What goes on a simple invoice template, and what stays off
A basic invoice carries about ten pieces of information and nothing decorative. It names both parties, numbers and dates the document, lists each item with a quantity and price, adds tax if you are registered, and finishes with one clear total and a line on how to pay. Everything else is optional.
- Your business name and a phone number or email
- The customer’s name, plus their address for larger sales
- Invoice number, issue date and due date
- One line per item: description, quantity, unit price
- A tax line, only if you are registered
- The total and your payment details
Left out on purpose: ship to blocks, signature boxes, purchase order grids and long terms. When a client needs those, the professional invoice layout carries them.
Who a basic invoice template suits
A basic layout suits anyone who sells a handful of things per job and expects payment within a week or two: mobile repairers, tutors, gardeners, market sellers and sole traders doing one off jobs. If each job fits on five lines or fewer, a short invoice covers it.
Staged projects, where each invoice shows earlier payments, suit a progress billing invoice better. For an empty form to complete with a pen, use the blank invoice template.
Worked example: a short GST invoice in New Zealand
Our sample is a bike repair workshop on the Kapiti Coast billing a customer NZ$223.10. In New Zealand, what an invoice must carry grows with its value, so a small sale can stay short. Inland Revenue sets three bands, and the band decides what you add.
| Sale value, GST inclusive | What Inland Revenue asks for |
|---|---|
| $200 or less | Your name or trade name, the date, a description and the amount |
| Over $200 up to $1,000 | Also your GST number, plus the amount before GST, the GST and the total, or the total with a note that GST is included |
| Over $1,000 | Also the buyer’s name and one identifier, such as an address or email, when the buyer is GST registered |
The sample lines come to $194.00 before GST. GST at 15% adds $29.10, so the total is $223.10. That lands in the middle band, so the workshop’s GST number and all three amounts appear, and the customer’s details are optional. Since 1 April 2023 IRD calls this taxable supply information, though you can keep the title Tax Invoice. Our New Zealand invoice page has the full rules.
How to fill in an easy invoice template in five minutes
Enter the parts that never change first, then the parts that change with each job. Once your business details sit in the generator, a new invoice only needs the customer, the lines and the date. That order keeps typing errors out.
- Type your business details and GST number once; the draft is saved in this browser.
- Use the next number in your series, such as 0042, and never reuse one.
- Add the customer. For a quick sale, a name and phone number will do.
- Write one line per item in plain words: “Brake pads, front, pair” tells the customer more than “Parts”.
- Set a due date and say how to pay, then check the total and download the PDF.
The generator with this simple sample loaded opens the bike workshop invoice, ready for your own details.
Keeping the design simple too
A short invoice reads best with one typeface, one accent color and clear space around the total. Our free generator has 8 designs: Classic, Band, Minimal, Statement, Ledger, Centered, Bold and Compact. Compact uses tighter spacing, which suits an invoice with only three or four lines so the page does not look half empty.
Open the Compact design, pick one of the 8 colors or your own, and add a logo if you have one (PNG, JPG or WebP up to 10 MB).
Sending, printing and keeping copies
Most short invoices go out as a PDF by email or text message, the quickest route to being paid. The generator makes a real PDF with selectable text in A4 or US Letter, and you can print it from the browser for a customer who prefers paper.
Your last 20 invoices stay in this browser, but save each PDF to a folder by year as well. If you print more often than you email, the printable invoice layout is set up for paper. Other styles are in the invoice template library, and our checklist of what to include on an invoice covers the details.
Fill it in on screen and download or email a real PDF. No sign up.