Tax invoice generator

How to make a tax invoice that the ATO accepts

A tax invoice is the document your customer needs to claim back the GST they paid you. If it is missing a required detail, the customer cannot rely on it, and the usual result is a polite email asking you to reissue it. Getting it right the first time saves that round trip and gets you paid sooner.

The ATO's page on tax invoices (last updated 18 September 2026) lists seven details for sales under $1,000. This generator asks for each of them and will not produce the PDF until they are present:

1. The document is intended to be a tax invoice (titling it 'Tax invoice' is the plain way to show this).
2. The seller's identity.
3. The seller's Australian business number (ABN).
4. The date the invoice was issued.
5. A brief description of the items sold, including the quantity (if applicable) and the price.
6. The GST amount payable, shown separately or, if the GST is exactly one-eleventh of the total price, as the statement 'Total price includes GST'.
7. The extent to which each sale on the invoice is a taxable sale (GST-free and input-taxed lines marked).

For sales of $1,000 or more including GST there is an eighth: the buyer's identity or their ABN. The check in step 6 watches the total and asks for the client's name or ABN as soon as the invoice crosses that line.

Step by step

1. Document. The number fills in from your sequence (INV-1001, INV-1002…). Pick payment terms and the due date follows; choose "Custom date" to set it yourself.
2. GST settings. Leave "Registered for GST" ticked if you are. Choose whether you are typing prices with or without GST. Tradies quoting a job price usually think in GST-inclusive figures; consultants billing an hourly rate usually think ex GST.
3. Your business. Name, ABN and contact details. The ABN is checked against the Australian Business Register's check-digit formula as you type, which catches transposed digits. Save it once and it fills in next time.
4. Client. Their name and, for business clients, their ABN. Saved clients drop in from the list.
5. Items. One line per item or service: description, quantity, unit (hours, m², each), price, tax code and any discount. Mark anything that is GST-free (for example some basic food, or certain medical and education services) so the invoice shows the extent to which each sale is taxable.
6. Payment details. BSB and account, PayID, BPAY or a PayPal link. Customers pay faster when they do not have to ask how.
7. Download. The PDF is A4 by default (US Letter in Settings) and matches the preview exactly. Downloading also saves the invoice to your history in this browser.

GST-inclusive or GST-exclusive: which to choose

Both produce the same kind of invoice; the difference is which number you type. With exclusive pricing, you enter $100 and the customer pays $110. With inclusive pricing, you enter $110 and the invoice shows $10 of GST inside it. The ATO accepts either presentation.

When every line on the invoice is taxable and the GST is exactly one-eleventh of the total, the ATO allows the statement "Total price includes GST" in place of a separate GST figure. This generator shows the GST amount in the totals block regardless, because it is clearer for the customer's bookkeeper, and adds the statement as well when it applies.

How the rounding works

Total invoice rule: add the GST-exclusive value of each taxable sale, calculate GST on that total and round once to the nearest cent (0.5 cents rounds up). The generator uses that rule and prints a one-line explanation under the GST settings so you can show a client how a figure was reached.

Why it matters: three items at $0.33 each come to $0.99. Rounding the GST per line gives 3 × $0.03 = $0.09; rounding once on the total gives $0.10, because 10% of $0.99 is 9.9 cents. On a long invoice those cents add up and do not match what accounting software calculates. Rounding once avoids the mismatch.

If you are not registered for GST

A business that is not registered for GST must not charge GST or issue a document titled 'Tax invoice'. It issues an ordinary invoice, still showing its ABN, with no GST line. Untick "Registered for GST" and the title changes to "Invoice", the GST column and totals line disappear, and a note says that no GST has been charged. Everything else, including your ABN, stays.

You must register once your GST turnover reaches $75,000 (or $150,000 for non-profit bodies), within 21 days of reaching it, and from then on your invoices to GST-registered customers should be tax invoices. If you register part-way through a year, turn the setting back on for invoices dated from your registration date.

Payment terms that get you paid

There is no rule that an invoice must have a due date, but invoices with one are paid faster, and specific dates beat "net 30". Some practical habits:

• Pick short terms you can enforce. Seven or fourteen days is normal for trades and freelancers. Big organisations may impose their own terms through a supplier agreement; match those rather than fighting them.
• Put the payment details on the invoice. BSB and account number, a PayID, or BPAY. Every extra step for the customer is another day.
• Quote their reference. If the client gave you a purchase order number, put it in the Reference field. Accounts-payable teams match invoices to POs and park the ones that do not match.
• State the late-payment position up front. The late-payment note prints on the invoice; it is only enforceable if it was part of your agreement, so set it in your quote or contract too.
• Follow up on the due date. The history list shows unpaid invoices with their due dates. "Mark paid" when the money arrives, and turn the invoice into a receipt in one click if the customer wants one.

Sending the invoice

The ATO is explicit that a tax invoice need not be paper: emailing a PDF is fine as long as the PDF contains all the required information. "Email it" opens your own mail program with the subject line (for example "Tax invoice INV-1042 from Jo Bloggs Plumbing, $1,320.00 due 14 Nov 2026"), a short message and your payment details. Attach the PDF you just downloaded and send it from your own address, which is better for deliverability than any service sending on your behalf.

Privacy: what happens to the details you type

Nothing leaves your browser. The editor, the checks and the PDF are all produced on your device; there is no account and no server copy. Saved sellers, clients, items and the invoice history are kept in your browser's IndexedDB storage. That has two consequences worth knowing: another browser or device will not see them, and clearing your browser's site data deletes them. Use "Export backup" regularly and keep the JSON file somewhere safe; "Import backup" restores everything on any device.

Invoice Pro adds your logo, a brand colour and unlimited saved records, removes the small "Made with" line from the PDF, exports the history as CSV for your accountant, and stores recurring-invoice templates you can generate each period with one click. It is a one-off licence; the free tool is not limited in how many invoices you make.