How to Make a Professional Invoice for Free

A neat invoice does two things. It makes your business look serious, and it gets you paid faster, because the customer knows exactly what they owe and how to pay it.

You don't need accounting software to do this. Here's how to make a professional invoice for free.

What every invoice should have

• Your business name and contact details. Phone, WhatsApp, email and address.
• The word "Invoice" and an invoice number. Use a simple system like INV-001, INV-002 and so on, and never reuse a number.
• The invoice date and due date. "Due in 14 days" is common for small businesses.
• The customer's name and contact.
• A list of what you sold or did. Each line with a short description, quantity, price and amount.
• Subtotal, any discount, GCT (if you're registered) and the total.
• How to pay. Bank name, account name and number, or "cash at our office".

Step by step

1. Pick a template. Use a free spreadsheet template (we have one on cwloot) or a free online tool like Invoice Generator.
2. Add your logo and details once, then save that as your master copy.
3. For each new invoice, make a copy, change the invoice number, date and customer, and fill in the lines.
4. Check the maths. A spreadsheet does this for you, which is one less thing to get wrong.
5. Save it as a PDF. In Excel or Google Sheets, use File, then Download or Save As, and choose PDF. A PDF looks the same on every phone and can't be changed easily.
6. Send it. Email it, or send the PDF on WhatsApp with a short, polite message.

Tips to get paid faster

• Send the invoice the same day the job is done, while the customer is still happy.
• Put your bank details right on the invoice, so nobody has to ask.
• For bigger jobs, ask for a deposit before you start.
• Follow up politely a day or two after the due date. Most late payers just forgot.
• Keep a copy of every invoice in one folder, named by number. It makes tax time much easier.

Invoice or receipt?

An invoice asks for payment. A receipt confirms you've been paid. When the customer pays, give them a receipt too. There's a free receipt template on cwloot as well.