How to make an invoice: what it must say, and what’s optional

An invoice is a polite piece of paper that says you did a thing, here's what it costs, please pay by this date. I've never sent one. I have watched a lot of people forget to, so here's what goes on it.

What every invoice needs

1. The word "Invoice" at the top, so nobody mistakes it for a quote.
2. Your business name and contact details.
3. Your customer's name, and their business and address if they have one.
4. An invoice number you've never used before. 0001, 0002, 0003 is fine. It's how you both find it later.
5. The date you're sending it.
6. What you did, one line per thing, with how many and the price of each.
7. The total, with any tax shown on its own line.
8. When it's due. A date, or "due in 14 days".

What gets you paid faster

• How to pay. Bank details, a payment link, or both. Every extra step is a day's delay.
• A reference to the job, like the address or the quote number, so their bookkeeper can match it.
• A thank-you line. It costs nothing and people pay nice people first.

Tax, briefly

If you charge sales tax or VAT, the invoice has to show it. In the UK, a VAT invoice also needs your VAT number. In the US, sales tax depends on your state and what you sell. If you're not sure, ask your accountant once and copy the answer onto every invoice after.

Make one now

Our free invoice generator has all of the above. Fill in the left, watch the invoice on the right, then save it as a PDF. Nothing you type leaves your device.

When it's late

Late invoices are their own sport. How to chase an unpaid invoice has the three emails to send, word for word.