Invoices and receipts

An invoice is a document with rules attached. The rules come from your country, not from the shop.

What is usually on one

Your business details and registration numbers, the customer's details, the date, a unique number, what was sold, the tax applied and the total.

What exactly is required, and in what format, differs. Check your own rules before you rely on a template.

Numbering

Invoice numbers are usually sequential, without gaps. If a system can issue two documents with the same number, or skip one, that is a problem you want to find now rather than at an audit.

When it is issued

Decide whether an invoice is issued when the order is paid, or when it ships. Be consistent — mixing both makes the year hard to reconcile.

Electronic invoicing

Some countries require invoices to be sent to a government system in a set format, within a deadline. Where that applies, a PDF emailed to the customer is not enough.

What to check

• One test order produces one invoice, with the right total and tax.
• The number follows the previous one.
• The customer receives it, and you can find it again from the order.