Invoice template: free in Word, Excel and PDF

What the template contains

• Header: the word “Invoice”, the invoice number, the issue date and the due date
• Seller: name, address, tax ID or VAT number and company registration number
• Buyer: name, address and tax ID if a business
• Ten lines with description, quantity, unit, unit price and amount; currency and tax rate to fill in
• Subtotal, tax and total; the Excel version calculates them
• Payment terms, bank details (account or IBAN, SWIFT) and late-payment terms

How to fill it in, box by box

1. Number: one continuous series, for example INV-2026-001, INV-2026-002. Do not reuse or skip numbers: a continuous series is what auditors and tax inspectors expect.
2. Dates: the issue date, and the due date that follows your terms (on receipt, 15 days, 30 days…).
3. Your details and the buyer’s, with tax IDs. In many countries a tax invoice must show both VAT numbers when the buyer is registered.
4. Lines: describe each item precisely enough for the buyer to recognise it, with the same words as on your quotation or proforma.
5. Tax: the rate that applies to the sale, or 0% with the reason (export, exempt supply). If you are not registered for VAT or GST, charge none.
6. Payment: how to pay and the reference to quote, so that the payment can be matched.

When it must be a tax invoice

If you are registered for VAT or GST, your invoices usually have to meet extra rules, down to the title. Examples from our country guides:

• United Arab Emirates: the words “Tax Invoice”, your TRN and the VAT in dirhams, and e-invoicing from 2027. See the UAE guide.
• South Africa: “Tax Invoice”, “VAT Invoice” or “Invoice”, both VAT numbers when the buyer is a vendor, issued within 21 days. See the South Africa guide.
• India and Kenya: GST invoices above the e-invoicing threshold need an IRN, and Kenyan tax invoices go through eTIMS. See India and Kenya.

A blank template cannot do these things for you. Check your country’s rules, and use your tax authority’s system where it is compulsory.

From proforma to invoice to receipt

Most invoices follow an offer: a quotation or a proforma invoice. Copy its lines and prices to the invoice, unless the order changed. When the buyer pays, issue a payment receipt. When goods are delivered, a delivery note goes with them for the customer to sign. For goods crossing a border, the invoice that travels with them is a commercial invoice, with origin, HS codes and weights.

Faster online

In InvoiceProforma, an accepted quote or proforma becomes an invoice in one click, with the same lines and currency, in its own numbering series. The invoice has its due date. When you record a payment receipt against it, the invoice PDF shows the amount paid and the balance due. 52 currencies, your logo, stamp and signature, sent by email or WhatsApp.