What to Put on an Invoice: A Checklist

An invoice is a request for payment, but it is also the record both sides will look at later: when the customer's accountant asks what a charge was for, when you prepare your own books, and when a payment goes missing. A clear invoice gets paid sooner and causes fewer questions. Here is what to include.

The essentials

• The word "Invoice" at the top, so nobody mistakes it for a quotation or a receipt.
• A unique invoice number. Use a running sequence (INV-0001, INV-0002) and never reuse a number. Gaps and duplicates are the first thing an accountant notices.
• The issue date and the due date. Without a due date, "pay when you can" is the customer's default.
• Your business details: the name you trade under, address, phone or email, and any registration or tax number your country requires.
• The customer's details: name, company if there is one, and a contact address or email.
• A line for each item or service, with a short description, quantity and unit price. "Car wash x 3 at 15.00" is better than "Services 45.00".
• The total, with any discount, tax and the grand total shown separately, so the customer can see how you got there.
• The currency, especially if you work with customers abroad.

Payment details

Tell the customer exactly how to pay. Include the bank name, account name and number, or your payment QR code and wallet details if that is how your customers pay. Add a reference they should quote, such as the invoice number, so you can match the payment when it arrives.

State your payment terms in one line: "Due within 14 days", "Due on receipt", or "50% deposit now, balance on completion". Short terms written plainly beat long terms nobody reads.

Things that are easy to forget

• Tax. If you charge sales tax, GST, VAT or similar, show the rate and the amount. Whether you must, and what the invoice has to say, depends on your country and your registration, so check your local requirements or ask an accountant.
• A purchase order or job reference, if the customer gave you one. Larger customers often cannot pay without it.
• Late-payment terms, if you charge for late payment. Mention it on the invoice and, ideally, agree it before the work starts.
• A thank-you line. It costs nothing and keeps the tone friendly when you chase later.

Habits that get you paid faster

1. Send it the same day as the sale or the finished job, while the work is fresh.
2. Send it where the customer will see it, such as by email or as a link on WhatsApp, not only on paper.
3. Keep one numbering sequence and record every invoice, even small ones.
4. Mark invoices as paid as soon as the money arrives, so you always know who still owes you.

Doing it without a template

You can build all of this in a spreadsheet, but numbering, totals and "who has paid" tracking quickly turn into manual work. EzInvoice creates numbered invoices, quotations and receipts from your phone, lets you share an invoice as a link, and keeps track of what is paid and what is outstanding. You can start free. If you also sell over the counter, see how Quick Sale records a sale in a few taps.