Editing Invoice (section)

==Format==

{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="5"  style="font-size:80%; float:right;"
|+
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! colspan="3" style="text-align:center;" |'''''I N V O I C E<br />Company Name<br />123 Fake Street<br />Springfield'''''
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| colspan="3"|<br /><br />
|- align="side" style="background:lightgrey;"
| Invoice No
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   Date
| Terms
|- style="text-align:center;"
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|
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|- style="background:yellow;"
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|Description
| style="text-align:right;"|Amount Owed:
|-
|
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| style="text-align:right;"|
|-
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| style="text-align:right;"|
|-
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| style="text-align:right;" |'''Invoice Total'''
| style="text-align:right;"|[Currency]
|}

The typical format of an invoice starts with a header prominently featuring the term "Invoice". This is usually followed by information needed to establish the context of the transactions such as the name, address, and contact information of the parties involved (e.g. buyer and seller) and important dates such as when payment must be received. The main body of the invoice provides an itemized list of goods or services rendered, specifying descriptions, unit prices, quantities, and total prices for each line item. Additional [[Finance|financial elements]] like [[tax]]es, [[Freight transport|shipping charges]], and [[Discounts and allowances|discounts]] are separately enumerated and added to the subtotal to calculate the grand total amount due. The invoice often concludes with standardized elements or other information not included in the pre-body. This structured format serves various functions, including billing, accounting, auditing, and, in cases of disagreement, [[Evidence (law)|legal evidence]] for dispute resolution.'''<ref>Invoice illustration adapted from Meigs and Meigs ''Financial Accounting'' 4th Ed. (McGraw-Hill, 1970), p.190 {{ISBN|0-07-041534-X}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Woodford |first=William |title=Accounting: A Practical Approach |author2=Wilson, Valerie |author3=Freeman, Suellen |author4=Freeman, John |publisher=[[Pearson Education]] |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-409-32357-3 |edition=2 |pages=4–10}}</ref>'''

'''Header'''

* The word "Invoice"
* Seller's logo
* Invoice Number
* Seller's and Buyer's Contact Information
* Invoice Date
* Payment Due Date
* Shipping Information
* Date of sending or delivery of the goods or service;
* Credit Terms
* [[purchase order|Purchase-order]] number (or similar tracking numbers requested by the buyer to be mentioned on the invoice);

'''Body'''

* List of Goods/Services
* Description of the product(s);
* Unit price(s) of the product(s), if relevant;
* Subtotal
* Tax amounts, if relevant (e.g., [[Sales tax|GST]] or [[Value-added tax|VAT]]);
* Discounts
* Shipping Charges
* Total Amount Due

'''Footer'''

* Payment details (such as indicating one or more acceptable [[Trade finance|methods of payment]], and details about charges for late payments, etc.);
* Credit Terms
* Tax or company registration details of the seller, if relevant, e.g. [[Australian Business Number|ABN]] for Australian businesses or [[VAT identification number|VAT number]] for businesses in the EU;
* Advanced details (including vehicle no, LR no., LR date, [[mode of transport]], [[Weight|net weight]], gross weight, tare weight, out time, freight type, driver name, drive contact no. etc.)

In countries where [[wire transfer]] is the preferred method of settling debts, the printed bill will contain the [[bank account number]] of the creditor and usually a reference code to be passed along with the transaction identifying the payer.

The [[European Union]] requires a [[value added tax identification number|VAT (value-added tax) identification number]] for official VAT invoices, which all VAT-registered businesses are required to issue to their customers. In the UK, this number may be omitted on invoices if the words "this is not a VAT invoice" are present on the invoice. Such an invoice is called a [[Pro forma#Invoices|pro-forma invoice]], and is not an adequate substitute for a full VAT invoice for VAT-registered customers.<ref name='uk-pro-forma-invoice'>{{cite web|url= https://figureweaveaccountancy.co.uk/vat-invoice-essentials/|title= VAT Invoice Essentials|publisher= Figure Weave Accountancy|date= 15 August 2017|access-date= 12 May 2019|last= Conn|first= Frances|archive-date= 1 August 2020|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200801205449/https://figureweaveaccountancy.co.uk/vat-invoice-essentials/|url-status= live}}</ref>

In Canada, the registration number for [[Goods and Services Tax (Canada)|GST]] purposes must be furnished for all supplies over $30 made by a registered supplier in order to claim input tax credits.<ref>[http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-91-45/FullText.html Input Tax Credit Information (GST/HST) Regulations, SOR/91-45] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120721233418/http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-91-45/FullText.html |date=21 July 2012 }}, at s. 3(b)(i)</ref>

Recommendations about invoices used in [[international trade]] are also provided by the [[United Nations Economic Commission for Europe|UNECE]] Committee on Trade, which involves a more detailed description of the logistics aspect of merchandise and, therefore may be convenient for international logistics and customs procedures.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/cefact/recommendations/rec06/rec06_ecetrd148.pdf |title=Recommendation No. 06: Aligned Invoice Layout Key for International Trade (UN/CEFACT; 2000; 7 pages) ID: ECE/TRADE/148; Topic: Trade Facilitation and e-Business<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=17 April 2015 |archive-date=17 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150417112143/http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/cefact/recommendations/rec06/rec06_ecetrd148.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>