What document can be given to a customer who pays for goods at the time of the transaction?

An invoice or bill is an important written document that indicates the sale or supply by one business to another business or consumer. It contains information about the particular sale transaction, such as buyer’s details, quantity, value, tax, and payment terms.

Many countries have laws governing the issue of invoice or bill, mostly associated with the indirect tax laws of that country. For instance, in India, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) law has elaborate laws on invoicing format and issue of invoice or bill. Let’s dive into the details of invoicing and billing.

What is an invoice?

An invoice is a document that describes the goods and services that a company offers to a customer and specifies the customer’s responsibility to pay for those products and services. Invoices are the foundation of a small business’ accounting system. An invoice details how much your client owes you when payment is due and what services you rendered.

Invoices are the business records that allow companies to get paid for their services, so invoicing is critical for small businesses. Invoice can be defined as “a list of goods sent or services provided, with a statement of the sum due for these; a bill.”, as per the Oxford English Dictionary. 

Who uses an invoice, and what is the purpose?

For accounting, invoices are used as a source document. Invoices are primarily used for keeping track of all the sales transactions by any business organisation with its customers. 

It is issued by every business and professional to keep track of sales made and services provided. Businesses use invoices for several reasons, such as follows:

• Invoice forms the basis for requesting clients or customers to make payments on time.
• To keep an account of the sales or supplies. 
• To track the inventory of the business.
• Invoice can be used as historical data to predict future revenue.
• To keep track of business income for tax purposes.

When is an invoice raised and issued?

In general trade parlance, for the supply of goods, invoices are raised as soon as the goods are delivered with a usual credit period ranging up to 30 days from the invoice date. 

When it comes to the rendering of services,  invoices must be raised monthly by the end of the month. Again, a 30-day credit period is applied from the date of the invoice.

However, the time of raising tax invoices is generally determined by the GST law. There are separate time limits to issue the invoices for the supply of goods and services. Read our article on the time limit to issue invoices and bill of supply to know more about it.

What is an invoice due date?

When it comes to invoicing, including a due date will help facilitate prompt payment.

In a general business context, the due date refers to the latest date by when a payment can be made on an invoice before it becomes overdue or late. These dates signify that the payment is due and will result in several penalties and interest if the payment is not received by the due date.

Since an invoice is a legal document that is part of a sale, including the due date in the invoice will keep the consumer informed. It eliminates any doubt about when the payment is due and eliminates the possibility of denying information about the payment.

Indian laws governing invoicing

If you have a GST registered business in India, you have to provide GST compliant invoices to your customers to sell services or goods. There is no particular format notified for an invoice. However, the invoice must have specific fields compulsorily given in Rule 46 of the CGST Rules.

Starting 1st October 2020, the country has moved from voluntary to mandatory e-invoicing requirements, being implemented in a phased manner based on turnover. e-Invoicing involves submitting an already generated standard invoice on a common e-invoice portal or invoice registration portal for validation and authentication by the GST Network. 

Under GST, a tax invoice acts as evidence for supply and becomes a crucial document for the buyer or recipient to claim Input Tax Credit (ITC). It is mentioned under Section 16 of the CGST Act that the recipient should hold an invoice to claim the ITC.

Apart from GST, the Indian Customs law refers to commercial invoices for import and exports. According to current Customs procedures, an importer or exporter must send a commercial invoice and packing list along with the Customs declaration form, i.e. Bill of Entry/Shipping Bill, for both import and export. 

The commercial invoice and the packing list are essential for Customs purposes, as the former proves the value of the imported/exported products. At the same time, the latter makes examination of quantity and duty easier. 

What are the various types of an invoice?

The different types of invoices that businesses can raise on their clients or customers. 

A standard invoice is the most common form of invoice used mainly by small businesses and flexible to fit in most industries and billing cycles. 

Next on the list is credit notes and debit notes. It is also known by names such as credit memo and debit memo. Credit and debit notes are used for decreasing value and increasing values of previously raised invoices, respectively. 

For instance, credit notes are used while the business wants to pass on a discount or provide a refund to its customers or buyers. On the other hand, debit notes are used to increase the quantity or value of the original invoice.

Another type of invoice is the pro forma invoice. A pro forma invoice is an estimation that a company sends to a customer before delivering services. A pro forma invoice gives the client an estimation of the cost of the work that needs to be done. When a project is completed, pro forma invoices need to be adjusted to represent the hours worked accurately.

A commercial invoice is a document provided by a company for products it sells to consumers worldwide. Commercial invoices provide information about the sale that is required to calculate customs duties for cross-border transactions.

A timesheet is an invoice used when a company or employee bills depending on the number of hours they work and their hourly rate of pay. Contract workers who are paid hourly by their contractor use timesheets.

There are other types of the invoice such as expense report, interim invoice, final invoice, past due invoice, recurring invoice and e-invoice.

Ideal format and contents of an invoice

When selecting the best invoice template for your business’s invoicing, it’s critical to think about the services or supplies, your client’s needs, and your company’s or business objectives.

Finding the best invoice boils down to selecting a format that allows you to bill for your services while still receiving payment on time. A suitable invoice format is created with your requirements in mind so that you can keep track of your invoicing.

You can bill clients for your supplies or sales, arrange account details, get paid correctly, and have all of the information you need, including tax details, with a professionally formatted invoice.

Both charging for your supplies and receiving payment from your clients or customers can be made easy with the right invoice format. However, you must first format and customise your invoice to meet your requirements.

You should format your invoice with all relevant information to ensure that you get paid accurately and on time. This knowledge will not only help your clients pay you, but it will also help you organise your company finances. Your invoice would be more structured and streamlined if you use the correct format.

Apart from business and customer needs, the organisation must abide by the GST laws and e-invoicing rules, wherever it applies. 

An ideal invoice will have the following contents:

• A header with your business name and logo
• Invoice number or a unique identifier
• Your business location and information
• Invoice date
• Description of goods or services sold and quantity
• Additional charges, fees or taxes 
• Total amount due
• Payment terms
• Due dates

A tax invoice should have the following components:

• Name, address, and GSTIN of the supplier or seller
• Name, address, and GSTIN of the recipient or buyer, if it’s registered under GST
• HSN code or SAC for goods and services
• Invoice number, serially numbered and unique in every financial year
• Type of invoices such as a tax invoice, supplementary invoice or revised invoice
• Description of goods or services supplied
• Units or quantity of goods and services
• Tax rate for every item on the invoice
• Amount of CGST, SGST, IGST or UTGST in separate columns
• State of supply and place of supply
• Total amount of goods and services supplied
• Delivery address, in case it is not the same as the place of supply
• If a reverse charge is applicable, then it must be duly mentioned
• Digital signature of the supplier or any authorised person

An ideal GST invoice generated by invoicing software looks as follows:

Why is it important to raise invoices electronically?

An electronic invoice is developed using the seller’s invoicing system, an online bank, or a web-based form. The e-invoice file may then be downloaded or directly forwarded to the buyer’s software. Further, the invoice created electronically using invoice software can automatically form a base for ledger creation and accounting of the buyer’s account or debtor’s account. 

Issues such as manual data entry errors, gaps in accuracy checks, and software swapping can be avoided with electronically generated invoice or e-invoicing. For this to happen, the invoice must be in a standardised format that the buyer’s system can understand. 

E-invoice is not scanned paper invoices or documents processed with optical character recognition. Further, it cannot be in formats such as PDF, Excel or Word, all of which involve manual intervention.

How does ClearOne help in smart and easy invoicing?

ClearOne Invoicing software helps businesses and professionals in the following ways:

• Choose from multiple invoice templates as per one’s business needs
• Helps in creating and adding fields in the invoice that suits one’s business needs
• Auto-populates customers’ & item details on the invoice
• Helps in an easy lookup of HSN codes to ensure no errors
• Ensures to stay up-to-date with latest government regulations & is future proof
• Allows quick and easy sharing of documents with customers
• Get access to GST, e-way bill and e-invoicing on tap

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106. Problems in invoicing and how to overcome them

     Invoicing problems range from missing details in invoices to incorrect address of buyer in the invoice. Read the article to know about these and solutions

107. All about billing cycle

     Billing cycle is commonly referred to in the service industry and few other manufacturing industries. Read the article to know more information.

108. Billing machine uses and effective management

     Billing machine refers to the equipment used at the billing counters of restaurants or retail shops of several industries prominently in B2C. Know more

109. 8 common errors in invoices

     Errors in invoice can be of many types. The article is curated for the most common errors prevalent among businesses.

110. Billing in Accounting Explained

     Billing in accounting initiates a sale transaction for any business. Know the meaning, types of billing, billing process or steps and the FAQs in this blog

111. All about PO number in an invoice

     PO Number in invoice is very important for business to take reference of the purchase orders, to use the right rate. Know more

112. Various quotation formats or templates

     Quotation Template or quotation formats are of many types. Firms must choose the one which is most relevant and suitable for its business.

113. Minimum invoice value

     Minimum invoice value refers to the lowest taxable amount for which a business must raise an invoice on the customer. Read more about the provisions

114. How to Prepare a Quotation on ClearOne?

     Quotation plays an important role in getting orders from prospective clients. This article explains the steps to create a quotation using ClearOne.

115. How to revise B2B invoice?

     Invoice raised on GST registered customer can be revised through various instruments and ways. Read the article for more details

116. Tax calculation on an invoice with examples

     Invoice tax calculation is an important aspect that businesses should accurately comply with. Else, it can have implications on customer relations.

117. All about Commercial Invoice

     Commercial Invoice is an export document that serves as legal evidence of a sale transaction between the buyer and the seller. Read more about it here

118. Make Quotation Easily

     Businesses can make quotation and send to a customer who enquires about the goods and services on offer. Read our article to know steps to make quotation

119. How to Make an invoice

     Make an invoice effectively following the steps given in the article. It starts with choosing the right template to affixing signature of the authorised.

120. Send Quotation to customers

     Quotation plays a very important role in gaining more business for the organisation. Know how to evaluate clients, steps to send and respond to quotation.

121. Outstanding Invoice – Meaning, Relevance, Comparison, Tips, and Legal Protection

     Outstanding Invoice is a term used for a sales invoice sent to a client but is pending payment. Read the article to know outstanding invoices with tips

122. Benefits of invoicing software for small businesses

     Invoicing software has many benefits for small businesses. Read the article to know and understand the benefits of using invoice software

123. Advantages of Invoicing

     Invoicing advantages are aplenty and one should know of these so they can adopt invoicing and spread the message to other businesses as well.

124. All about Price Quotations in Business

     Price Quotation refers to a bridge that ensures that an inquiry turns into a business transaction. The article covers aspects of quotation that you can learn.

125. Steps to create invoice on ClearOne

     Create invoice on ClearOne invoice software easily and accurately. Here is a step-by-step process to create an invoice or make an invoice on ClearOne.

126. All about Debit notes

     Debit note or debit memo refers to a document commonly used in Business-to-Business (B2B) transactions, issued by seller for understated invoice value

127. Accounts payable invoice processing

     Invoice Processing is linked to the Accounts Payable Management in any Organisation. Read the article to know the meaning, how it is linked and steps

128. Invoice Purpose and Tips

     Invoice Purpose is not only accounting or bookkeeping but also for legal protection. Read to know more about this along with invoicing tips for business

129. How to send an invoice?

     This article explains all aspects of sending an invoice, including the importance, modes, checklist, time limit, tips, and follow up procedures.

130. What is Invoice Reconciliation?

     This article explains all aspects of invoice reconciliation, including meaning, benefits, how to reconcile, tips and manual vs automated reconciliation.

131. What is a Tax Invoice?

     A tax invoice is proof of a business transaction. This article explains the meaning, contents, time limit to issue and number of copies of a tax invoice.

132. All About Invoice Generator

     Invoice generator software effectively manages the organisation’s invoicing system. This article explains all aspects of invoice generator. Download Clearone Invoice software app for FREE.

133. All about Credit Note

     Credit note refers to credit memo by businesses and is used by sellers and buyers for adjusting the value of invoices in business practice. Read more.

134. Invoice in word: Tips and template

     One can create the invoice in word. This article explains how to create, tips to create, templates, challenges for creating the invoice in word.

135. Purchase Order versus Invoice

     Invoice when compared to Purchase Order has a different meaning and purpose. This article gives a detailed comparison of a purchase order and invoice.

136. Problems faced in using Word for Invoicing with Solutions

     Invoice template word involves several issues when used by a person. This article gives out the list of problems with invoicing on Word and solutions.

137. Supplier invoices in business

     Supplier invoice refers to the invoice document to record monetary transaction between two parties for the exchange of goods and services.

138. Invoice in Excel: Tips and Templates

     Invoice template in excel are easily available. There are defined steps to efficiently raise invoices on Excel or spreadsheet. Read solutions for challenges.

139. Interim invoices and Progress billing

     Interim invoice is used when a business entity undertakes a large project involving various stages of completion and is also called progress billing.

140. Problems Faced in Using Excel for Invoicing with Solutions

     Using excel for invoicing can lead to many problems such as data handling, security etc. This article explains those problems and solutions for the same.

141. Steps to create a purchase bill

     The purchase bill is to maintain a record of sales made. This article explains the step by step process to create a purchase bill.

142. Changing Invoice Number in Excel

     Change Invoice Number in Excel automatically following some steps and by the use of Macros. You can counter some challenges with better solutions.

143. Proforma Invoice Formats- Samples and Uses

     Proforma invoice formats can be of many and are useful for business of all sizes. Get a wide variety of formats, samples, styles and layouts of proforma invoices. Also, learn how to choose the right Proforma Invoice Format for your business.

144. All about Estimates in business

     Estimate gives price quotes to customers before the sale can take place. Learn more about the uses, contents, comparison with invoice and quotation and more

145. Is an invoice the same as a Bill?

     Bill when compared to invoice is most commonly used across businesses. Is invoice same as bill? Learn the key differences between the two terms with meanings explained.

146. Detailed formats of a tax invoice

     Tax Invoice Formats can be of many and is useful for business of all sizes. Get a wide variety of formats, styles and layouts of standard invoices.

147. Detailed Formats of Standard Invoice

     Standard Invoice Formats can be of many and is useful for business of all sizes. Get a wide variety of formats, styles and layouts of standard invoices.

148. Types of Invoices

     Types of invoices can be several depending upon the stage of the transaction, sale of goods or services or supply type, uses and relevance. Know more.

149. What is a self-billing invoice?

     In the self-billing invoice mechanism, a customer issues the invoice to a supplier. This article covers the contents, benefits of self-billing invoices.

150. What Is an Invoice Number? Invoicing Basics Explained

     An invoice number is the reference number of an invoice. Every business should assign a unique number for each invoice issued for easy tracking.

151. Invoicing Guide for Sole Proprietors

     Sole proprietors or traders must raise invoice for business transactions involving sale of goods or services. Here is a complete guide on how to raise invoice legally.

152. How to raise an invoice as a consultant?

     Consultants must raise professional invoices regularly for their clients. Here is a complete guide to create invoices and bills as a consultant legally.

153. Invoice as legal document & Legal Contract

     Invoice evidences a business transaction but it is enforceable by law. The article gives more information about the same along with the legal contracts.

154. How to Raise an Invoice as a Freelancer

     Here's a guide on how to raise an invoice as a freelancer. Often freelancers face difficulties while invoicing or receiving payments from clients. Clearone helps you with the template & format for invoicing easily.

155. All about Proforma Invoice under GST

     If you receive a bill marked as Proforma Invoice, Is it binding upon the seller or does it have a time limit to act upon? And if you're a supplier, then you may have questions about Pro-forma. Read this article for all your queries.

156. Free Invoice Templates – Download Sample Invoice Templates

     Knowing how to invoice your customers properly is a key skill for entrepreneurs and business owners. Not just it ensures that you are paid for the goods or products, it also helps in preventing costly mistakes with respect to taxes and also keeps your books of account in order. Read here for more.

What document is normally given to a customer at time of payment?

Which document is created when a customer's payment is received?

What receipt do you give to the customer?

What is the document that is used to bill a customer for a good or service?