Invoices are more than essential documents in the sales process. A purchaser will need them to clarify their expenses, and your organization will need them to order your accounting, inventory, and pay expenses. In this sales invoices article, we address everything about these documents.

In the first place, invoices are legal documents that all companies must issue to track their transactions and pay the applicable taxes. Still, invoices provide several benefits for planning, sales operations, and forecasting.  

Below you will find the most common sales invoices to deliver to your clients. This way, you can ensure you get the net amount owed when the delivery takes place.

Standard Invoice

The standard invoice is the most basic and is used for all transactions. This template includes all the essential information, although it may also contain something additional.  

Recurring Invoice

As its name indicates, this invoice is used for regular buyers who often purchase goods with a subscription or membership. Providers use a recurring invoice system to facilitate this operation or automate consistent payments.  

Commercial Invoice

This type of invoice is used for international transactions. It includes more complex information, such as valuation for products crossing international borders, product weight, country of origin, and more.

Next, we describe the six steps you should follow to create or simply fill out sales invoices. Please read each of them carefully to have a good record of your transactions.  

1. Keep the Document Clear

Invoices must be distinguishable from other sales documents. For this reason, you should include the word "Invoice" at the top of the page to clearly label the document. If you manage a large number of invoices, it's recommended that you include the date and the company logo. 

2. Insert the Relevant Contact Details

Another piece of relevant information you must include when you create an invoice is your organization name, email, and phone number. In this part, you can add a customer service number if a client needs to contact you for more deals or other information.

Regarding customers' contact information, it is crucial when issuing invoices for specific clients. This info is commonly located beneath the header.  

As you're using a template to send invoices, be sure the template includes all the sections you need to correctly contact the customer, especially when you get it for payment. A good decision here is to have a physical address for any emergency. 

3. Date and Number of the Invoice

All sales orders or invoices have a unique number, and it's dated to a specific date. Then, the third step is to generate and assign the number to the specific invoice. The best practice here is beginning with a sequential system. i.e. , Invoice #001, #002, #003, etc. 

Be aware of different date systems around the globe in case you have international customers. Try to make sure everything is clear between days and months. It will help you and your customers when payments are due.

4. List Services or Items Provided

Describe the goods and services you've provided or delivered to your customers. It would help if you did it point by point for clarity. Just be brief and detailed enough to facilitate the identification of the products. 

When you send the invoice, remember to attach all the documents relevant to the transaction, like the sales order, agreements, etc. 

5. Explain the Payment Terms Clearly

Customers and clients must know how much they must pay for the item, mainly when your business sells physical products. Describe the payment methods you accept and the late fees you charge for overdue invoices.

6. Establish a Clear Payment Due Date

Most sales invoices must be paid in a certain period, generally from 10 to 30 days. Besides, some customers or clients can accumulate several invoices; they are happy to know how much they own and see the breakdown of their debts. 

When you write the invoices, be transparent by providing a brief description of the deposits made by the customer, the applicable taxes, and if these are applied discounts.

This first free template is the perfect sample of what an invoice document should look like. It's clearly labeled with "Invoice" at the top of the page. It also contains all the relevant information for the sales process, such as the issue date. It also includes the sales tax and the total due at the bottom. This template is for Microsoft Word. 

You can download this free sales invoice template from templates.office.

This template is very similar to the previous one. The main difference is the latter highlights sections with a blue color. This template is also perfect for managing budgeting by clarifying the quantity supplied and the money you charge for each. 

You can download this free sales invoice template from Generalblue.

This third alternative is also very similar to the previous two. Still, the top has more space for a large company's data, and the customer's data is clearly separated. This template also integrates a bottom area for possible comments related to past data. This template comes in doc format, but you can also use it in Google Docs.       

Suppliers can get this free template from opendocs.

Microsoft Word is the primary software typically used for filling out or editing the templates mentioned above. Creating a new one is also very simple in this application. As it's costly to get it from the official Microsoft Store, you can get it on RoyalCDKeys by purchasing a Microsoft Office 2021 Professional Plus Key Retail Global CD Key at €11,05.