What details should I include on a UK invoice?

For a UK invoice, include your business name and address, the customer name and address, a unique invoice number, issue and supply dates, a description, and the amount due. UK VAT invoices require further particulars. Check GOV.UK guidance before using a document for tax records.

Can I invoice without a company?

In the UK, a sole trader can invoice in their own name and address without a company number. If you trade under a business name, include an address where legal documents can be delivered. Check the rules where you trade.

How soon should I expect to be paid?

Whatever your terms say, and they only work if they are on the document. Net 30 means thirty days from the invoice date; due on receipt means now and suits small jobs and new customers. Put the actual due date on as a date, not just the terms, so there is no argument about which day the clock started.

Do I need to put VAT on my invoice?

For UK VAT, only a VAT-registered business should charge VAT. A VAT invoice needs the required registration and tax details; the fields here are a starting point, so check the full HMRC requirements before sending one.

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When to send it, and why the date matters

Send the invoice the day the work finishes. Most accounts departments pay in the order invoices arrive, not the order the work was done, so a week's delay in sending is usually a week's delay in being paid.

For UK VAT, the date of supply (tax point) can differ from the invoice issue date and affects tax records. Check HMRC guidance for your transaction; the tool does not determine a tax point.

If supply and issue dates differ, record both where required. This PDF builder does not verify the tax treatment or completeness of the invoice.

Numbering a sequence you can defend

Use a unique invoice number and keep a consistent record of issued documents.

For a UK VAT invoice, HMRC requires a sequential number from one or more series that uniquely identifies it. Keep a record of cancelled documents; do not infer that every numbering gap proves a deleted invoice.

If you use a prefix for a separate numbering series, make sure the final numbers remain unique and traceable.

If an issued invoice needs correcting, check the applicable credit-note and record-keeping rules before changing it.

Chasing one that has not been paid

Work up in steps, and write each one down. A polite reminder the day after it falls due, a second a week later addressed to accounts rather than your contact, then a phone call.

Most late payment is administrative rather than deliberate: the invoice went to the wrong address, it needed a purchase order number nobody told you about, or it is sitting in an approval queue. Asking which of those it is usually moves it.

For a qualifying UK business-to-business late payment, statutory interest and a fixed recovery sum may be available. Check your contract and current GOV.UK guidance before claiming them. Other countries have different rules.

When the client disputes a line

Ask them to pay the part that is not in dispute while you sort out the rest. A disputed line is a common reason an entire invoice sits unpaid for a month.

If you got it wrong, a credit note cancels the line cleanly and leaves the trail intact. If you got it right, the original description is your evidence, which is the argument for writing descriptions someone outside the room can understand.

Official guidance

Legal and tax notes reviewed 27 September 2026. Rules can change; check the current source for your transaction.

A worked invoice

A worked one, with invented names. Northgate Studio Ltd finished a website for Harbourline Ltd and is billing for it.

Invoice 1042, issued 4 March, due 18 March, so the terms are net 14.
Design and build, 12 days at 480.00 a day: 5,760.00.
Hosting setup, one off: 240.00.
Subtotal 6,000.00, VAT at 20 per cent 1,200.00, total due 7,200.00.

The due date is written as a date, not as 'net 14'. Nobody then argues about which day the clock started.

The two lines are separated because they are different work. One line reading 'website' gives an accounts department nothing to check against the order.

The VAT is its own line with the rate on it. A total that quietly includes tax is no use to a customer who needs to reclaim it.

How to make an invoice

Enter your business details and who the invoice is for.
Add each line of work with a quantity and a rate.
Set the tax rate and the payment terms.
Download the PDF and send it.

Questions about invoices

What details should I include on a UK invoice?: For a UK invoice, include your business name and address, the customer name and address, a unique invoice number, issue and supply dates, a description, and the amount due. UK VAT invoices require further particulars. Check GOV.UK guidance before using a document for tax records.
What invoice number should I start at?: Choose a number that uniquely identifies the invoice. For a UK VAT invoice, HMRC requires a sequential number from one or more series. Keep your issued invoices and numbering records.
Can I invoice without a company?: In the UK, a sole trader can invoice in their own name and address without a company number. If you trade under a business name, include an address where legal documents can be delivered. Check the rules where you trade.
How soon should I expect to be paid?: Whatever your terms say, and they only work if they are on the document. Net 30 means thirty days from the invoice date; due on receipt means now and suits small jobs and new customers. Put the actual due date on as a date, not just the terms, so there is no argument about which day the clock started.
Do I need to put VAT on my invoice?: For UK VAT, only a VAT-registered business should charge VAT. A VAT invoice needs the required registration and tax details; the fields here are a starting point, so check the full HMRC requirements before sending one.

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