Invoice Generator

How to make an invoice using the invoice generator

These step by step instructions will show you how to create an invoice that includes all the standard elements of a professional invoice. Below, we’ll dive into how you can customize your invoice to be unique to your business.

The first time you create an invoice, you'll need to add some information to the blank invoice template.

1. Add your company details in the From section, including the name, phone number, and address
2. Fill out your client’s details in the For section, including name, email, and address
3. Add each line item, along with a description, rate, and quantity
4. If applicable, enter the tax rate, type of currency, and discount amount
5. Write payment instructions and terms in Notes section
6. Customize your invoice by adding a logo and selecting your brand color

How to send an invoice

Once your first invoice is complete, you’ll need to learn how to send it to your client. Our invoice generator gives you two easy options to send an invoice.

First, compose an email to your client. You can include a link to your invoice in the email or send them a PDF of the invoice as an attachment. The client simply clicks on the link or the attachment to see the invoice.

Then, check in on the status of your sent invoice. If you email your invoice directly from Invoice Simple, you will receive a notification when your customer views the invoice. The notification is useful for following up with clients to confirm payment.

Essential elements of an invoice

There are 9 main elements of an invoice. Some of theses elements are necessary, while others are extra or used only for customization.

1. Header

   Headers that clearly state the document is an invoice can be extremely useful when sorting through multiple documents. This will save you time when reviewing your records or completing taxes. Many companies include their logo on the right hand side of the header. In the image above we don't have a logo and that's perfectly alright as long as the rest of the invoice is laid out properly.

2. Company name and details

   When creating an invoice, you should include the legal name and contact details of your business. This should include your address, phone number, and email address. Usually, company information is written near the top of the invoice to create a clear differentiation between the company providing the goods or services and the company receiving them.

3. Name and Details of Client

   Clearly state the name and contact details of your client. These contact details should include an address, phone number, and email address.

4. Invoice Number

   An Invoice Number is a unique identifier for an invoice. Invoice Numbers can help you keep track of multiple invoices. Invoice Numbers can be structured in various ways including file numbers (INV0001), unique billing code, or date-based purchase order numbers. Make sure to increment the invoice number every time you make a new invoice. If you're our invoice generator this will be done for you automatically.

5. Date

   It’s important to include the date that each invoice is issued. This can clear up confusion when the same customer receives multiple invoices. Because payment is usually due a specified number of days after receipt of the invoice, including the date is an important part of showing when payment is due.

6. Description of Goods or Services Rendered

   These are your invoice line items. Each row should include the following: (1) Name of the goods or service provided. (2) Unit price, if you're billing for hours then this should be your hourly rate. (3) Quantity, if you're billing for hours then this should be the number of hours worked.

7. Itemized fees

   Next, add any tax, shipping and handling, or extra fees that apply to the goods or services provided. We recommend listing these taxes and fees as separate line items, as some companies use different internal budgets to cover these fees.

8. Balance Due

   The invoice generator will calculate the total balance due from the line items you entered in boxes six and seven.

9. Terms, Conditions and Payment Instructions

   One of the most overlooked parts of an invoice is the Terms and Conditions of payment. The standard payment terms vary by industry, your company’s policy, or previous history with the customer. It’s important to clearly state the penalties of the terms are not met which can include late fees or additional charges. You should also add in your preferred payment method (cheque or cash, bank transfer, PayPal or credit card). Then add in your payment instructions, for example if you prefer bank transfers then write your account number and bank name.

Alternatives to Using an Invoice Generator

You may start out using a simple invoice template on Microsoft Excel or Word, but once you’ve made a few invoices you'll realize that you're wasting a lot of time on repetitive tasks. For example:

• You need to duplicate and rename your original file every time you want to make a new Invoice.
• You end up copying or re-typing client and item details despite sending the same client an invoice in the past.
• It's a hassle to organize and find old Invoices.
• If you want to know how much you've invoiced over a certain period you'll have to open up every single file and manually add up the totals.

Each extra minute you spend doing this administrative work is time and money lost.

Benefits of Using an Invoice Generator

Saving you from retyping information

The first time you use our generator, it'll offer up a blank invoice template. However once you fill out your business information (email, company name, phone number) it'll automatically be saved for all future visits. The same applies to your items, clients and general invoice settings (invoice color, number, currency).

The next time you want to create an invoice, the invoice template will automatically be filled with all of your relevant information. The same applies to your clients and items. We'll fill out your entire client information (phone, email, address) as you start typing the client name.

Get Shareable and Printable Online Invoice In One Go

You can share or download a PDF version of your invoice with a click of a button. This is a big time saver compared to using excel or word invoice templates where you need to go through a series of steps to export to PDF, or be sure that your client has the right application to view your invoices.

There are a few additional benefits to emailing your invoice through Invoice Generator. One is that your invoice will be suitable for mobile and desktop viewing. Second is that you'll be notified when your client receives and views the invoice. And thirdly if your client hasn't viewed you invoice after a couple days, Invoice Simple will automatically send them a polite reminder.

Instead of working hard, we should work smart! The smart thing is to use the right tool for the job, an invoice generator.

Our Free Invoice Generator Saves You Time

When you use Invoice Simple's invoice generator you save yourself a lot of time and effort. Here are some of the reasons why:

• Automatically save your clients and items so they’re available the next time you're writing an invoice
• Organize your invoices in seconds
• Use a professionally designed template that's compatible with printers and mobile devices
• See a full overview of your business effortlessly and in moments
• Know when your invoice is viewed by a customer
• Process credit cards online or on location
• And access many more amazing benefits

See our guide to invoicing software for small businesses for more detail on all your options.

Online invoice generator Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: Can I see a sample invoice?

  

  A: You can easily preview what your invoice will look like by clicking on “preview” at the top left of the page. We've also put together a sample invoice for you, so you can see what a finished invoice would look like. Find more sample invoices here

• Q: Can I put my own logo on the invoice template?

  A: Yes. Select the logo box in the top right corner. Then, you can upload your logo or drag and drop it into place. Both JPEG and PNG images are supported.

• Q: How do I send my Invoice?

  A: The Invoice Simple invoice generator allows you to email your invoice, download a PDF copy, or send a link to your invoice. If you email your Invoice directly from Invoice Simple, we’ll notify you when your customer views it. This can be useful for following up with them later. If you send a link to your customer, they can download or print the invoice from the link.

• Q: Will my clients see 'Invoice Simple' on my invoices?

  A: Never. Regardless of whether you have a registered account or not, your generated invoices are always 100% unbranded.

• Q: Can I generate a PDF invoice?

  A: Absolutely. The PDF button at the top of the invoice page lets you instantly download a PDF file of your invoice that you can save for your records or send to your customer.

• Q: Can I change the currency?

  A: Yes. Our invoice generator should detect your currency automatically. However, if you want to make an invoice in a different currency, you can easily change the selected currency using the Settings panel on the right.

• Q: Can I save my invoice and customer details?

  A: Yes. Your invoices are automatically saved to your invoices list. There is also a clients list That automatically saves customer information.

• Q: As a freelancer, how do I make an invoice for time?

  A: We’ve found that what works well is to enter the number of hours worked into the quantity field and your hourly rate into the price field. The invoice generator will then calculate the total amount due.

• Q: How do I charge taxes using the invoice generator?

  A: If you'd like your invoice to include taxes on top of your prices, use the Settings panel on the right to enable a tax setting. Then, you can enter a tax rate and label.

• Q: What about line items that already have tax applied?

  A: If your prices already include tax, and you'd like your invoice to show the amount of tax included, then select the “Inclusive?” checkbox when enabling taxes.

• Q: What is an invoice?

  A: Looking to find out what an invoice really is? Here's a complete explanation of what an invoice is . If that isn't enough of an explanation, then see what Wikipedia has to say about it. Essentially, an invoice is a document that details what you did for a customer and what they owe you for that service or product.

• Q: How can I process credit cards for my business?

  A: We use payment processing services, Stripe and PayPal, depending on location. Simply sign up for Invoice Simple via our mobile apps or online, and go to the settings section to integrate payments.

• Q: Can I create an invoice in another language?

  A: Yes, you can easily generate an invoice in 5 languages:

  • English  Invoice Generator
  • Français  Facture En Ligne
  • Deutsche  Rechnung Schreiben
  • Italiano  Fatture In Cloud
  • Español  Factura Simplificada
  • Nederlands  Factuur Maken