Free invoice template for UK tradespeople

These are free invoice templates built for UK trades, not generic office work. Pick the version that matches how you are paid (standard, VAT, CIS or reverse charge), fill in the yellow boxes and send it as a PDF.

What does the invoice template include?

Every version follows the GOV.UK list of what an invoice must include, then adds the lines tradespeople actually need: separate labour and materials, a job address that can differ from the billing address, and payment terms written in plain English.

All versions have a space for your logo, bank details, a payment due date and a short late payment note. The Excel file has four tabs (Standard, VAT, CIS and Reverse charge), and the totals, VAT and CIS deduction calculate automatically.

Using it as a plumbing, electrical or builders invoice

The same template works for every trade, but each one has details worth adding to the description lines:

• Plumbing and heating: the appliance make and model, the serial number for boilers and cylinders, and whether any certificate (such as a Gas Safe record) is supplied separately.
• Electrical: the circuits worked on, and the certificate issued (for example an Electrical Installation Certificate or Minor Works Certificate) with its reference number.
• Builders: the stage of work being billed (for example "Stage 2 of 4: first fix complete"), the quote number and any agreed variations, each listed separately with its own price.
• Cleaning, gardening and other regular work: the service period (for example "Window cleaning, 1 to 31 October 2026") instead of a single supply date.

Listing variations as separate lines is the single best way to avoid "that was meant to be included" arguments on larger jobs.

Download the Word and Excel versions

No email address or sign-up needed. Save a master copy, then use "Save as" for each new invoice so you never overwrite an old one.

Download the Word template (.docx)

Download the VAT invoice template (.docx)

Download the CIS invoice template (.docx)

Download the Excel template with 4 tabs (.xlsx)

Word is easiest if you write long job descriptions. Excel is better if you have lots of line items or want the maths done for you. Both open in Google Docs, Google Sheets, Apple Pages and Numbers.

How do you fill in the invoice template?

Work down the page in this order. It takes about five minutes once your details are saved in the master copy.

1. Add your business details once. Your name and any trading name, address, phone and email. A limited company must use its full registered name as it appears on the certificate of incorporation. A sole trader using a trading name must also show their own name and an address where legal documents can be delivered.
2. Give the invoice a unique number. Use a simple run such as 1001, 1002, 1003. Never reuse or skip numbers. If you are VAT registered, HMRC expects a "unique sequential number".
3. Enter the customer. Their name (or company name) and billing address. Add the job address separately if the work was somewhere else, such as a rental property.
4. Add the dates. The invoice date (the day you send it) and the supply date (the day you finished the work, or the period it covered). For VAT invoices, the supply date is the "time of supply".
5. Describe the work clearly. "Replace kitchen consumer unit, 10-way, with RCBOs, and test" beats "electrical work". Clear descriptions reduce queries, and queries delay payment.
6. List labour and materials as separate lines. Show quantity, unit price and line total. This is required on VAT invoices and essential for CIS, where the deduction applies to labour only.
7. Add VAT if you are registered. Show the rate on each line and the total VAT. If the reverse charge applies, use the reverse charge tab instead (see below).
8. Set the payment terms and due date. For example, "Payment due within 14 days, by 26 October 2026". Write the actual date, not just "14 days".
9. Add payment details. Account name, sort code, account number and the invoice number as the payment reference.
10. Save as PDF and send. Keep a copy. Self-employed people must keep records for at least 5 years after the 31 January filing deadline for that tax year.

Worked example: a VAT invoice for a bathroom job

A VAT-registered plumber invoices a landlord's letting company after fitting a new bathroom. These are example figures, not market prices.

Worked example: a CIS invoice with the reverse charge

A registered CIS subcontractor (20% deduction) who is also VAT registered invoices a VAT-registered main contractor for £2,000 of labour and £500 of materials they bought themselves.

The £400 is not lost. The contractor pays it to HMRC on your behalf, and you set it against your tax bill. If the same subcontractor billed a homeowner instead, there would be no CIS deduction and no reverse charge: the homeowner would pay £2,500 plus £500 VAT. Our guide to how CIS works for subcontractors covers the deduction in more depth.

Payment terms wording you can copy

• Homeowner: "Payment due within 7 days, by 19 October 2026, by bank transfer to the account below. Please use invoice number 1043 as the reference."
• Business customer: "Payment due within 30 days, by 11 November 2026. We may charge statutory interest and compensation on late payments under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998."
• Stage payment: "Stage 2 of 4 as per quote Q-1045. Balance remaining after this payment: £3,200.00."

What UK rules must an invoice meet?

We checked these rules on GOV.UK and in HMRC's manuals on 12 October 2026. They apply across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Every invoice (GOV.UK)

• A unique identification number
• Your business name, address and contact details
• The customer's name (or company name) and address
• A clear description of what you are charging for
• The supply date and the invoice date
• The amounts charged, any VAT and the total owed

VAT invoices (HMRC)

Once you pass the £90,000 VAT registration threshold and register, HMRC's VATREC5010 list applies. On top of the basics you need your VAT registration number, the time of supply, the quantity or extent of the work, the unit price, the VAT rate and the net amount for each line, the total excluding VAT and the total VAT. You must issue a VAT invoice within 30 days of the time of supply. If a sale is £250 or less including VAT, you can use a shorter "less detailed" VAT invoice. Read our guide on when tradespeople must register for VAT if you are close to the threshold.

CIS invoices

The contractor deducts 20% if you are registered for CIS, 30% if you are not, and 0% if you have gross payment status. The deduction is worked out after taking off VAT, materials you paid for, plant hire, consumable stores and fuel (except fuel for travel). Keep your materials receipts: GOV.UK says that without evidence the contractor will estimate the cost of materials. The contractor must give you a payment and deduction statement within 14 days of the end of each tax month.

Late payment

For business customers, GOV.UK says that if no payment date was agreed, payment is late 30 days after the customer gets the invoice or the work is done, whichever is later. You can then claim interest at 8% plus the Bank of England base rate, plus a fixed sum of £40 (debts up to £999.99), £70 (£1,000 to £9,999.99) or £100 (£10,000 or more). With the base rate currently at 3.75%, that is 11.75% a year. Our late payment interest calculator does the sums. These rights do not cover homeowners.

What are the most common invoice mistakes?

• Duplicate or random invoice numbers. They confuse customers and look bad if HMRC asks questions. Keep one running sequence.
• "Payment due on receipt" with no date. It gives you nothing to chase. Write a real due date.
• Charging VAT when you are not registered. You cannot add VAT unless you have a VAT number.
• Adding VAT to the total on a reverse charge invoice. The customer accounts for it, so the total should exclude it.
• Taking the CIS deduction off materials. CIS applies to labour, not materials you bought for the job.
• Vague descriptions. "Works as agreed" invites disputes. Describe what you did and where.
• Waiting a week to invoice. Invoice the day you finish. For VAT invoices you have 30 days at most.

When should you switch from a template to software?

A template is fine for a sole trader sending a few invoices a month. It starts costing you time when you send more than a couple of invoices a week, retype quotes into invoices, or chase late payers by hand. That is the point to look at quote and invoice software for trades.

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Before you send your next invoice, it helps to agree the price properly first. Our free quote template for tradespeople pairs with this invoice template, and our step-by-step guide on how to write an invoice in the UK explains each rule in more detail.