Free invoice template UK pack: Word and Excel, VAT and non-VAT variants, 14 day terms and late fee clause pre-written, plus a required fields checklist.
A UK invoice must show the word invoice, a unique sequential number, your business name and address, the customer's details, a description of the work, the dates, the amount per item and the total due. VAT registered businesses must add their VAT number, per item VAT rates and the VAT total. This free pack gives you Word and Excel templates with all of that built in, in VAT and non VAT versions.
What you get: a zip file with five files: three Word documents (.docx) and two Excel workbooks (.xlsx, no macros). The form asks for your name and email address before the download starts; they are sent to Digital Adaption with the name of the file you asked for.
A UK invoice template pack in Word and Excel, with VAT registered and non VAT versions, so sole traders, freelancers and limited companies can send a legally complete invoice in minutes. 14 day payment terms and a statutory late fee clause are already written in, and a one page checklist covers every field the law requires.
Five files in one zip: the invoice as Word and Excel, in VAT registered and non VAT versions, plus a required fields checklist. 14 day terms and a statutory late fee clause are pre-written, and the Excel versions total everything for you. Enter your details and the zip downloads immediately.
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Download the pack (zip)The basics apply to every business, from a self employed cleaner to a limited company. Your invoice must include:
None of this is optional. Missing fields are the most common excuse a slow payer's accounts team will use to bounce an invoice back and restart the clock, so getting the fields right is a cash flow issue, not just a compliance one.
A standard UK invoice format reads top to bottom in the order an accounts team checks it. This is the layout both templates in the pack use:
Here is an example of the line items and totals on a UK invoice from a business that is not VAT registered:
| Description | Qty | Unit price | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office cleaning, 3 hours (1 to 5 September 2026) | 5 | £54.00 | £270.00 |
| Window cleaning, ground floor | 1 | £45.00 | £45.00 |
| Total due | £315.00 | ||
No VAT line appears at all, because the business is not registered. If it were, the same invoice would show a £315.00 net total, £63.00 VAT at 20% and a £378.00 gross total.
If you are VAT registered, a full VAT invoice must also show your VAT registration number, the tax point (time of supply) where it differs from the invoice date, the unit price excluding VAT, the VAT rate charged per item, the total excluding VAT and the total VAT amount in sterling. The VAT variant in this pack has a rate picker per line in Excel, so mixed rate invoices (say standard rated labour and zero rated printed matter) calculate correctly.
Two smaller rules trip people up. Retail supplies of £250 or less (including VAT) can use a simplified VAT invoice with fewer fields. And if you offer a settlement discount, the rate of that discount has to appear on the invoice too.
A sole trader invoice template must show your own name as well as any trading name you use, plus an address where legal documents can be served. So "Jane Smith trading as Smith Design" rather than just the brand name.
A limited company must invoice using the full registered name exactly as it appears at Companies House, and it is good practice (required on business letters, and an invoice usually counts) to include the company registration number, country of registration and registered office address. One quirk of the Companies Act: if you choose to name any director on the invoice, you must name all of them.
Both versions in this pack carry prompts for the right wording, so you delete the line that does not apply rather than trying to remember the rule.
The template defaults to 14 day terms stated in plain sight, with the due date printed next to the invoice date. It also includes a late payment clause referencing the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998. That Act gives every UK business the right to statutory interest at 8% above the Bank of England base rate plus fixed compensation of £40, £70 or £100 per invoice depending on size. You rarely need to collect it; stating it up front is what changes behaviour. If an invoice does go overdue, pair this template with my Invoice Chaser.
Rates last checked: 8 October 2026. Assumes tax year 2026/27: VAT at 20%, 5% and 0%, and the £90,000 registration threshold. Bank Rate was 3.75% when checked, so statutory interest was 11.75% a year.
Every UK invoice needs the word invoice, a unique sequential invoice number, your business name and address, the customer's name and address, a clear description of what you supplied, the supply date and invoice date, the amount per item and the total due. Sole traders must show their own name plus any trading name. Limited companies must show the full registered name, company number and registered office.
A full VAT invoice also needs your VAT registration number, the tax point if it differs from the invoice date, the unit price excluding VAT, the VAT rate per item, the total excluding VAT and the total VAT in sterling. For retail sales of £250 or less including VAT you can issue a simplified VAT invoice.
Yes. This pack includes a self employed and sole trader invoice template in Word and Excel with no VAT shown, which is correct if you are not VAT registered. It comes with 14 day payment terms and a statutory late fee clause already written in.
Only if you are VAT registered. If you are not registered you must not show or charge VAT at all. You must register once your taxable turnover passes £90,000 in any rolling 12 month period, and you can register voluntarily below that.
If you do not agree terms, the legal default for business to business invoices is 30 days. Most small businesses do better stating 14 days clearly on every invoice, plus a late payment clause. The templates in this pack use 14 day terms and cite the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, which lets you add statutory interest at 8% above the Bank of England base rate and £40 to £100 fixed compensation per late invoice.
Use one unbroken sequence, for example INV-2026-001 then INV-2026-002. Every invoice needs a unique identification number, and a VAT invoice must carry a sequential number that uniquely identifies it (VAT Notice 700, section 16). Gaps and duplicates invite questions, so avoid them. If you cancel an invoice, keep the number in the sequence and mark it cancelled rather than reusing it.
The required fields and rates on this page were checked against the official guidance below. Each link was opened and checked on 8 October 2026.
GOV.UK sets out the invoicing rules but does not publish an invoice template. Ours is a fill-in layout built from that list, with payment terms already written.
Digital Adaption also does paid data migration and reporting work for UK businesses; contact us if that would help.