Simple Invoice Software

Free Invoice Templates


What is an Invoice Template?

An invoice template is a pre-designed framework of an invoice. Its primary purpose is invoice creation. The invoice template is typically editable, customizable, and downloadable. It helps to create an ease of use and data consistency, as the business preparing the invoice can use a personalized invoice template with pre-filled company data.

How To Invoice a Customer by Using an Invoice Template

Generally, to invoice a customer by using an invoice template, the following steps are taken.

  1. Update the Basic Content of the Invoice Template

    The basic content of the invoice includes seller and customer details, contact addresses, invoice date, product or service description, quantity dispatched to the customer, rate agreed with the customer, applicable tax rate and tax amount, total payment requested in the invoice and any other additional information which are related to the sales transaction.

    The information should be complete. It must be accurate, and free from mathematical or any other general inaccuracies.

    In the same way, where applicable, the invoice content must be supported by reliable source documents. For instance, to ensure invoice accuracy, the goods quantity to be invoiced should be the same as what is detailed in the dispatch note or business contract.

  2. Attach or Print the Invoice and Send it to the Customer

    If the business decides to send electronic invoices to their customers, the steps involved includes, uploading the file to an email screen, writing the email address and content, and then sending it to the relevant customer. On the other hand, if the business decides to send physical invoices, the invoice should be printed, and placed in an envelope. The address of the recipient’s business premises are written on the envelope and this is sent to the customer by post.

Analyze to See if There is a Need to Change the File Format of the Invoice Template

There is a capability to change the file type of the invoice template, if the business wishes to do so. For example, if the business has downloaded a Word file and has updated its content, you may want to convert the Word format to a PDF format. A PDF format is more frequently used in the billing process.

There can be various file formats for an invoice. Next will be a discussion on this.

Invoice formats

There are various formats that allow the preparation of invoices. These formats include, but are not limited to, PDF, Excel, Word, Google Docs, Google Sheets, and so on. The business has the discretion to select any of these mentioned invoice formats. However, as mentioned previously, the PDF is one of the more frequently used invoice formats. The reason for this, is because of the following aspects.

Why is the PDF Invoice Template Considered to be the Best One?

The following attributes makes the PDF invoices one of the best invoice templates.

All these characteristics mentioned, makes the PDF invoice one of the most widely accepted invoice templates for businesses across the globe.

What is an Itemized Invoice Template?

An itemized invoice template means that a detailed breakdown of the individual products and or services, are given in the invoice. The breakdown consists of the itemized description as well as the corresponding cost of the goods. To reach the total value of the invoice created, the numbers for each line item are added together.

This detailed breakdown is useful when it comes to review and for reconciliation as it helps to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the business record.

Conclusion

In short, an invoice template is an editable, customizable, modifiable, and downloadable file format, that is used to prepare an invoice. Generally, small businesses opt to use an invoice template. This is due to the fact that it is easy and cheap. Furthermore, it does not require sophisticated software in order to prepare the invoice.

As part of the billing process, the invoice template is downloaded, customized, updated, and then sent to the customers. Various forms of the invoice template include PDF, Excel, Word and Google Docs as well as others.

A PDF format is more frequently used around the globe due to its exceptional features. These features include that it is easy to use, less likely to be blocked by email platforms, easy to print, and easy to access. The business may choose to opt for the invoice template with a detailed breakdown. This breakdown makes it easy to review and understand, while also assisting with the reconciliation of the content of the invoice.