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What information must an invoice contain?

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Invoices are the statements that document your payment requests against your customers. They relate to a sale transaction and indicate the products or services, quantities, and agreed prices for the products or services you have provided to a buyer.

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Usually, invoicing is subject to specific international or national rules depending on where the seller and the buyer are located.

For details, see, for example

A typical invoice contains the following information:

  • a unique identification number
  • the date of the invoice
  • name and contact details of the seller
  • tax or company registration details of seller, if relevant, like ABN for Australian businesses or VAT number for businesses in the EU
  • name and contact details of the buyer
  • a full description of the goods or services provided
  • the date of the supply if different from the invoice date
  • the unit prices of the goods or services provided
  • applied taxes, if relevant, like GST or VAT
  • the total amount charged, including, if relevant, a tax breakdown

Depending on your business requirements or any national specifics, you can provide additional information on your invoices. Common additional information may include:

  • a purchase order number (or similar tracking numbers requested by the buyer to be mentioned on the invoice)
  • payment terms (including payment method, payment due date, details about charges for late payment, etc.)
  • in countries where wire transfer is the preferred method of settling debts: the bank account number of the seller and, usually, a reference code to identify the payer, like the KID for Norway or the Finnish Reference Number

Related information:

What are the legal requirements for invoice numbers?
In international business, which VAT to apply?