The exact legal requirements for invoices vary by country, customer type, tax status, and industry. This checklist is a practical baseline for small businesses and freelancers using easyTimi. When local rules are stricter, use the stricter rule.
1. Your business identity
Include the legal or trading name your customer should recognize, your business address, and any relevant registration or tax identifier. If you operate more than one company in easyTimi, check that the correct company is selected before issuing the invoice.
2. Your customer details
Add the customer name, billing address, email recipient, and tax identifier when it is relevant. For larger customers, confirm whether invoices should go to your contact person or to a dedicated accounts payable mailbox.
3. A clear invoice number
Use a unique invoice number that follows a consistent sequence. A clean sequence helps with bookkeeping, customer questions, audit trails, credit notes, and year-end review. Avoid reusing numbers, even if an invoice is corrected later.
4. Invoice date and payment due date
Show when the invoice was issued and when payment is due. Payment terms such as due on receipt, Net 14, or Net 30 should match what you agreed with the customer. Clear due dates reduce awkward follow-up later.
5. Line items that explain the charge
Each line item should describe the product, service, billing period, quantity, unit price, and amount. Use descriptions that are specific enough for approval but short enough to scan. If the work came from a project, milestone, or purchase order, mention that reference where useful.
6. Tax labels, rates, and amounts
Show the tax treatment that applies to the invoice: VAT, sales tax, exemption wording, reverse charge, or another local label. In easyTimi, use tax labels and rates deliberately so the PDF matches the transaction. For cross-border work, confirm the correct treatment with your accountant or local authority guidance.
7. Currency, subtotal, tax total, and final total
Customers should be able to see the subtotal, tax total, and amount due without doing their own math. If the invoice currency differs from your company base currency, keep the exchange-rate context in your records and make sure the customer-facing amount is unambiguous.
8. Payment instructions
Tell the customer how to pay. That can mean bank details, payment reference text, or an online payment link. If you use Stripe through easyTimi, make sure the connected account is active before relying on card or online payment collection.
9. Notes and supporting context
Use notes for polite payment instructions, purchase order references, project context, or tax wording that needs to appear on the document. Keep notes useful. Long, vague text makes invoices harder to approve.
10. Delivery and record keeping
After sending, check the invoice activity and delivery history. A professional invoice is not really complete until you know it reached the right recipient and you can find the record again later.
Professional invoice checklist
- Seller name, address, and tax or registration details.
- Customer name, billing address, recipient email, and tax details where required.
- Unique invoice number, invoice date, and due date.
- Clear line items with quantity, unit price, and amount.
- Tax labels, rates, exemptions, or reverse-charge wording where relevant.
- Subtotal, tax total, currency, and final amount due.
- Payment instructions or an active online payment link.
- Notes, purchase order references, or project references where useful.
- Delivery activity or proof that the invoice was sent.