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UK Invoice Template with VAT

A free, editable layout for invoices issued by UK sole traders and limited companies, with the extra fields a VAT-registered business needs. It has space for each detail in HMRC's VAT Notice 700: a sequential invoice number, the tax point, your name, address and VAT registration number, your customer's name and address, a description, the VAT rate and net amount for each line, the total excluding VAT, any cash discount and the total VAT in sterling. Limited companies can add their registered name, company number and registered office. If you are not VAT-registered, delete the VAT fields and send it as an ordinary invoice. The template is a layout, not a guarantee of compliance: you fill in every figure and check which details your supply needs. It downloads as an HTML file you can edit in a browser and print or save as PDF. It is not a structured e-invoice, which the government plans to require for VAT invoices from April 2029.

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Preview this editable document

Download the HTML file to edit its fields, then print or save as PDF. Totals are entered manually.

What This Template Includes

  • Time of supply (tax point), if different from the issue date
  • Your VAT registration number (if VAT-registered)
  • Registered company name, company number and registered office (limited companies)
  • Business name and address for legal documents (sole traders using a business name)
  • VAT rate and net amount for each line
  • Total excluding VAT
  • Rate of any cash discount offered
  • Total VAT in sterling
  • Zero-rated or exempt items shown with no VAT and a separate total

How to Create Your UK Invoice

  1. 01

    Describe your work

    Type a plain English description of the services you provided, the client, and the amount.

  2. 02

    AI generates your invoice

    InvoiceQuickly's AI drafts the client, line items, dates, and totals for you to review before saving.

  3. 03

    Review, download, and send

    Check every detail, download the PDF, or use Pro to email the PDF directly to your client.

Recommended Payment Terms

The UK does not set one payment term for every invoice, so agree terms with your customer and print them, for example "Payment due within 30 days of the invoice date". If another business pays late and your contract sets no other interest rate, GOV.UK says you can claim statutory interest at 8% plus the Bank of England base rate under the late payment legislation. Check GOV.UK's late payment guidance before adding a late-payment clause.

Need help writing payment terms? Read our guide to invoice payment terms for best practices and templates.

Tax Information

UK VAT rates per GOV.UK: 20% standard, 5% reduced (for example domestic fuel or power) and 0% zero rate (for example most food and children's clothes). Register once taxable turnover for the last 12 months goes over £90,000, or you expect it to in the next 30 days. When you supply standard- or reduced-rated goods or services to another VAT-registered business, issue a VAT invoice normally within 30 days of the tax point, showing the VAT rate and net amount per line and the total VAT in sterling. Supplies of £250 or less can use a simplified VAT invoice if your customer agrees. InvoiceQuickly applies one tax percentage per invoice, shows it as a generic "Tax (20%)" line and copies saved tax IDs to new invoice PDFs, so type the number into the notes.

Industry context (2026)

UK invoicing is set to change. HMRC's Transformation Roadmap update (published 2 July 2026) says the government "will also mandate e-invoicing for all VAT invoices from April 2029", covering business-to-business and business-to-government transactions. In June 2026 the government announced that Peppol will be the core interoperability network, and it has said it will not introduce real-time reporting alongside the 2029 mandate. HMRC and the Department for Business and Trade will publish an implementation roadmap and standards at Budget 2026. Until then, a PDF built from this layout remains a valid VAT invoice if it carries the required details (GOV.UK, accessed 27 October 2026).

Worked example

Pennine Data Ltd, a VAT-registered limited company in Leeds, finished four days of data-strategy consulting for Harbour Logistics Ltd, Hull, on 9 October 2026 (an illustrative example). Invoice PDL-0117 is dated 27 October 2026, within 30 days of the tax point. Line: data strategy consulting, 4 days at £500.00, VAT rate 20%, net £2,000.00. Total excluding VAT: £2,000.00. VAT at 20%: £400.00. Total payable: £2,400.00. The invoice shows the tax point (9 October 2026, because the invoice went out more than 14 days later), both parties' names and addresses, Pennine Data Ltd's VAT registration number, and a footer reading "Registered in England and Wales" with the company number and registered office. Terms: 30 days. A £150 net job for a customer who agrees could instead use a simplified VAT invoice showing "Total £180.00 including VAT at 20%".

Common mistakes to avoid

Leaving out the tax point

HMRC lists the time of supply as its own item. If you invoice after the work is finished and outside the 14-day rule, show the tax point as well as the invoice date.

Showing VAT only as one total

A full VAT invoice needs the VAT rate and net amount for each line, not just a VAT figure at the bottom.

Giving the VAT total in euros or dollars only

Lines can be in any currency, but the total VAT must be in sterling, converted at a rate HMRC allows.

Using a trading name without the registered name

If you invoice under a trading name, the name and address you are VAT-registered under must still appear on the invoice. A limited company must use its full registered name.

Charging VAT before you are registered

Until HMRC registers you, do not add VAT or show a VAT number. Register once taxable turnover passes £90,000 in the last 12 months.

Invoicing Tips

  • 1Show the tax point as well as the invoice date when they differ. For services, the basic tax point is normally the date the work was completed.
  • 2Issue the VAT invoice within 30 days of the tax point. If you issue it within 14 days, the invoice date becomes the tax point.
  • 3Put the VAT rate and net amount on every line, then give the total VAT in sterling even if you bill in euros or dollars.
  • 4If you trade under a business name, the name and address you are VAT-registered under must still appear somewhere on the invoice.
  • 5Limited company? Use the full name from your certificate of incorporation, and add the company number and registered office to the footer so every document matches.
  • 6Not VAT-registered? Remove the VAT number, VAT rate and VAT total fields. You must not charge VAT.

Related Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

What must a UK VAT invoice include?

HMRC's VAT Notice 700 lists: a sequential invoice number, the tax point, the issue date if different, your name, address and VAT registration number, the customer's name and address, a description, the quantity, VAT rate and net amount for each line, the total excluding VAT, the rate of any cash discount, the total VAT in sterling and the unit price where the supply can be counted.

Can I use this template if I'm not VAT-registered?

Yes. Delete the VAT number, VAT rate and VAT total fields and send it as an ordinary invoice. Every UK invoice still needs a unique number, your name and address, the customer's name and address, a description, the supply date, the invoice date, the amounts and the total owed.

Does a limited company need its company number on invoices?

The law requires the company's registered name on its invoices. The company number, registered office and place of registration are required on business letters, order forms and websites. Many companies add them to the invoice footer as well, and this template has a field for them.

Does this template calculate VAT?

No. The downloaded HTML file is a layout, and you type the figures and totals yourself. If you draft the invoice in InvoiceQuickly instead, the app adds one tax percentage to the subtotal, for example 20%, and shows it as a generic "Tax (20%)" line. It cannot split one invoice across two VAT rates.

Will a PDF invoice still be valid after 2029?

PDF VAT invoices are valid today. HMRC says the government will mandate e-invoicing for all VAT invoices from April 2029, for business-to-business and business-to-government sales, with Peppol as the core network. An implementation roadmap is due at Budget 2026, so check GOV.UK for the scope and dates that apply to you.