Invoice Generator

An invoice is a formal billing document that lists goods or services provided, quantities, unit prices, applicable taxes, and total due. Required fields vary by jurisdiction but typically include both party names and addresses, an invoice number, issue date, due date, and a clear payment summary.

The generator takes line items, tax rate, and party details, then assembles a plain-text invoice with calculated subtotals, tax, and total. Output is suitable for email or copy-paste into a PDF tool.

The assembly is straightforward. Line totals = quantity × unit price for each row. Subtotal = sum of line totals. Tax = subtotal × tax rate. Total = subtotal + tax. The minimum legally required fields in most jurisdictions: seller's identity (name, address, tax ID where applicable), buyer's identity, unique sequential invoice number, issue date, description of goods or services with quantities and unit prices, applicable tax rate and amount, total due, and payment terms. EU VAT invoices add specific requirements: VAT number for both parties on B2B, VAT rate per line item where rates differ, and an explicit VAT total. The US has fewer formal requirements but the same fields cover any reasonable audit.

A worked example. Freelance designer billing a client: 3 line items (logo design 1 × $1,200; brand guidelines 1 × $800; revisions 4 hours × $125). Subtotal: $2,500. No sales tax (services in many US states). Total: $2,500. Add invoice number FD-2026-014, issue date 2026-04-15, due date 2026-05-15 (Net 30), seller's name + address + EIN, client's name + address. The invoice should explicitly say what 'Net 30' means in case of dispute and list the payment methods accepted with any account details required for ACH or wire. Late fees, if charged, must be stated on the invoice itself to be enforceable in most jurisdictions.

Limitations and where this is just a starting point. Multi-currency invoicing requires showing both the invoice currency and the equivalent in the buyer's local currency, with the conversion rate and date — the generator handles a single currency at a time. Mixed-rate VAT (different rates on different line items) requires per-line tax computation, not a single rate applied to subtotal. International B2B invoices often require reverse-charge language ('VAT to be accounted for by recipient') for cross-border services. Recurring invoices need a billing system that tracks balances, payments, and partial settlements — single-shot generators don't. For volume use, a real invoicing platform (Stripe Invoices, FreshBooks, QuickBooks) handles numbering, status tracking, payment links, automated reminders, and the tax-compliance edges. The generator is for ad-hoc one-offs and as a template starting point.