Small business guides > The invoicing survival guide > How to make an invoice
How to make an invoice that’s taken seriously
You’ve done the work; now it’s payment time. Here’s where your invoice plays a key role. Let’s walk through the process of making an invoice.
The etiquette of raising an invoice
Before drawing up an invoice, make sure your customer is expecting one. If your invoice comes out of nowhere, they may be slow to pay it, or even annoyed. Explain when you’ll be invoicing before you start doing business with a customer. If you don’t have an agreement in place, at least tell them when an invoice is about to be raised.
What information goes on an invoice
You need to show the seller, the buyer, and what was exchanged. You may also be required to show if you collected tax on the sale.
Anatomy of an invoice
Some of the details, such as your business name, will stay the same from one invoice to the next. Lock those things into your invoice template so you don’t have to keep rewriting them every time.
How to create an invoice number
You need to have a unique invoice number on every bill you send. This is to help you, the customer, or potentially auditors to track down specific invoices.
An invoice number can be any string of numbers and letters. You can use different approaches to create an invoice number, such as:
numbering your invoices sequentially, for example INV00001, INV00002
starting with a unique customer code, for example XER00001
including the date at the start of your invoice number, for example 2019-01-001
combining the customer code and date, for example XER-2019-01-001
Your numbering system can help you organize and search for past invoices quickly.
Invoice details – how much do you need to put in?
Always provide a description of the goods or services supplied so the customer knows what they’re paying for. If you provided a quote, use the same language in your invoice so the customer can see you’re delivering on your promise.
You want your invoices to be concise, but provide enough detail that your customer doesn’t need to come back with questions. Limit your invoice to a single page if possible.
If you need to provide a detailed record of the work done or a breakdown of the items used on the job, you can provide a summary on the invoice and add the details in an attachment.
Use an invoice template
The secret to a great invoice is having a great template to start with. A template – or templates – that you use each time, eliminates lots of copying and pasting and fiddly formatting.
Handwritten invoices are practically a thing of the past, so your choices are to:
create a Microsoft Word or Google doc
use a spreadsheet with simple formulas that calculate totals and taxes
use a template that comes with your invoicing or accounting software
or you can use our free template
If you’re creating your invoices in a Word document or spreadsheet, save it as a PDF before sending. That simple step can give you some protection against fraudsters.
The unbreakable rule of making an invoice
By far the most important thing about invoicing is that you remember to do it. That may sound ridiculous, but people forget all the time.
Find a regular time that suits you to do your invoicing. That might be the end of the day or the end of the week. Put that time aside and just get on with it.
If it’s fast and simple to make an invoice, you won’t be so tempted to put it off. Consider using a mobile app so you can invoice on the go from your phone.
How can invoicing software help?
Software can speed up a lot of the processes around billing.
They have dozens of templates to choose from
You can drag and drop your logo to brand them
They allow you to create quotes
You can quickly convert a quote into an invoice
Invoices can be created and sent on a phone
You can offer a ‘pay now’ option for customers with credit or debit cards
Main steps to follow when preparing an invoice
Here are the main steps:
- Open your invoice template.
- Add the date.
- Enter the invoice number.
- Fill out the customer name, address, reference and/or order number.
- Enter a description of the goods or services.
- Total the costs and double-check your math.
- Check and make any changes to the payment terms that apply to this customer or this job.
- Get the invoice approved if you need to before you send it.
- If you use a Word document or spreadsheet template, save the invoice as a PDF before sending to provide some protection against it being altered by fraudsters.
- Once sent, file a copy for your tax records.
"Get the client, do the work, and invoice as soon as possible. Make the invoice so clear you get paid for it, no questions asked. The invoice should be your brand equity. The client should be in no doubt about the value-add you bring."
Lisa Martin, Go Fi8ure, Xero gold partner
Chapter 3: How to send an invoice
Some businesses invoice every week or every two weeks. Some do it only once a month. But the truth is, it’s best to send your invoice as soon as the work is done.
Read chapter 3
