Quick answer: a UK invoice must show a unique invoice number, your business name, address and contact details, your customer's name and address, a clear description of the work, the date you did it, the invoice date, the amounts charged, any VAT and the total owed. Copy the free invoice template below and fill in each line.
If you run a small business in the UK, you probably send invoices every week, and most of them are put together in a hurry at the end of a long day. This guide gives you a free invoice template for the UK that you can copy into Word, Google Docs or an email, explains exactly what GOV.UK says an invoice must include, and covers the small details that help you get paid on time.
According to GOV.UK's page Invoices: what they must include (read 13 October 2026), every invoice must show:
That is the legal minimum. Most small businesses also add a due date, how to pay and any reference the customer gave you, because those are the details that stop an invoice sitting unpaid in someone's inbox.
Copy the template below and replace everything in square brackets. It covers every item on the GOV.UK list, plus the payment details customers look for first.
| INVOICE Invoice number: [INV-0001] Invoice date: [13 October 2026] Supply date: [date the work was done or the goods delivered] Payment due by: [date] | |||
| From [Your business name] [Your address] [Phone] · [Email] [Company number, if a limited company] [VAT number, if VAT registered] | To [Customer or company name] [Customer address] [Customer reference or order number, if given] | ||
| Description | Qty | Unit price | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Clear description of the work or goods] | [1] | [£0.00] | [£0.00] |
| [Materials or second item] | [1] | [£0.00] | [£0.00] |
| Subtotal | [£0.00] | ||
| VAT [rate], if applicable | [£0.00] | ||
| Total owed | [£0.00] | ||
| How to pay Bank transfer: [account name], sort code [00-00-00], account [00000000] Please use [INV-0001] as the payment reference. [Or pay by card using the link in the email.] | |||
On a phone, scroll the template sideways to see every column.
Sole traders must add their own name as well as any business name they use, and limited companies must use their full registered name. GOV.UK sets out the extra details:
Adding your company number and registered office is a sensible habit for limited companies too, because customers often use them to check who they are paying.
You need to use VAT invoices if both you and your customer are VAT registered. GOV.UK notes that VAT invoices carry more information than ordinary invoices, so if you are VAT registered, check HMRC's guidance on VAT invoices before you rely on a basic template. If you are not VAT registered, do not show VAT on your invoices at all.
Give every invoice its own number in a simple sequence that never repeats, and show both the invoice date and the date the work was done. GOV.UK only requires the number to be unique, so any clear system works. Common choices are:
Whichever you pick, do not reuse or skip numbers casually. A clean sequence makes your bookkeeping easier and helps if you ever need to show your records.
Put a clear due date on every invoice, not just "payment terms: 14 days", and tell the customer exactly how to pay. A specific date removes any doubt about when the money is due, and a payment reference means you can match the payment when it lands.
Agree your terms when you quote, so the invoice holds no surprises. If you send quotes first, our guide to following up quotes covers how to win the job before you ever get to the invoice. For trades businesses, the trades page shows how quotes, jobs and invoices link together.
Send the invoice as soon as the work is done, make paying take one click, and remind people before the invoice is badly overdue. Each step removes a reason to delay.
If invoices are already overdue, our guide to chasing unpaid invoices has wording for each stage.
In Unavoidable CRM, you can create an invoice from scratch, from an accepted quote or from a finished job. Invoices are VAT and CIS aware, carry a card payment link through your own Stripe account and record part payments. The CRM can email your customer on the due date and then 3, 7 and 14 days late until the invoice is paid, and every reminder is logged on the customer. See the full list on the features page, and current plans on the pricing page.
Yes. There is no official form, so a document or spreadsheet is fine as long as it includes everything on the GOV.UK list. The template above copies straight into either. The main risk with home-made invoices is numbering, so keep a simple log of each number you use.
Bank details are not on the GOV.UK list of required items, but customers cannot pay you without them. Include your account name, sort code and account number, or a card payment link, along with the invoice number to use as a reference.
A quote tells the customer what the work will cost before you start. An invoice asks for payment once the work is done or the goods are supplied. Many businesses turn the accepted quote straight into the invoice, so the two always match.
It is better not to edit a sent invoice. The usual approach is to issue a credit note against the original and send a new invoice with its own number, so your records stay in order. If you are unsure, ask your accountant.
Start with a friendly reminder that includes the invoice number, the amount and a way to pay. Most late payments are forgotten rather than refused. Our guide to chasing unpaid invoices walks through what to send and when.
Unavoidable CRM turns quotes into invoices, adds a pay link and chases late payments for you, with a 14-day free trial and no card needed. For more practical guides, head back to the blog.
Try Unavoidable CRM free for 14 days, with no card needed.
Start free trial →