What to Put on an Invoice: the Checklist

The checklist

An invoice has one job: to tell a client exactly what to pay, to whom, by when, and for what, in a form their bookkeeper can file. Everything on this list serves that job. The first group belongs on every invoice; the second is usual for business clients; the third only when it applies to you.

On every invoice

The word “Invoice”. So nobody mistakes it for a quote, a receipt or a statement. Every design prints it as the title.
A unique invoice number. One number per invoice, counting up, never reused. Bookkeepers and tax offices match payments to numbers, so a gap or a duplicate costs you an email. Pick a format and stay with it: 0042, 2026-017, or your initials and the year.
Your name and address. Your trading name as the client knows it, and a postal address. A company adds its registered name if that differs from the brand.
A way to reach you. An email address at least; a phone number if clients call. Questions about an invoice should have an obvious place to go.
The client's name and address. The legal name of the business you're billing, not just your contact's first name, with their address. A wrong name is the most common reason an invoice bounces back.
The invoice date. The day you issue it. Payment terms, late fees and tax periods all count from here.
What you're charging for. One line per product, service or block of work: a description the client recognises from the quote, a quantity and a unit price. Hours and days go in as the quantity.
The amounts. A total for each line, a subtotal, any discount or tax, and the total due, in one named currency.
When and how to pay. A due date written as a date (“Due 21 November 2026”, not only “Net 14”), and the payment details: bank account, a payment link, or both. Ask for the invoice number as the payment reference, so you can match the money when it lands.

Usually, for business clients

A contact or department. “Attn: Accounts payable” or the name of the person who approved the work gets the invoice to the right desk.
Their purchase order number. If the client gave you a PO or job number, print it. Many companies won't pay an invoice that doesn't quote one.
The period or delivery date. “October 2026”, “Shoot on 14 October” or “Delivered 3 November”: the client can check it against their records, and tax rules often care about the supply date, not the invoice date.
Your tax or company number. An EIN, UTR, company registration number or VAT number, as your country's rules and your client's accountant expect. It goes in the Tax ID field and prints with your details.
A short thank-you or note. One line. It's the last thing they read before paying.

Only when it applies

Tax. If you're registered for VAT, GST or sales tax, show the rate, the tax amount and the total including tax, and name the tax as your country does. Not registered? Leave tax off entirely rather than showing 0%.
VAT invoice details. VAT-registered businesses have a fixed list to meet: your VAT number (and the customer's for a reverse charge or an EU cross-border sale), the tax point, the net amount per rate, and mentions such as “Reverse charge”. The UK VAT and EU VAT templates walk through each rule with its source.
A deposit already paid. Show it as a negative line so the client sees the full price, what they've paid and what's left. The deposit invoice page shows both halves.
Late payment terms. If you'll charge interest or a fee on overdue invoices, say so on the invoice, and agree it in the contract first. See the late fee invoice for the UK and EU rules.
A QR code or Pay button. If the client can pay online, make it one tap: a payment link on the hosted page and a QR code on the PDF that opens it.
A signature. Not needed for an invoice to be valid in most countries, but some clients and professions expect one. It's a template option, off by default.

What the law requires

There is no single worldwide rule. The pattern is the same everywhere, though: tax law says what a tax invoice must carry, and anything else is between you and the client.

If you are…	The rule
in the US, not collecting sales tax	No federal law sets the contents of an invoice. The IRS asks you to keep invoices as records of your income; the list above is what a client's bookkeeper will expect. Sales tax, where you collect it, is a state matter: show the rate and the amount.
a UK business, not VAT registered	GOV.UK lists what an invoice must include: a unique number, your company name, address and contact details, the customer's name and address, a description, the supply date, the invoice date, the amounts and the total. Sole traders give their own name and any business name, plus an address for legal documents if they trade under a business name; limited companies give the full name on their certificate of incorporation, and if they list one director, they list them all.
VAT registered in the UK	All of the above plus HMRC's VAT invoice list (VAT Notice 700/21, section 4.1): your VAT number, the tax point, the VAT rate and the net amount per line, and the VAT total in sterling. Our UK VAT template maps each item.
VAT registered in the EU	Article 226 of the VAT Directive: a sequential number, the date, your VAT number (and the customer's when they pay the VAT under the reverse charge, or for goods sold to another EU country), the quantity and nature of the supply, the taxable amount per rate, the VAT amount, and the “Reverse charge” mention where it applies. Our EU VAT template maps each item.

Sources: GOV.UK, Invoicing and taking payment from customers: what invoices must include and HMRC, VAT Notice 700/21 (Open Government Licence); Council Directive 2006/112/EC, Article 226; IRS, What kind of records should I keep. This page is a guide, not tax advice.

What to leave off

An invoice is read in about ten seconds, by someone deciding whether to pay it or put it on a pile. Everything that doesn't help that decision gets in the way.

Your full terms and conditions. They belong in the contract or quote the client already agreed to. On the invoice, one line of terms is enough.
A second page. Fifteen lines fit on one page with room to spare. If you need more, group the work into fewer lines, or split the job into two invoices for two periods.
Card numbers and passwords. Bank account details for a transfer are normal; a card number never is. Payment links should be your own, from a processor the client can recognise.
More personal data than needed. Print the client's business address, not someone's home address or personal phone, unless they are the business.
Apologies and explanations. If the price changed, say so in the email. The invoice itself should read as settled.

Check it against the sample

The sample above has every item from the first two groups: the number, both addresses with a contact line, the PO number, a dated period in the descriptions, a tax ID, a due date written out, bank details and a payment link with its QR code. Read your own invoice the way a client's bookkeeper would: can they tell who it's from, what it's for, how much and by when, without asking a question? If yes, send it.

The quickest way to get all of this right every time is to start from a template that already has the fields in place: pick one from the invoice templates, or read how to write an invoice for the order to fill them in.

Questions

Do I have to put my tax number on an invoice?

Only if you charge tax: a VAT or GST invoice must show your registration number. Otherwise it's optional, though business clients in some countries expect a company or tax ID so they can file the invoice. Put it in the Tax ID field with its prefix, e.g. “EIN 00-0000000” or “VAT GB 000 0000 00”.

Does an invoice need a due date?

No law requires one in most places, but an invoice without a due date gets paid when the client gets round to it. Write the actual date, not only “Net 30”, and keep the same terms on every invoice so clients learn them.

Is a purchase order number required?

Only if the client issued one, and then it's the first thing their accounts team looks for. Put it in the notes or in a line description. If they didn't give you a PO, you don't need one.

Does an invoice need to be signed?

Almost never. An invoice is a request for payment, not a contract, so it's valid without a signature in the US, UK and EU. If a client or your profession expects one, turn on the signature block in the editor.

What's the difference between the invoice date and the supply date?

The invoice date is when you issue the document; the supply date (the tax point, in VAT terms) is when you delivered the work. They're often the same day. When they differ, put the supply date or period in the line descriptions or the notes.