How to Create an Invoice

A complete walkthrough of every option in the form

By lovlar • February 10, 2026 • 6 min read
This guide walks through every section of the invoice form: invoice metadata, sender and recipient details, line items, shipping, discounts, VAT, rounding, payment details, notes, and PDF styling. Fill in what you need, skip what you don't.

The Form at a Glance

The invoice form has nine sections. Most fields are optional — you only need a sender name, recipient name, and at least one line item to generate a valid PDF. Everything else adds detail and professionalism.

The form saves automatically in your browser. Come back later and your data is still there.

1. Invoice Metadata

The top section sets the document identity:

  • Invoice Type — Choose from Regular, Receipt, Quote, Proforma, or Credit. Each type changes the document title and shows relevant fields. See all invoice types →
  • Invoice Title — Auto-set based on type (e.g., "INVOICE", "QUOTE"), but fully editable
  • Date — Defaults to today. Click the gear icon to change the date format (ISO, US, EU, etc.)
  • Due Date — Quick presets for 15, 30, or 60 days. Click "..." for a custom date or to select specific payment terms like Net 7, Net 45, or Net 90
  • Invoice Number — Free-text field. Click the gear icon to configure auto-incrementing with prefix and padding (e.g., INV-001)
  • Currency — Searchable dropdown with 18+ currencies (EUR, USD, GBP, SEK, NOK, etc.). Changing the currency updates all formatting throughout the invoice and PDF
  • Company Logo — Upload a PNG, JPG, or SVG. The logo appears on the PDF invoice header

2. Sender and Recipient

Two side-by-side sections for your company and your client. Both have the same fields:

  • Company name (required) — your business or personal name
  • Street address and country code — two-letter ISO code (e.g., US, DE, GB)
  • Suite/Apartment — additional address line
  • City and postal code
  • Email
  • Phone with international prefix dropdown
  • VAT/Tax ID — your tax registration number
  • + Add Field — add custom fields like registration number, IBAN, or any other business identifier

The address autocomplete helps with entering addresses. Start typing a street name and suggestions appear based on the OpenStreetMap database.

3. Line Items

The core of your invoice. Each item has:

  • Description — multi-line text field for the product or service name
  • Quantity — how many units
  • Unit — optional label (hours, pieces, days, kg, etc.)
  • Price — unit price in your selected currency
  • Amount — calculated automatically (quantity × price)

Use "+ Add Item" for additional line items. Each item can be reordered by dragging, duplicated, or deleted.

If you enable per-item VAT or per-item discount overrides in the settings section, each line item gets its own VAT rate and discount fields.

Tip: For consulting and hourly work, use "+ Add Time Report" instead. It auto-generates line items from a timesheet calendar. Learn more →

4. Shipping, Discount, VAT and Rounding

Four settings that control pricing calculations:

Shipping

Add a shipping cost and optional notes (carrier, tracking, delivery terms). Toggle Pre-tax to apply shipping before or after tax calculation.

Discount

Apply a global discount as a percentage or fixed amount. Toggle Pre-tax to control whether the discount applies before or after VAT. Enable Per-item Override to set individual discounts on each line item.

VAT

Three modes:

  • No VAT — no tax applied
  • Excl VAT — prices are net, VAT is added on top
  • Incl VAT — prices already include VAT, the tax is calculated from the total

Set a global VAT rate or enable Per-item Override for different rates per line item (useful when selling mixed product categories).

Rounding

Round the final total: Off (no rounding), .00 (nearest cent), ×10 (nearest 10), or ×100 (nearest 100). Rounding adjustments appear as a separate line in the PDF.

5. Payment Details and Notes

Payment Details

Click "+ Add Field" to add payment methods. Each field has a label and value — use it for bank account numbers, IBAN, SWIFT/BIC, PayPal addresses, or any other payment information your client needs.

Below the payment fields is a text area for payment instructions (e.g., "Use invoice number as payment reference").

Additional Notes

A free-text area for terms, conditions, thank-you messages, or any other information you want to include on the invoice.

6. PDF Styling and Layout

The final section controls how your PDF looks:

  • Paper Size — A4, US Letter, or Legal
  • Color Palette — Six color themes (Arctic, Slate, Indigo, Charcoal, Forest, Wine) that change the accent colors, borders, and headings
  • Template — Five layout designs: Simple, Modern, Minimal, Elegant, and Classic. Each template arranges the invoice elements differently

The live preview on the right updates in real time as you change any setting. When you are ready, click "Export PDF" to download.

7. Toolbar Actions

The toolbar at the top provides quick actions:

  • Upload PDF — upload a previous invoice PDF to auto-fill the form for the next invoice. Learn more →
  • Clear — reset the form to start fresh
  • Print — send the invoice directly to your printer
  • Share Link — generate a shareable URL containing the full invoice data
  • Share on X / Bluesky — quick share buttons
  • Language — switch between 10 languages (English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Swedish)

Your invoice data is saved automatically in your browser. No account needed, no data sent to any server.

Try the invoice generator →