What Is an Invoice?
An invoice is a business document that lists down all the products or services purchased by an individual or entity from a seller. It also includes all the corresponding prices or fees for each item and their contracted mode of payment.
There are two main types of service invoices. The first one is printed on paper and, hence, are called paper invoices or printed receipts. While electronic invoices are made online and processed through online payment channels.
How to Create an Invoice
1. Try Out E-Invoicing
Avoid the drudgery of paper invoicing and try out e-invoicing instead. The Billentis Report 2016 estimates that e-invoicing will achieve around 10-20% annual growth from a baseline of 30 billion. Today, there are numerous invoice management software tools like Quickbooks and Zoho that can help you streamline your small business’ invoicing process.
These invoicing software tools eliminate the guesswork and manual tracking of services rendered and their corresponding rates for you and your team. They do this with the use of built-in business invoice templates that end users (you) can edit and customize depending on the type of invoice you want to make.
2. Follow an Organized Layout
A blank or simple invoice usually just consists of tables, rows, and columns. This makes it relatively easy to make. However, if you want a useful and policy-compliant invoice form, you should start by organizing these rows and columns. Provide ample space for each invoice entry. Use clear headers and subheaders.
3. Add Branding Design Elements
Nothing adds more credibility to a business document than a well-designed logo or letterhead. If you are a freelancer, you may create your own logo. Or, you can always hire a graphic artist to create one for you.
Remember, your chosen branding design should match your company’s image or the kind of impression you wish to create for your brand. The more memorable your branding design is, the more likely will a customer or client remembers your products and/or services.
4. Think About The Envelope
If you have to send out paper sample invoices, one way to ensure your invoice letters are read (and paid) is by making sure that these documents get the attention they deserve from their recipients. And you can do that by using matching envelope designs.
Think about it. An invoice letter will usually get mixed up with all the other bills and business letters that a customer or client receives. Get it at the forefront of a client’s attention by enclosing it on a well-designed envelope. Those with striking paper colors often get noticed first.
5. Follow Tax Invoice Regulations
In most countries and states, tax invoices need to include a few more components before they are eligible as taxable sources of income. Consult your local internal revenue department to know what specific information you need to include.
6. Include Payment Options
Whether you are a business owner or a freelancer, it benefits you to include different payment options and a payment schedule on your invoices. You can easily follow a template and include this in each of your invoice documents.
By doing this, clients can just click on a payment channel link and the payment will be forwarded to you. This promotes a smooth business transaction without the need for follow-ups.
General FAQs
What are the invoices used for?
Invoices are used to request payment from buyers, keep track of sales, help control inventory and facilitate the delivery of goods and services. ... Receipts are used by buyers or customers to prove they paid for an item, especially in return situations in which goods are faulty or defective.
What is the Process of Invoicing?
Invoice processing is the entire process your company's accounts payable uses to handle supplier invoices. It starts when you receive an invoice and finishes when payment has been made and recorded in the general ledger. The invoice must either be scanned or manually entered into your ERP system.
Is an invoice a receipt?
The significant difference between the two is that the invoice is issued prior to the payment while the receipt is issued after the payment. The invoice is used to track the sale of goods or services. On the contrary, receipt acts as documentation for the buyer that the amount of the merchandise has been paid.
What do you put on the invoice for payment terms?
A standard (non-VAT) invoice must include:
- A unique invoice number.
- Your company name and address.
- The company name and address of the customer.
- A description of the goods/services.
- The date of supply.
- The date of the invoice.
- The amount of the individual goods or services to be paid.
What does M mean in an invoice?
They do not have to relinquish administrative control of the invoices but will make payments with interest and fees to an invoice discounting company. DR stands for Debit. A DR stands for money owed. It's a billing term that is used often. ETA stands for Estimated Time of Arrival.