What to Include on an Invoice: The Complete Checklist

There are two questions hiding inside "what should go on an invoice?" One is legal: what does your tax authority require? The other is practical: what does the person paying it need so they can approve it without emailing you? A good invoice answers both.

The core checklist

These belong on every invoice, everywhere:

The word Invoice (or Tax invoice where required)
A unique invoice number
The invoice date
Your name or business name, address and contact details
The customer's name and address
A description of each item or service
Quantity and unit price for each line
Line totals, a subtotal and the total amount due
Payment terms or a due date
How to pay

If you have all ten, your invoice will be accepted by almost any small business or private customer. The rest of this guide is about the additions that depend on where you are and who you're billing.

When you're registered for tax

This is the part that has legal teeth. If you charge VAT, GST or sales tax, the rules for what must appear get stricter.

United Kingdom (VAT)

HMRC's list for a full VAT invoice includes a sequential invoice number, the time of supply (tax point) if it differs from the invoice date, your VAT registration number, a description of the goods or services, the quantity, the unit price excluding VAT, the VAT rate for each item, the total excluding VAT and the total VAT. For retail sales of £250 or less including VAT, you can issue a simplified invoice instead. The details are in our UK VAT invoice guide.

You also generally need to issue a VAT invoice within 30 days of the supply.

European Union (VAT)

The EU VAT Directive sets a similar minimum across member states: sequential number, issue date, supplier and customer VAT numbers where relevant, full names and addresses, a description, the date of supply, taxable amount per rate, the VAT rate and the VAT amount. Cross-border B2B services often fall under the reverse charge, and the invoice must say so, usually with the words "Reverse charge". More in our guide to invoicing international clients.

Australia (GST)

A tax invoice for a sale of $82.50 or more (including GST) is what lets your customer claim their GST credit. It must show that it's intended to be a tax invoice, your identity and ABN, the date, what was sold, the GST amount (or a statement that the total includes GST), and for sales of $1,000 or more, the buyer's identity or ABN. See what is a tax invoice.

United States (sales tax)

There's no federal invoice format. If you collect state sales tax, show the tax separately from the price and make sure your rate matches the customer's location where your state requires destination-based rates. Many services aren't taxable at all in many states, which is why a lot of US freelancers never show a tax line. The details are in sales tax on invoices.

What business clients will ask for

Big companies pay through accounts payable teams that process hundreds of invoices a week. They check invoices against internal records, and anything that doesn't match gets kicked back. Add these whenever they apply:

Purchase order (PO) number. If the client gave you one, it goes on the invoice. For many companies, no PO means no payment.
Their tax or VAT number. Required on B2B invoices in the EU in many cases, and useful elsewhere.
The name of the person who ordered the work. "Attn: Priya Shah, Marketing" helps AP route it.
A supplier or vendor number if they've set you up in their system.
Dates of service, for example "Work performed 4–15 August 2026".

Extras that help you get paid

These aren't required anywhere, but each one removes a reason to delay:

The due date written as a date, not only "Net 30".
Late payment terms. If you intend to charge a late fee or interest, the time to say so is before it's late. See late fees on invoices.
Early payment discount, such as "2% off if paid within 10 days". Worth it for some businesses, costly for others.
A payment reference to use: usually the invoice number.
A payment link, if you accept cards.
A thank-you line. It sounds soft, but it's a small signal that there's a person on the other end.

The generator has a field for every item on this list, and hides the ones you leave empty.

Open the invoice generator

What to leave off

Clutter slows approval too. You don't need:

Your full terms of business pasted in small print. Link to them or attach them once, with the first invoice.
Internal notes ("client was difficult about the revisions").
Multiple phone numbers, a fax number or every social profile you have.
A signature, in most cases. Invoices don't need signing unless your industry or client expects it.

A quick way to check yours

Before you send, read the invoice as if you were a clerk who has never heard of you. Can you tell who sent it, what it's for, how much to pay, by when, and how? Is there a number you'd use to find it again? If yes, it's done.