An invoice sets out what a customer owes and why. Getting the content right is only half of it: how the document is laid out decides how quickly it is understood, approved and paid — and layout is one of the few things about getting paid that is entirely in your control.
If you need to produce invoices and are not sure how to structure and format them, these seven tips cover it.
1. Design the invoice structure
The structure has to contain the columns and sections that represent what you are charging for, with enough room to describe each item properly.
Start from the question the reader has: what am I paying for, and how was this total reached? A layout that answers it in order needs no explanation.
2. Put your branding in the header
Consistent branding means people recognise and trust the document. An invoice that looks like your website and your quotes reads as coming from an organised business — and, increasingly importantly, looks less like the fraudulent invoices customers are warned about.
See document design.
3. Include all the relevant information
Regardless of company size, the full details belong on it: your business name and address, your registration and VAT numbers, the customer’s details, an invoice number, and the dates.
Add the customer’s own reference or PO number where they use one. It is the single most common reason an otherwise correct invoice sits unapproved.
4. Show the dates clearly
Keep a distinct place for dates — the invoice date and the due date at minimum, and a date column on the lines where the work spans a period. Ambiguous dates cause disputes about whether something is late.
5. Put contact details in the footer
Contact information at the bottom keeps visual balance and preserves the middle of the page for the lines themselves. It also means whoever has a question knows where to send it, rather than emailing whoever forwarded it.
See set footers and signature.
6. Include your terms and conditions
Payment terms and conditions belong in small text alongside the contact details. They keep the document professional and they matter the day a payment is disputed — see document conditions.
7. Choose your template carefully
Billing software exists precisely so you are not laying this out by hand. Look through the available templates properly and pick the one that fits your business rather than the first that loads — you will use it on every document you send for years.
Worth knowing before you choose: designs are held per document type and per language, so your invoice, quote and credit note can each look different, and one design can be set as the default for a particular customer. See create and manage your document design templates.
The underlying point
Every one of these reduces the chance of the invoice being set aside. An invoice that is queried does not get paid late because of the query — it gets paid late because it goes back into somebody’s pile.