This free UK invoice template is an Excel sales invoice that does the arithmetic for you. Type your customer, invoice number, date and items into the blue cells. VAT is worked out line by line at 20%, 5% or 0%, the due date follows the payment terms you pick, and the TOTAL DUE updates as you go.
What should a UK invoice include?
The legal minimum is short, and the template has a cell for every item:
| Field on the invoice | Where it goes in the template |
|---|---|
| Unique, sequential invoice number | Invoice No |
| Date of issue | Invoice Date |
| Your name or trading name, address and contact details | Footer lines at the bottom |
| Customer name and address | BILL TO card |
| What you supplied, how many and at what price | Description, Qty, Unit Price |
| VAT rate and VAT amount (VAT-registered only) | VAT % and VAT columns |
| Total owed and when it is due | TOTAL DUE and Due Date |
If you are VAT-registered, your VAT registration number must also appear. The third footer line is there for it.
How does the VAT work on each line?
Each line has its own VAT % cell, so you can mix standard-rated (20%), reduced-rate (5%) and zero-rated (0%) items on one invoice. The VAT on every line is rounded to the penny before it is added up, so the VAT total matches what your customer sees line by line.
If you are not VAT-registered, leave VAT % blank rather than choosing 0%. A blank cell means no VAT applies; 0% means a zero-rated supply, which only a VAT-registered business can make. Negative lines, such as a discount, show in brackets.
Numbering and keeping copies
HMRC does not set a format for invoice numbers, but each one must be unique and follow on from the last. A simple run such as INV-001, INV-002 works, or a yearly prefix such as 2026-001. Save each invoice as its own file under its number so you never overwrite a sent invoice.
Your sales invoices are also the evidence behind the income in your records. If you are a sole trader and Making Tax Digital for Income Tax applies to you, those records feed your quarterly updates; Making Tax Digital for sole traders explains who is in scope and when.
