<\/p>\n
It might seem simple, but if you\u2019ve never produced an invoice before, how would you know what to include?<\/p>\n
All invoices should be clearly marked with the word \u2018invoice\u2019 to make it obvious to the recipient that it is a request for payment. Using sufficiently large letters at the top of the page is a good way to do this; then there can be no confusion. Don\u2019t overly design your invoices; keep them simple.<\/p>\n
For a start, your business name, address and contact details \u2013 including phone number and email address. Many small firms print their invoices out onto their letterheads. If you\u2019re planning to email your invoices, you may need an electronic template.<\/p>\n
You should also include an invoice number, which should be unique. That means it refers specifically to one invoice only.<\/p>\n
You also should state the customer\u2019s name and address, the name and job title of the person who placed the order and a thorough description of the items they bought and the date the order was placed. The invoice itself should have a date of issue, if this is different, but your terms and conditions [T&Cs] should make clear when payment is expected.<\/p>\n
You should include your bank account details \u2013 bank, account name, account number and sort code. Direct payment is better because you don\u2019t have to worry about having to pay money into your bank, which can be a hassle.<\/p>\n
Obviously, the total amount you are requesting needs detailing. It should also be broken down, if various goods or services have been supplied. If a discount has been given, this should be detailed, too.<\/p>\n
Firstly, you must include your VAT Registration Number. You must also detail the amount of VAT on each item and the VAT rate charged, unless the same amount of VAT has been applied to each item, in which case an overall amount and rate is sufficient. You must include: a net unit price or rate; quantity; rate of VAT applicable; total net amount payable; rate of any cash discount and total amount of VAT charged.<\/p>\n
By law, you must include the full company name, its registered number, registered address and part of the United Kingdom in which the company is registered (ie England and Wales, or Scotland, or Northern Ireland). If you\u2019re using a trading name, this must also be shown.<\/p>\n
Keep it simple \u2013 a sequential numbering system works best. You might be instructed to include a purchase order number, too, if the customer has provided you with one. It helps them to cross-reference when they receive your invoice.<\/p>\n
You should always have T&CS in place with your customers and make sure they\u2019re aware of the key requirements. These explain payment terms, what happens in the case of late payment or late delivery, etc.<\/p>\n
Free sample terms are available online, although it\u2019s wise to seek tailored advice. If you do not have terms in place and something goes wrong, you might not get paid. On your invoice, I\u2019d recommend giving a simple deadline, for example, \u201cPlease pay within 30 days\u201d.<\/p>\n
In accordance with the T&Cs you\u2019ve agreed. To help with the business cashflow and administration, get them out as soon as possible and favour quick payment terms if possible, but such things can depend on your sector and type of business.<\/p>\n
You can do this, but it must be set out in your T&Cs and agreed by the customer. There are no legal restrictions on payment terms, but it\u2019s best to have these specifically agreed before the goods or services are supplied. As soon as an invoice becomes overdue, you should chase up payment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It might seem simple, but if you\u2019ve never produced an invoice before, how would you know what to include? Should I include the word \u2018Invoice\u2019 in big letters at the top? All invoices should…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12623,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1067,1033,959],"tags":[30,51,52],"class_list":["post-971","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-to-review","category-1-about-accounts-and-tax","category-all-posts","tag-cheapaccounting-co-uk","tag-invoice","tag-what-is-on-an-invoice"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapaccounting.co.uk\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/971","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapaccounting.co.uk\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapaccounting.co.uk\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapaccounting.co.uk\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapaccounting.co.uk\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=971"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapaccounting.co.uk\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/971\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12625,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapaccounting.co.uk\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/971\/revisions\/12625"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapaccounting.co.uk\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12623"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapaccounting.co.uk\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=971"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapaccounting.co.uk\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=971"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapaccounting.co.uk\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=971"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}