Bilty vs Freight Invoice: What is the Difference and When to Use Which?

New transporters often ask: if I have already made a bilty, why do I also need an invoice? The answer is that the two documents do different jobs.

The bilty is proof of carriage

A bilty (lorry receipt) is issued when you accept goods. It records what was booked, from where to where, on which vehicle, and the freight terms. It travels with the goods and is used to take delivery.

The freight invoice is a demand for payment

A freight invoice is issued to bill the party. It lists one or more consignments with their freight and charges, the total amount payable, and tax details where applicable. Your party's accounts team pays against the invoice, not the bilty.

When do you need both?

For Paid and To Pay consignments, the bilty alone is often enough because freight is settled at booking or delivery. For To Be Billed (TBB) parties — companies you work with regularly on credit — you issue bilties for each trip and then a freight invoice, often weekly or monthly, covering many bilties together.

Creating an invoice from bilties

In LReasy, open Invoice → New, choose the party and select the bilties you want to bill. The consignment details and amounts are pulled in automatically, so there is no retyping and no chance of billing the same bilty twice.

Keep taxes in order

GST treatment of transport services depends on who pays tax under your registration and the option you have chosen. Mention the correct details on your invoice, and confirm the applicable rates with your chartered accountant. LReasy's GST report summarises taxable value and tax for the period to make filing easier.

Try LReasy — bilty, invoice and ledgers in one place.