Guides · How to invoice · Facts checked 2026-09-05
What to put on an invoice (and what gets it paid late)
The eleven things every invoice needs, the four that are optional but pay for themselves, and the mistakes that turn a clear invoice into a phone call.
An invoice is a request for money with enough detail that the person paying does not have to ask you anything. Every field below exists because leaving it off produces a question, and a question is a delay.
The fields every invoice needs
- The word 'Invoice'. It sounds obvious; a document that does not say what it is gets filed as a quote.
- Your business name, address, phone and email — and your license number if your trade or state expects it on paperwork.
- The customer's name and the address the work was done at (the billing address if it is different).
- An invoice number. Sequential, never reused. It is how both of you refer to it later.
- The invoice date, and the date the work was done if they differ.
- Each line of work or product: a description in plain words, quantity, unit price, line total.
- Subtotal, sales tax if you charge it (as its own line), and the total due.
- Any deposit or payment already received, and the balance still owed.
- The due date. 'Due on receipt' or a date; 'net 30' means thirty days from the invoice date.
- How to pay: card link, bank details, check payable to, or cash.
- Your payment terms in one sentence — late fee if you charge one, and any warranty.
Optional, but they get you paid faster
- A pay-by-card button. An invoice the customer can pay from their phone in the driveway gets paid in the driveway. This is the single biggest lever — see how to get paid faster.
- A short note: what was found, what was done, what to watch for. It is the thing they forward to a spouse.
- Your logo. Not for vanity — a familiar mark is what stops the invoice being mistaken for spam.
- A thank-you and the next step: 'Call us for the annual service in March.'
What varies by trade
Some trades have their own must-haves: a plumber's license number, an HVAC tech's refrigerant charge as a separate line, a cleaner's per-visit vs first-visit pricing, a photographer's usage terms. The per-trade templates each carry a checklist for that trade, written in its own words.
The mistakes that cause late payment
- A lump sum with no lines. 'Repair — $640' invites 'what did that include?'. The lines answer it before it is asked.
- No due date. An invoice with no date is due whenever they get to it.
- Sending it late. The best time to send an invoice is before you have left the property. Every day after, the memory of the work fades and the invoice becomes an interruption.
- Tax buried in the price. Show it as a line; the customer's accountant needs it and the customer is not surprised by it.
- Only one way to pay. Bank details alone means they have to sit down at a laptop. Give them a card link and they pay standing up.
Invoice vs estimate vs receipt
An estimate is the same document before the work: scope and price, for the customer to accept. An invoice is after: what was done and what is owed. A receipt is after payment: what was paid, how and when. In Pocket Business an accepted estimate becomes the invoice, and a paid invoice produces the receipt, so you write the lines once.
Common questions
Do I need a registered business to send an invoice?
No. A sole proprietor invoices under their own name. Put your name where the business name goes, and check whether your state or city wants a registration or license number for your trade.
Should I number invoices from 1?
Start wherever you like — many people start at 1001 so the first invoice does not announce itself as the first — but keep the sequence continuous from then on. Pocket Business assigns numbers in order and never reuses one.
What is 'net 30'?
Payment is due 30 days after the invoice date. For most trades and small services, 'due on receipt' is the better default; net terms are for commercial customers who pay on a cycle.