Free UK invoice generator for tradespeople

Make a clean, professional invoice in a couple of minutes, free and with no account. It is built for solo UK trades, plumbers, electricians, builders, sweeps, and everyone in between, so VAT, CIS, and the construction reverse charge are handled the way HMRC expects. The PDF is built in your browser, so we never see or store your invoice.

How to create an invoice

1. Add your business. Your name or trading name, address, and how to be paid. Sole traders also add their own name.
2. Add your customer. Who you are billing, with their address.
3. List the work. One line per part of the job, with a description and price. The running total updates as you type.
4. Set the details. Invoice number, dates, and payment terms. Switch on VAT or CIS if they apply.
5. Download the PDF. Check the preview and save your invoice, free and unwatermarked.

What a UK invoice must include

Every invoice, whoever sends it, needs the word invoice, a unique invoice number, your name and address and a way to contact you, your customer's name and address, a clear description of the work, the date you did the work and the date of the invoice, the amounts, and the total. Beyond that, what you must show depends on how you trade.

Sole trader

If you are a sole trader you can invoice under a trading name, but you must also show your own name and a contact address. You do not need a company number, because you are not a company. This tool asks for your own name whenever you enter a trading name, so your invoice stays valid.

Limited company

A limited company must show its full registered company name, its company number, and its registered office address. You do not have to name a director, and if you name one you would have to name them all, so the simplest valid invoice names none.

VAT, and when not to mention it

You only charge VAT if you are VAT registered. If you are not registered, your invoice must not show a VAT number, must not add VAT, and must not be called a VAT invoice. Charging VAT you are not registered for is a serious error, so this tool removes every trace of VAT when you tell it you are not registered. If you are registered, show your VAT number and a single VAT rate, usually 20%, and keep your invoice numbers in sequence.

CIS and the reverse charge

Under the Construction Industry Scheme, a contractor deducts tax from the labour part of your invoice, 20% if you are CIS registered, 30% if not, and 0% with gross-payment status. The deduction never touches materials. On top of that, the domestic reverse charge applies when both you and your customer are VAT registered, the work is reported under CIS, and your customer is not the end user. When it applies you do not charge VAT; instead the invoice states the VAT rate and amount and carries the line "Reverse charge: Customer to pay the VAT to HMRC". This tool prompts for the reverse charge exactly when it can apply, and takes the VAT off the total for you.

Questions