What do I need to include on my invoice?
A pragmatic list of what UK law requires on an invoice, plus the common mistakes that cause invoices to be held up.
FAQ
A pragmatic list of what UK law requires on an invoice, plus the common mistakes that cause invoices to be held up.
A unique invoice number, date, your name/business name and address, your client's name and address, description of goods or services supplied, date of supply (if different from invoice date), and the total amount charged. If you're charging VAT, you'll need to include your VAT registration number, rate, amount and total including VAT.
So, you're ready to invoice, woo!
Before you send it over, make sure your invoice has all of the information you need to get paid.
There are a set of legal requirements that you must include on an invoice, and missing information can cause delays in getting paid.
The requirements vary depending on how you're set up.
Every invoice must include:
You need to also include:
You need to also include:
Whilst you don't have to include any director names, if you do, you must list all of them, not just yours.
I always include my bank account details and payment termson every invoice. This way, there's no excuse for the client not having your bank details, or pretending they didn't know the payment terms.
If you don't have a business bank account, it's worth getting one set up, to keep your personal and business finances seperate. If you're a limited company, it's a requirement.
Late payment is a real and persistent problem for freelancers. Around half of all invoices are not paid on time, with an average delay of over three weeks. Some of that is bad behaviour from clients, but a significant chunk is caused by invoices that cannot be processed.
Here are the most common reasons an invoice gets held up before anyone has even looked at the amount.
Sent to the wrong person, or not forwarded on internally. Many clients have a dedicated accounts payable team, or a specific person responsible for processing invoices. If you send it to the wrong person, or it's not forwarded on internally, it can sit in a queue waiting for someone to notice it.
The wrong legal entity. You've invoiced the person you spoke to, not the company they work for. Finance teams cannot pay invoices that don't match their supplier records.
Missing PO number. Many larger businesses will not process an invoice without one. Without it, the invoice sits in a queue waiting for someone to chase it internally. That someone is usually you.
Wrong address. A client may have several trading entities, regional offices, or subsidiaries. If the address doesn't match what's on their system, it gets kicked back.
Vague description. "Consulting services" means nothing to someone in accounts payable who was not part of the project. Be specific about what you delivered.
No bank details. More common than it should be. Clients may not chase you for them. The invoice just waits.
The fix for most of these is to ask the right questions before you start work, not after.
Check out the Flightplan stage on getting started with a new client, for more useful actions to take.
The UK will introduce mandatory e-invoicing for all VAT invoices from 2029.
This means much more than just sending your invoice as a PDF, but using a digital platform which can be used to send and receive invoices, in a specific format that can be read by other systems.
HMRC is expected to publish a formal roadmap during 2026, but as seen in other countries, the specific requirements are likely to be confirmed much closer to when the new rules are enforced. This only affects VAT invoices and B2B invoicing.
A list of related resources on freelancing.support.
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