Invoice Generator

Getting an invoice ready while a client is still on the line

Invoice Generator is for the moments when a client agrees to pay and you want the invoice ready before the call ends. On screen, you see a single page with a form on the left and a live invoice preview on the right. The left form has clear blocks for your business, your client, invoice details, items, and adjustments. As you type, the preview updates so you always see what your client will receive.

At the very top of the left panel, there is a “Currency” dropdown and a “Show logo” checkbox with an “Upload logo” button beside it. Below that, “Your business details” holds fields for name, address, email, and phone. The “Client details” block sits directly under it and mirrors that structure. This layout makes it clear which lines belong to you and which belong to the client.

Further down, the “Invoice info” section gives fields for “Invoice number,” “Issue date,” and “Due date,” plus an optional “Reference” line. The “Line items & services” table follows, with columns labeled “Description,” “Qty,” “Unit price,” and “Line total.” At the bottom, the “Adjustments” box exposes “Tax rate (%)” and “Discount” fields, and a “Notes & footer” text area. Why open an old document template when this full structure is already laid out in front of you?

Step-by-step: filling and exporting your first invoice

1. Set currency and your business block
   Use the “Currency” dropdown at the top to pick the symbol that matches what you charge. Tick “Show logo” and click “Upload logo” if you want your mark in the header; it appears in the top-left of the preview as soon as the upload finishes. Then type into “Your business details,” and watch those lines appear in the same corner of the invoice preview.

2. Add client details and invoice info
   Scroll to “Client details” and enter the client name, address, and email. The preview shows this block on the opposite side from your own details, so you can confirm the separation is clear. Next, fill “Invoice number,” “Issue date,” and “Due date” in the “Invoice info” area, and see that row appear just under the header on the preview.

3. Enter line items and pricing
   In “Line items & services,” click into the first row under “Description” and describe the work or product. Add numbers for “Qty” and “Unit price”; the “Line total” column and the “Subtotal” under the table change as soon as you move out of the cell. Use the “Add row” button for more items or the trash icon to remove a row, and watch the preview table match those changes.

4. Adjust tax, discount, and export
   In the “Adjustments” box, type a value in “Tax rate (%)” if needed and set a flat or percentage amount in “Discount.” The “Tax” and “Discount” lines appear above “Total” in the preview, and the final figure updates. Add payment notes in “Notes & footer,” then click “Download PDF” or “Copy link” under the preview; the exported invoice matches what you see on screen.

Where this tool cuts down invoicing friction

No more wrestling with old document templates

Many people start invoices from a copied word processing file and end up fixing alignment and leftover text. Here, the page layout is fixed and clean, and you only interact with the labeled fields and table. The preview reflects every change, so you do not need to hunt for stray formatting or past project names before sending.

Why this Invoice Generator beats manual spreadsheets

Spreadsheets are flexible but depend on formulas that are easy to break. In this tool, the “Line total,” “Subtotal,” “Tax,” “Discount,” and “Total” values recalculate based on the numbers you type, not on hidden cells. You see mis-typed quantities or prices right away, instead of finding them later when a client questions an amount.

Fewer back-and-forth emails about what is owed

A common frustration is clients asking for missing details, like payment terms or due dates. On this page, the “Due date” and “Notes & footer” areas sit close to the “Total” in the preview. That layout encourages you to fill them before export, which reduces follow-up messages asking “How should I pay?” or “When is this due?”

Reading the invoice preview and totals with confidence

The invoice preview on the right is not a separate screen; it mirrors the form you fill. The top-left shows your logo if “Show logo” is checked and you have uploaded an image. Directly beneath that, the lines you entered in “Your business details” appear in the same order, so you can see how your contact block will read on the final PDF. Across from this block, the “Client details” information forms its own group, helping both sides see who is billing and who is being billed.

Under the header, the “Invoice info” row arranges “Invoice number,” “Issue date,” and “Due date” side by side. The number you typed is what your client will reference in payments or support tickets, so the preview is your chance to confirm the pattern looks right. Some users expect the tool to auto-increment numbers, but on this screen the invoice number stays exactly as you type it. If you skip the field, the preview leaves that label blank, which is an immediate visual cue to fill it before downloading.

The central table shows each line you entered under “Line items & services.” The “Description” column prints the text as you wrote it, so shorthand or internal codes will appear that way for the client. “Qty” and “Unit price” are numeric on screen, but the preview also shows them as numbers, not words. If you leave either at zero, the “Line total” for that row will be 0.00, and the “Subtotal” at the bottom will not include it, which can be useful for complimentary items but risky if you meant to charge.

Below the table, you see the “Subtotal” line first. This is the sum of all positive “Line total” values above. When you enter a value in “Tax rate (%)” in the “Adjustments” area, a “Tax” line appears between “Subtotal” and “Discount” in the preview. The tax amount uses the rate you entered and applies it to the subtotal. If you then set a “Discount” value, the preview shows that as a separate line, and the “Total” reflects subtotal plus tax minus discount.

An easy misunderstanding is to expect the tax field to know your regional rules. On this page, the tool does not suggest or enforce a rate; it only uses the number you type. That keeps you in control but also means you should confirm your rate with your own accountant or local guidance. If a client sees a tax line that does not match their expectation, you can look back at the “Tax rate (%)” field and the corresponding preview line to find and correct the mismatch.

Currency works in a similar way. The “Currency” dropdown changes the symbol that appears next to amounts in the preview, such as $, €, or £. It does not convert values between currencies; it only changes the label. If you change the currency after entering item prices, the numbers remain the same, which matters if you quote in one currency but then switch symbols by mistake. Always glance at the currency field and the symbol next to “Total” in the preview before exporting.

The “Notes & footer” area feeds the text at the bottom of the invoice. Anything you type here appears as one or more lines under the totals, usually in a smaller font. This is the right place for bank details, short payment terms, or a simple thank-you line. Clear, short sentences work better here; for help writing those, the guides at PlainLanguage.gov give practical examples of plain payment language.

Last week, for example, I used the tool to bill a half-day training session. I entered one line item for “Workshop facilitation” with a quantity of 4 and a unit price that matched my hourly rate, and watched the “Line total” and “Subtotal” update. I set a “Tax rate (%)” of 10, added a small “Discount” for an early booking, and checked the resulting “Total” against my notes. Then I wrote “Payment due within 7 days by bank transfer” in “Notes & footer” and confirmed it looked clear at the bottom of the preview before hitting “Download PDF.”

If you notice spacing or line breaks that feel off, the fix is in the form fields, not in any hidden layout editor. Remove extra blank lines in addresses, avoid very long item descriptions that wrap awkwardly, or split complex work into two clearer line items. Each small change reflects instantly in the preview, which turns the page into a live proofing surface for content as well as numbers.

What this tool stays out of

The tool focuses on creating a single invoice; it does not track payment status or send reminders. You will not see any built-in client list, so returning customers still need their details typed or pasted into “Client details.” There is no currency conversion or tax rule engine attached to the fields, so all financial decisions remain yours. It also does not connect to accounting software from what you see on screen, so exporting and recording the invoice elsewhere is a separate step.

Practical tips from regular use

Keep a short list of standard item descriptions in your own notes app and paste them into “Line items & services” to keep wording consistent across invoices. Before downloading, change the zoom level in your browser so you can see the full preview on one screen; this helps you spot misaligned dates or missing notes in seconds. In the final third of your review, focus only on the “Total,” currency symbol, and “Due date” row in Invoice Generator, because those three lines drive most client questions.