Invoice generator › What to include
What to include on an invoice
Requirements vary by country, but the core set does not. Here it is, with the reason each element exists.
Your business
Bill to
Invoice
Items
| Description | Qty | Unit price | Amount |
|---|
Currency and tax
Not sure which applies? Three questions and you will know.
Payment and notes
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The required core
Near-universal, and the part that makes the document an invoice rather than a note asking for money:
| Element | Why it is there |
|---|---|
| The word Invoice | Distinguishes it from a quote, a receipt or a statement. Sounds trivial; accounts departments sort by it |
| Unique sequential number | Required in most jurisdictions and the basis of any audit trail |
| Date of issue | Starts the payment clock and fixes the tax period |
| Due date | "Net 30" is an instruction; a date is a deadline. Use both |
| Your legal name and address | Your trading name is not enough if you invoice through a company |
| Your tax number | Required if you are registered. If you are not, say so explicitly |
| Client's legal name and address | The entity that owes the money, not your contact's name alone |
| Description of what you supplied | Specific enough that somebody who was not involved can approve it |
| Quantities and unit prices | Lets the client check the arithmetic, which they will |
| Subtotal, tax, total | Three separate figures, never one |
| Currency, in letters | The single most common omission on international invoices |
| How to pay | Full bank details or a payment link, on the invoice itself |
Conditional, but important when they apply
- Your client's VAT number — required for an EU reverse charge invoice
- A statement explaining why no tax was charged — reverse charge, outside scope, or below the registration threshold. A bare 0% is what gets an invoice queried
- Purchase order number — where the client's process uses one, an invoice without it is not rejected so much as ignored
- Company registration number and registered office — required in many countries when you invoice through a company
- Late payment terms — interest or a fee, if you intend to be able to apply it later
The four omissions that actually delay payment
1. No bank details. "Details on request" adds a round trip and a day. Put the IBAN, the account number, the sort code — everything the payer needs — on the document.
2. No currency. A bare "$" or a bare number leaves an accounts clerk in another country guessing, and guessing means asking, and asking means next week.
3. A description nobody can approve. "Consulting — August" tells the person signing it off nothing. "Brand identity: logo, type system and 20-page guidelines, per proposal of 4 August" gets approved without a phone call.
4. Your contact's name where the company should be. The invoice has to name the legal entity that owes the money, or it may not be payable at all.
What to leave off
Your hourly rate, if you quoted a fixed price — it invites renegotiation after the work is done. Apologies. Long terms and conditions, which belong in the contract you already signed. And any hint of uncertainty: an invoice is a statement of what is owed, not a request for consideration.
One habit worth adopting
Send the invoice as a PDF attachment, and repeat the three key facts in the body of the
email: amount, currency, due date. Accounts departments process from the email as often as
from the attachment, and a subject line reading
Invoice 2026-014 — EUR 3,500 — due 18 September gets handled faster than
Invoice attached.
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Frequently asked questions
What is legally required on an invoice?
The exact list varies by country, but almost everywhere: the word invoice, a unique sequential number, the issue date, both parties' legal names and addresses, a description of what was supplied, the amount before tax, the tax, the total, and your tax registration number if you have one.
Do I have to put a due date on an invoice?
It is not always legally required, but an explicit date is far more effective than 'net 30'. Include both the terms and the calendar date.
What if I am not registered for VAT?
Charge no VAT and state why on the invoice — a short line noting you are below the registration threshold in your country prevents the invoice being queried.
Should I put my hourly rate on a fixed-price invoice?
No. It invites renegotiation after the work is delivered. Describe the deliverable and the agreed price.
Does an invoice need to be signed?
Generally no. An invoice is a demand for payment, not a contract, and in most jurisdictions no signature is required.