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Financial preparation:<\/strong>\u00a0An entrepreneur can easily estimate costs and prepare financially for upcoming obligations.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Key_elements_of_a_proforma_invoice\"><\/span><strong>Key elements of a proforma invoice<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Seller and Buyer Data:<\/strong>\u00a0Information identifying both parties to a transaction.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Product or service description:<\/strong>\u00a0A detailed description of the goods or services, including the unit price and quantity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Payment deadline:<\/strong>\u00a0Specifying the time within which the customer must pay the amount due.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Grand Total:<\/strong>\u00a0The total value of the transaction, including any discounts or additional fees.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Summary\"><\/span><strong>Summary<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div id=\"mybox-1222202338\" class=\"mybox-content mybox-entity-placement\"><div class=\"early-access-banner-inpost\">\r\n  <div class=\"banner-left-inpost\">\r\n    <div class=\"icon-box-inpost\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/square-info-icon.svg\" alt=\"Info\">\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"text-box-inpost\">\r\n      <span class=\"label-inpost\"><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Early access<\/span><\/span>\r\n      <h4><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Still need help?<\/span><\/h4>\r\n      <p><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Contact our customer service team.<\/span><\/p>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <div class=\"banner-right-inpost\">\r\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/panel.mybox.com\/helpdesk2\/v\/list\/\" class=\"banner-button-inpost\"><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Message us<\/span><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"translation-block translation-block-merged\"><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A proforma invoice is a tool that increases the transparency and efficiency of the commercial process. It provides key information to the customer before finalizing the transaction, enabling informed purchasing decisions. For businesses, it also serves as a tool for negotiations and preparing for future financial obligations. It&#8217;s worth remembering that, despite its lack of legal status, a proforma invoice plays a crucial role in building trust and good cooperation between supplier and customer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","manualknowledgebasecat":[19],"manual_kb_tag":[7456,7457,7458,7459,7460,7461,3512,6836,7454,7455],"class_list":["post-8458","manual_kb","type-manual_kb","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","manualknowledgebasecat-invoices-and-payments","manual_kb_tag-proforma-invoice-template","manual_kb_tag-proforma-invoice-example","manual_kb_tag-proforma-invoice-sample","manual_kb_tag-benefits-of-proforma-invoice","manual_kb_tag-proforma-invoice-vs-commercial-invoice","manual_kb_tag-proforma-invoice-purpose","manual_kb_tag-proforma-invoice","manual_kb_tag-proforma-invoice-meaning","manual_kb_tag-what-is-a-proforma-invoice","manual_kb_tag-proforma-invoice-definition"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/8458","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/manual_kb"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/8458\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8459,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/8458\/revisions\/8459"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"manualknowledgebasecat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manualknowledgebasecat?post=8458"},{"taxonomy":"manual_kb_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb_tag?post=8458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}