An invoice is a request for payment that records what was supplied, by whom, to whom and for how much. Get the contents right and it gets paid; miss something and it bounces around an accounts department for a week.
What every UK invoice needs:
- The word Invoice, and a unique invoice number that runs in sequence.
- Your business name, address and contact details, plus your VAT number if you are registered.
- The customer's name and address.
- The invoice date, and the due date or payment terms.
- Each item or service on its own line, with quantity, unit price and the line total.
- The subtotal, the VAT at each rate if you charge it, and the total due.
- How to pay: your bank details, or a payment link.
A worked example. A plumber services a boiler and charges 480 GBP plus VAT. The invoice shows one line, Annual boiler service, 480.00; a subtotal of 480.00; VAT at 20 percent of 96.00; and a total of 576.00. If the plumber is not VAT registered, the line is 480.00, there is no VAT line at all, and the total is 480.00. The example below is that invoice, rendered in three of FullDiary's designs.
Open the invoice generator and you land on a form: your business, who the invoice is for, the lines of work with quantities, prices and VAT, and any notes. The invoice on the right updates as you type. When it looks right, download the PDF.
If you would rather describe the job, switch to the AI creator and type it the way you would say it out loud - "Invoice John Smith 2400 for bathroom installation, due in 14 days" - and the invoice writes itself. You can keep chatting to change anything: add a discount, change the due date, add your bank details.
Trying it needs no account. Downloading the PDF creates a free account so the invoice, your business details and the customer are saved for next time; the next invoice takes one line.