Why a generator instead of a Word download
Word, Excel and Google Docs templates are the classic answer, and there is nothing wrong with them for a single invoice. The trouble starts on the second and third. You copy last month's file, change the date, forget to change the invoice number, overwrite a formula, and the GST no longer adds up. Or the template came from overseas and says "VAT", or rounds GST per line, or has no field for an ABN.
A generator keeps the parts that should not change (the layout, the rules, the arithmetic) separate from the parts that should (the client, the lines, the dates). On this site that means:
- Numbering runs on its own: INV-1001, INV-1002, with your prefix.
- GST is worked out on each line and rounded once on the total, the way the ATO's total invoice rule describes, whether you type prices with or without GST.
- Your ABN is checked against the Australian Business Register's check-digit formula as you type.
- The ATO's required details are checked before download: the title, your identity and ABN, the date, item descriptions with quantities and prices, the GST, which items are taxable, and the buyer's details from $1,000.
- The PDF matches the on-screen preview exactly, in A4 or US Letter.
It is still a template in every sense that matters: one standard layout, filled in by you, saved for next time. You just cannot break it.
What a good Australian invoice layout contains
Reading top to bottom, a clear invoice has:
- Header: your logo or business name on the left; "Tax invoice" (or "Invoice" if you are not GST-registered), the invoice number, issue date and due date on the right.
- From and To: your legal name, trading name, ABN and contact details; the client's name, ABN if they have one, and address.
- Line items: description, quantity, unit, unit price, tax code and amount. One line per thing the customer would recognise.
- Totals: subtotal excluding GST, GST, total including GST. The total is the biggest number on the page.
- How to pay: account name, BSB and account number, PayID, BPAY biller code and reference.
- Notes and terms: anything specific to the job, and your late-payment position.
The generator produces exactly this layout. The preview to the right of the editor (below it on a phone) is what the PDF will look like.
Making it yours
Save your business details once and they fill in on every new invoice. Save frequent clients and the items you bill most often (call-out fee, hourly rate, standard parts) and build an invoice from a few clicks. Set your number prefix and next number in Settings, so the sequence carries on from your old system.
With Invoice Pro your logo sits in the header, the title and rules take your brand colour, the small "Made with" footer line goes, and you can save recurring-invoice templates for retainers and regular clients. Each period you click Generate, check the dates and download; nothing happens automatically, so nothing is ever sent without you seeing it.
Templates for different jobs
- Trades: separate labour and materials; use units (hrs, m, m²); put the job address in Reference.
- Freelancers and consultants: bill by hours or by deliverable; reference the client's PO; use 14-day terms.
- Retail and markets: receipts may suit better; the receipt generator records the payment method.
- Before the work: send a quote and convert it to an invoice when accepted.
Privacy
Unlike online invoicing services, nothing you type is sent to a server. Your business and client details, invoices and history are stored in this browser's IndexedDB, so they are private to you and this device. Export a backup to move them or keep a copy; one button deletes everything.