How to make an invoice (the nine fields that get it paid)

1. Who is billing and who is paying

Start with your own legal name, address and contact details, then the client’s. If you trade under a different name from the one on your bank account, add both — the mismatch between invoice and bank transfer is a common reason payments bounce back.

2. A unique invoice number

Numbers must be sequential and never reused, even if an invoice is cancelled. Most countries expect an unbroken series; accountants read gaps as missing invoices. A simple year-based scheme works: 2026-0001, 2026-0002.

3. Issue date and due date

The issue date starts the clock, the due date ends it. Write the due date as an actual date rather than “net 30” if you want to avoid the client counting from the day they opened the email instead of the day you sent it.

4. What you are billing for

One line per deliverable, described specifically enough that the client does not need to open a contract: “Website redesign — phase 2, checkout integration”, not “services rendered”. Quantities, hours and rates belong here too.

5. Subtotal, tax, discount, total

Show the subtotal before tax, then any discount, then tax as a rate and an amount, then the total. Never present a single all-in number: clients cannot verify it, and tax authorities expect the breakdown.

6. Currency

State the currency explicitly. If you invoice in a foreign currency, add the exchange-rate reference and the date you used it, especially for cross-border work where the client’s bank may apply a different rate.

7. Payment terms and methods

Bank details, card link, or both, plus the terms: 14 days, 30 days, deposit plus balance. A payment reference makes reconciliation immediate and stops the “which invoice is this?” email.

8. Tax identifiers where they apply

A VAT number for EU business-to-business work, a tax ID elsewhere. When reverse charge applies, say so on the invoice — the wording is what makes the invoice valid for both sides.

9. Notes

Late-payment interest, a purchase order number, a project reference, or a thank-you line. Notes are the pressure valve: everything that matters but does not belong in the columns.

The mistakes that delay payment

• Vague line descriptions that force the client to ask what they are paying for.
• A missing or duplicated invoice number.
• Tax shown as a lump sum instead of a rate and an amount.
• Wrong legal entity or a trading name that does not match the bank account.
• Payment details buried in an email signature instead of on the invoice itself.

Make one in about a minute

The generator on this site fills the layout, calculates the totals and exports a PDF. Nothing is uploaded — the invoice is built in your browser. Open it, type, download.