A Straightforward Guide on How to Make an Invoice

Are you a small business owner wondering how to create an invoice? There are 30.7 million small businesses in the United States. This accounts for 99.9 percent of all businesses in the country!

It’s important to establish a system that streamlines the delivery of products and services. It should also be one that simplifies the process of you getting paid by your customers.

Read on to learn how to make an invoice that will help you get paid faster!

Use Your Business Header

When you make an invoice you can’t afford to overlook the importance of presentation and appearance. Your invoices are a reflection of your business and this means you need them to be clean, specific, and free of errors.

Part of maintaining a professional look is being sure to use a business header at the top of each invoice. Your header should include your company name, logo, and important contact information.

Choose a font that is easy to read and complements the other documents you send to your customers. To maintain uniformity, you could also use the same font and size with your check stubs maker for the paychecks you give your employees.

Customer Contact Information

You’ve got to ensure that your invoice makes it to the correct recipient so that you don’t have unnecessary delays in getting paid. Your invoices should include the customer name and contact information, as well as any identifying customer number you use for them.

For example, if you use a number for each customer, that should be on those invoices. This will help your accounts receivable staff apply the payment to the correct customer account.

In today’s digital world, many companies email invoices directly to a customer. Despite the movement to go paperless, including this information is one of those invoice tips to use whether or not you send a physical copy to your customer.

Order Details and Payment Terms

In a perfect world, your company would perform work for customers and each one would pay you on time. Unfortunately, for one reason or another, not all customers will pay you in full and on time.

To help receive payment faster, you should include order details and payment terms. This will help your customer see what they are being billed for and know the expectation for payment.

For example, you may include terms that say your customer must make payment within 30 days. If you aren’t paid within that timeframe, you can include a term that allows you to charge a late fee.

A detailed invoice will help clarify important terms. This will help you resolve disagreements that may become an issue later.

How to Make an Invoice That Works

Your goal should be to learn how to make an invoice that works the best for your particular business. You will want to send your customers an invoice that helps you get paid faster for your products and services.

Spend time considering the things that mean the most for your business and industry. This will help you create a professional invoice that positively reflects on your company.

Are you interested in learning about other helpful ways to increase productivity? Check out our blog section for a post with helpful accounting tips for small business owners!