Free Invoice Templates Customize in Word, PDF & Excel

They provide a legal document that details the transaction and terms under which sales occur. Companies need to make sure invoices include pertinent information and are accurate. A consolidated invoice can contain requests for payment for multiple goods and services, grouping them together into one bill. This can save time for buyers who make multiple purchases over time. While you do not need to provide a great deal of detail, you do need to itemize the products or services provided so that the buyer can easily identify them. If there is a list of products, you will want to provide a brief description along with the unit price and the quantities provided.

In some cases you’ll also need to add details such as the materials used to make the product. The best program to create invoices is Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, FreshBooks, Quickbooks, and more. FreshBooks offers a range of features which includes invoice templates, invoicing and integration with accounting software.

Open the Invoice Template

It works well for general invoicing, but not so much for a specialized invoice like a credit or debit invoice. However, there’s a lot of work to be done before any invoice goes out. The most profitable companies work strategically to cultivate and manage sales pipelines to https://www.bookstime.com/ grow their business. That’s why so many businesses have turned to solutions like Close. It may also include any late fees or actions that can be taken by the buyers for lack of payment. This information may also be included in statements, which detail activity on accounts.

When itemizing your invoice, consider what’s normal for your industry. If it’s standard practice for a seller to include the unit price, cost for shipment, sales tax, or a copy of the sales order, make sure to include it. Find out if buyers expect a seller to provide what is a sales invoice a separate tax invoice. You don’t want to cause any confusion for your buyer and risk late payment. You’ll need a commercial invoice for any goods crossing the border, including things with little or no commercial value, like samples and items being sold online.

How to Make a Sales Invoice and Get Paid Faster for Your Goods Sold

Boost your professional reputation and trustworthiness by sending PDF invoices to your customers. This Portable Document Format lets you send invoices the way they were originally created even after you convert them to PDF. They can be password-protected, and each change to your invoice leaves an electronic footprint. If you’ve sent out invoices before (for example using one of our invoice templates) then adjust the invoice number here to match your current sequence.

• The calculations are done for you, and you can specify the tax rate, shipping and handling, or other fees.
• In some cases you’ll also need to add details such as the materials used to make the product.
• Pro forma invoices are issued to a customer before a product or service is delivered.
• With QuickBooks Payments invoicing features, you can accept payments, send custom invoices, and take advantage of automatic matching to streamline your bookkeeping.
• You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content in this publication.

By assigning a unique number to each invoice you send, you make it easier on yourself to track payment status. By keeping the number sequential, you make it easier for clients to see how and when they need to pay. Here’s how to write an invoice the simplest way possible — using online invoicing software. With QuickBooks Payments invoicing features, you can accept payments, send custom invoices, and take advantage of automatic matching to streamline your bookkeeping.

Step #2. Write the Client’s Contact Details

The invoice tells the buyer how much they owe the seller and sets up payment terms for the transaction. Sales invoices provide valuable insights into a business’s performance and growth, which can help business owners create useful plans and projections for the future. By analyzing your invoices over long periods of time, you can determine your most and least popular products, identify peak sales times and recognize revenue trends. All this information can help you make your business more efficient to increase your earnings in the future. Make a copy, and you’ll be able to create an invoice on any device with Google Docs.

Customers want to see and understand the breakdown of what they owe and so does your accounting department. A good sales process is the foundation of any successful sales organization. Learn how to improve your sales process and close more deals with this free guide. If a large job is paid out in multiple smaller increments, interim invoices will be submitted, followed by a final invoice when the project is complete. Also known as an estimate, this type of invoice is given before services are provided and may need to be altered later.

Consolidated Invoice

Provide an itemized list of services provided on your sales invoice, with a brief description of each service, the quantity supplied or hours worked, and the service rate. When saving an invoice for your own use (i.e., a template), it’s best to use an editable format like .doc/.docx (for Word) or .xlxs (for Excel). When it’s time to send the invoice to your client, however, you don’t want the document to be edited, so it’s best to use the .pdf file format.