Free invoice template for UK businesses

Fill in the fields on the left and a VAT-ready invoice builds itself on the right, with the details HMRC asks a VAT invoice to carry. Print it, save it as a PDF or copy it into an email. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.

Fill in your invoice

Everything updates on the right as you type. Nothing is sent anywhere - the numbers stay in your browser.

VAT

The document is headed "VAT invoice" and shows the rate on every line, the VAT by rate and the total VAT.

Your details
Customer details
Invoice details

Sequential and unique - the next one is one higher.

Due once you set a date.

The time of supply. Leave blank if it is the date of issue.

Only if you offer one. A VAT invoice has to show its rate.

Line items

Lines: 3 · Net £2,513.00

Bank details
Notes

VAT invoice

Your business name

VAT registration number: required

Invoice number
INV-1001
Date of issue
-
Payment due
-

Invoice to

Customer name

DescriptionQtyUnit priceVATNet
Branded softshell jacket, 2-colour embroidery100£24.5020%£2,450.00
Embroidery setup and digitising, one-off1£45.0020%£45.00
Delivery to one UK mainland address1£18.0020%£18.00
Total excluding VAT
£2,513.00
VAT at 20% on £2,513.00
£502.60
Total VAT
£502.60
Amount due
£3,015.60

Notes

Please quote the invoice number as your payment reference.

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Printing gives you only the invoice, not the rest of the page.

Email me a link to this invoice template

One email with a link back to this builder, the quote template and the creditor days calculator.

One email with the links. No sequence, unsubscribe any time.

What a UK VAT invoice must show

HMRC sets the contents of a VAT invoice in VAT Notice 700/21, section 4.1. A full VAT invoice must show:

  • A sequential number, based on one or more series, that uniquely identifies the document.
  • The time of supply (the tax point), and the date of issue where that is different.
  • Your name, address and VAT registration number.
  • The name and address of the customer you are supplying.
  • A description that identifies the goods or services supplied.
  • For each description, the quantity of the goods or the extent of the services, the unit price, the VAT rate and the amount payable excluding VAT.
  • The total amount payable excluding VAT.
  • The rate of any cash discount offered.
  • The total VAT charged, in sterling.

The builder above carries every one of those fields. Special rules apply to invoices under a margin scheme or a reverse charge, which this template does not cover.

Simplified invoices at £250 or less

If the total you are charging is £250 or less including VAT, HMRC allows a simplified invoice (section 4.5). It shows your name, address and VAT registration number, the time of supply, a description of what was supplied, and for each VAT rate the total payable including VAT and the rate charged. Exempt supplies cannot go on a simplified invoice. A full invoice is always acceptable in its place.

When to send it

If you are VAT registered and supply standard-rated or reduced-rated goods or services to another VAT-registered business, you must issue a VAT invoice, normally within 30 days of the date of supply (section 3.1). Keep a copy of every one you issue.

If you are not VAT registered you cannot charge VAT or issue a VAT invoice. Turn off "I am VAT registered" and the template drops the VAT column and totals.

Zero-rated is not the same as exempt

Both carry no VAT, which is why they are easy to mix up. They are separate categories, though, and the invoice has to say which applies to each line - the template lists them separately in the totals for that reason.

Zigaflow does this for you

Invoice from the job, not from a blank page

In Zigaflow the invoice is generated from the quote or the completed job, so the lines, prices and customer are already on it.

  • Full or part invoices from the job, with what has been billed and what is outstanding on every job
  • Automated payment reminders for overdue invoices
  • Export to Xero, QuickBooks or FreeAgent with one click, or automatically when an invoice is sent

Questions people ask

What UK businesses ask about invoicing and VAT.

Stop retyping the job into an invoice

See how an accepted quote becomes a job and then an invoice in Zigaflow, with nothing keyed in twice.