Templates
Tax invoice format: free Excel, Word and PDF download
An invoice format with every field a tax authority usually asks for, filled with a sample so you can see each one in use. The Excel file works out tax and totals for you.
Free download, no sign-up
Filled with the sample shown. The Excel file has formulas for tax and totals.
In short
A tax invoice carries your tax number, a unique number and date, the customer's details, what was supplied, the amount before tax, the tax rate and amount, and the total. SimpleERP fills these fields for you.
Harbor Supply Co.
Tax number 100 234 567
Tax invoice
INV-2026-0214
Bill to: Bluewater Traders
- Steel rack 4 shelf4 pcs
- Office chair mesh6 pcs
- LED panel 2×210 pcs
What this document is for
A tax invoice is the document a business registered for VAT, GST or sales tax issues when it sells. It records the sale and the tax charged; a registered customer reclaims that tax with it, and you report it in your tax return.
- Issue it for every taxable sale, within the time your country allows after delivery
- Your customer needs it to reclaim the tax you charged, where their country allows that
- It feeds your returns: the tax on your invoices is the output tax you pay over
- Keep it for as long as your country requires, often five to ten years, in print or as a PDF
In India, a GST invoice has its own list of fields, with GSTIN, HSN codes and place of supply: use the GST invoice format (India) instead.
The fields
What a tax invoice must contain
Each country words its list differently, but they ask for much the same things. The full table with the reason for each field is further down; these are the ones people most often leave out.
- Your tax number, and your customer's when they are a registered business
- A unique invoice number in one unbroken sequence
- The date of supply, when it differs from the invoice date
- Unit price before tax and any discount on each line
- The tax rate and tax amount, per rate when lines differ
- Why a line carries no tax: exempt, zero-rated or reverse charge
How to fill it
How to fill the template
The download comes filled with invoice INV-2026-0214 from Harbor Supply Co. to Bluewater Traders. Overwrite the sample with your own details; in Excel the amount, tax and totals recalculate.
Put your details in the header
Business name, address and tax number. Do this once and save the file as your own template.
Number and date the invoice
Use one series, such as INV-2026-0001, and never skip or reuse a number.
Fill in the customer
Name and address, and the customer's tax number if they are a registered business.
Add the lines
Description, quantity, unit, price and tax rate. The template works out the amount, tax and the line total.
Check the total and add your terms
Due date, bank details and, if your customers expect it, the amount in words.
| Description | Quantity | Rate | Amount | Tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steel rack 4 shelf | 4 pcs | $57.00 | $228.00 | 20% |
| Office chair mesh | 6 pcs | $74.00 | $444.00 | 20% |
| LED panel 2×2 | 10 pcs | $21.00 | $210.00 | 20% |
| Total | How it is worked out | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Subtotal | Sum of the lines | $882.00 |
| Tax at 20% | 20% of the subtotal | $176.40 |
| Total | Subtotal plus tax | $1,058.40 |
SimpleERP
Make it in SimpleERP instead
A spreadsheet invoice is fine for a few a month. Once you raise them daily, numbering, tax and stock drift apart. SimpleERP fills each field from the customer and product, and posts the invoice to stock, books and tax together.
- Invoice numbers by financial year, assigned for you and never repeated
- Tax rates set up for your country, picked from the product on every line
- Your tax number and the customer's printed with the labels your country uses
- A clean A4 print with the amount in words and your bank details
- Each invoice posted to sales, tax payable and the customer's balance as you save
Illustration of invoice INV-2026-0213 to Northside Retail with sales tax 6.25% and the amount in words.
Fields
Every field on a tax invoice, and why
Article 226 lists what a full VAT invoice must carry in the EU. The UK, the Gulf states, Australia, Singapore and most other VAT and GST countries publish their own lists that ask for much the same; check your country's version.
| Field | Required | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Your business name and address | Mandatory | Identifies who supplied the goods or services and who owes the tax. |
| Your tax number (VAT, GST or sales tax registration) | Mandatory | Required wherever you are registered; your customer needs it to reclaim the tax they paid you. |
| The words "Tax invoice" or "Invoice" | If applicable | Some countries, such as Australia and the UAE, expect the document to say it is a tax invoice. |
| Invoice number | Mandatory | A unique number in one unbroken sequence, so a missing invoice shows. |
| Date of issue | Mandatory | Fixes the tax period the invoice is reported in. |
| Date of supply, if different | If applicable | When the goods were delivered or the work done, if that is not the invoice date. |
| Customer's name and address | Mandatory | Who the invoice is addressed to and who owes the money. |
| Customer's tax number | If applicable | Needed for business sales in many countries, and always when the customer accounts for the tax under reverse charge. |
| Description and quantity of goods or services | Mandatory | What was supplied, in words a tax officer can match to the rate charged. |
| Unit price before tax, and any discount | Mandatory | Shows how the taxable amount was reached. |
| Taxable amount, tax rate and tax amount | Mandatory | Per rate when lines carry different rates, so the tax can be checked line by line. |
| Reason for no tax: exempt, zero-rated or reverse charge | If applicable | A line with no tax must say why, or the tax officer assumes it was left off. |
| Total payable | Good practice | The one figure the customer pays, with the currency. |
| Due date and payment terms | Good practice | Makes ageing and follow-ups objective. |
| Bank details | Good practice | The customer pays faster when the account is on the invoice. |
Source: EU VAT Directive 2006/112/EC, article 226, verified 5 November 2026.
Common mistakes
Mistakes to avoid on a tax invoice
- Restarting numbering every month or for each customer, so the sequence has gaps or repeats
- Leaving off the customer's tax number on a business sale, so they cannot reclaim the tax
- Showing one total with no split between the amount before tax and the tax
- Charging tax on the price before discount instead of the discounted amount
- A zero-tax line with no reason given: exempt, zero-rated or reverse charge
- Editing a sent invoice instead of issuing a credit note
Honest limits
What this format does not cover
The template and SimpleERP make the tax invoice itself. These are separate steps.
- E-invoicing through a government or network system, where your country requires it: send the invoice there yourself
- Invoices in a currency other than your own
- A reverse charge flag: type the wording your country asks for in the invoice notes
- Filing tax returns: SimpleERP prepares the registers, your accountant files
Getting started
Start with your first invoice
Sign up with your email
Name, email and a password. No card for the seven-day trial.
Tell us about the business
Pick your country and type your tax number. Currency, tax rates, accounts, units, roles and numbering are set up for that country.
Add what you sell
Add products with unit, price and tax rate, one at a time or from a spreadsheet with opening stock.
Post your first invoice
Pick the customer, add lines and save. Your first tax invoice can be out within 10 minutes of signing up.
FAQ
Questions, answered
Is this tax invoice format valid?
Yes, if you fill every field marked Mandatory in the table above, and check your own country's list for anything extra. Tax rules list the details an invoice must carry rather than a fixed layout, and this format has a place for each common one.
What is the difference between an invoice and a tax invoice?
A tax invoice is an invoice from a business registered for VAT, GST or sales tax that shows the tax charged and the details the tax authority asks for. An ordinary invoice from an unregistered business has no tax and needs fewer fields.
Can I use it in Excel with formulas?
Yes. The Excel file has formulas for each line's amount, tax and total, and for the invoice total. Change a quantity or price and the totals follow. The Word and PDF versions are for printing or filling by hand.
Do I need e-invoicing?
Only if your country requires invoices to go through a government or network system, as Italy, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia do for many businesses. Neither this template nor SimpleERP connects to those systems. Elsewhere, a tax invoice like this one, on paper or as a PDF, is enough.
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