What to include on an invoice
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A UK invoice needs a unique number, your details and the customer's, a description of the work, the supply and issue dates, the amounts, any VAT and the total. Get those right first. Then add how and when you want paying, so the customer can just get on and pay it.
The short checklist
- A unique invoice number. Never reuse an old one, even for the same customer.
- Your business name, address and contact details, and the customer's name and billing address.
- What you did or supplied, in words the customer will recognise.
- The date of supply and the date you issued the invoice. Put both, even if they're the same day.
- What you're charging, any VAT and the total owed.
Whose name goes at the top?
If you're a sole trader, GOV.UK says your own name goes on, plus any business name you trade under. Trade under a business name and you also need an address where legal papers can reach you. A limited company uses its full registered name. Your logo on the van doesn't count (nice as it is).
Working for another business? Ask who the invoice should be made out to before you send it. Their accounts team might want a purchase order number or job reference too. That's handy to add, but it doesn't replace the invoice number or a proper description of the work.
Three dates that sound alike
The supply date is when you did the work or handed over the goods. The issue date is the day you send the invoice. The due date comes from the payment terms you agreed. If you're VAT registered, be aware the finishing date isn't always the tax point, because a deposit paid up front can move it.
Describe the job so someone who never set foot on site could tell what it was. "Kitchen tap replaced at 4 Mill Lane" works. "Job 3, as discussed" doesn't, and nor does a total with no explanation.
A non-VAT invoice
Alex Morgan trading as Example Joinery; 1 Example Yard, Exampletown; contact alex@example.com. Customer: Jamie Taylor, 2 Example Road, Exampletown. Invoice EX-0042, issued 3 November 2026; supply date 2 November 2026.
Description: fit two internal doors the customer bought, including hinges and handles; painting not included. Labour and materials £480; no VAT because Alex isn't VAT registered; total owed £480. Payment due 17 November 2026, with EX-0042 as the bank reference.
When you need a full VAT invoice
GOV.UK says you must use VAT invoices when you and your customer are both VAT registered. HMRC lists what goes on them: your VAT registration number, the invoice number, the tax point, the issue date if it's different, the customer's details, how much you supplied, unit prices where you can count the items, VAT rates and the amounts before VAT, plus the totals.
Zero-rated and exempt work is different again. Show it separately and label it plainly. Having a VAT number on the page doesn't make an invoice correct on its own. Construction reverse charge, discounts and exemption wording each have their own rules, and reverse charge should never be dressed up as ordinary 0% VAT.
Check it, send it, keep a copy
Before it goes, lay the invoice next to the quote and any extras you agreed. Do the net, VAT and total add up? Are the customer's name and your bank details right? If they paid a deposit, take it off once. Charging the full amount again is an easy mistake and an awkward phone call.
Keep the invoice you sent and a note of when you sent it. The free generator downloads a PDF, but it doesn't store your records or tell you the customer got it. Bojit's invoice for a finished job is a separate thing inside the app. Whatever you use, keep your records for as long as the rules say you must.
Sources
- GOV.UK: invoice particulars
- HMRC: VAT Notice 700, invoice particulars and rounding
- GOV.UK: keeping VAT records
General guidance for UK tradespeople, not legal or tax advice. The examples use made-up businesses and prices.
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