Free invoice generator. Make a professional PDF in under 60 seconds.
Fill in your business and client details, add line items, and download a clean PDF invoice instantly. No watermarks, no email gates, no credit card. Built for freelancers, contractors, and small businesses who'd rather get paid than wrangle spreadsheets.
| Description | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service or product description | 1 |
What is an invoice, and when should you send one?
If you're new to billing, or you've been winging it with a Google Doc, here's the working definition every small business owner should have memorized.
An invoice is a formal, dated request for payment that a seller sends to a buyer after goods have been delivered or services rendered. It functions as both a record of the transaction and a legal demand for the amount owed. Unlike a receipt, which confirms a payment that's already happened, an invoice is forward-looking: it specifies what was sold, how much it costs, and when payment is due.
For freelancers, contractors, agencies, and small businesses, the invoice is the single most important document in the cash-flow chain. It's what your client's accounts-payable system needs to cut you a check, what your accountant uses at tax time, and what a court or collections agency would reference if a client ever stopped paying.
You should send an invoice the moment work is completed, a project milestone is hit, or a recurring billing period ends. The faster the invoice goes out, the faster you get paid; industry data consistently shows that invoices sent within 24 hours of work completion are paid 2 to 3 times faster than those that linger.
Invoice vs. receipt vs. bill
People use these terms interchangeably, but they're distinct. A bill is what the buyer calls the invoice they receive. A receipt is issued after payment. An invoice sits in the middle: it's the document that triggers payment in the first place. If you're the one selling, what you send is an invoice, even if the customer files it as a "bill."
Invoice
A dated request for payment. Sent before money changes hands. Includes a unique invoice number, line-itemized charges, taxes, and due date.
Receipt
A confirmation of payment. Sent after money changes hands. The seller's acknowledgment that the buyer's obligation is settled.
Estimate / Quote
A non-binding price proposal. Sent before work starts so the client can approve the scope and budget. Converted to an invoice once the work is done.
Statement
A summary of multiple outstanding invoices for one client. Useful for accounts with many open balances or recurring monthly billing.
How to create an invoice in 5 minutes flat
A repeatable workflow for sending professional, paid-on-time invoices, whether you're using the generator above or any other tool.
Add your business identity
Drop in your logo, business name, address, and tax ID (EIN, VAT, GST). This is what makes the document feel official, and what your client's bookkeeper needs to file it correctly. Solo? Use your legal name and personal address; that's perfectly normal for sole proprietors.
Enter your client's details
Include the company name, attention contact, billing address, and email. If your client uses a PO system, ask for the PO number up front. Invoices missing a required PO get bounced back to the bottom of the queue, costing you weeks.
Number it and date it
Use a sequential invoice number (INV-0001, INV-0002…) and you'll thank yourself at tax time. Set the issue date to today and the due date based on your terms: Net 15, Net 30, or due-on-receipt are the most common.
List the work, with rates
Each line should describe what was delivered, the quantity or hours, and the unit rate. Be specific. "Brand identity design (logo, type system, 10 mockups)" beats "Design work." Specificity prevents disputes and looks professional.
Apply taxes & discounts
Add sales tax, VAT, or GST per your jurisdiction. If you offered a promo or early-payment discount, list it as a separate line so the math is transparent. A confused client is a slow-paying client.
Add payment instructions, then send
Include how you want to be paid: bank transfer details, Stripe payment link, check mailing address. Save the PDF, attach it to a polite email, and send. Then mark your calendar for the due date.
What to include on a professional invoice
The complete checklist of fields every legally compliant, paid-on-time invoice needs, whether you're a freelance designer or running a 50-person agency.
Free generator vs. the full Simple Invoice app
The generator above is more than enough for one-off invoices. But once you're sending more than a handful a month, or chasing payments, the app pays for itself in saved time.
| Feature | Free generator | Simple Invoice app Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Create unlimited invoices | Yes | Yes |
| Custom logo & branding | Yes | Yes, across our template set |
| Download PDF | Yes | Yes |
| Save clients & line items | Browser-only | Synced across devices |
| Email invoices to clients | – | One-click, branded |
| Online payments (Stripe) | – | Card, ACH |
| Auto-reminders for overdue | – | Polite, fully automated |
| Read receipts & payment tracking | – | Real-time activity log |
| Estimates & quotes | – | One-click convert to invoice |
| Reports & tax exports | – | Charts + tax-ready CSV |
| Price | Free, forever | See pricing |
Common questions about invoicing
Everything we get asked about the invoice generator, and the broader business of getting paid on time.
Is this invoice generator really 100% free?
Yes, completely. No signup, no credit card, no email required, no watermarks on your PDFs, and no limit on how many invoices you can generate. Your data never leaves your browser unless you choose to download the PDF. We don't store, log, or transmit anything you type into the form.
The free generator exists because we hope you'll like it enough to upgrade to the full Simple Invoice app when your business outgrows browser-based tools. Until then, use it as much as you want.
Do my invoices have any branding or watermarks from Simple Invoice?
No. Downloaded PDFs are clean. Only your business name and logo appear on the document. We don't add a "Made with Simple Invoice" footer or any other promotional content. Your invoices look like they came from your business, because they did.
What's the difference between an invoice and a bill?
They're the same document, named from different perspectives. The seller calls it an invoice; the buyer calls it a bill. The accounting and legal terms (invoice number, line items, due date, total) are identical. If you're the one issuing it, you're sending an invoice.
What invoice payment terms should I use as a freelancer?
The most common options, fastest to slowest: Due on receipt (immediate), Net 7, Net 15, Net 30, and Net 60. For freelancers and small studios, Net 15 is the modern sweet spot: short enough to keep cash flow healthy, long enough that AP departments don't push back.
Net 30 remains the corporate default, especially for enterprise clients. Avoid Net 60+ unless the contract value is substantial enough to justify floating that much cash. Always state your terms on the invoice itself, not just in the original contract.
Do I need to charge sales tax or VAT on my invoices?
It depends on your jurisdiction, your business structure, and what you're selling. In the US, most services are exempt from sales tax but physical goods are taxable, with rates varying by state. In the EU, UK, Canada, and Australia, you generally need to register for VAT/GST once you exceed a turnover threshold, and then charge it on every invoice. When in doubt, talk to a local accountant. Getting tax wrong is the most expensive way to learn the rules.
Can I generate invoices in currencies other than USD?
Yes. Pick from USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD, JPY, INR, MXN, BRL, and ZAR. The generator formats numbers and currency symbols correctly for each. The full Simple Invoice app supports billing in many more currencies if you regularly invoice internationally.
What happens to my data, is it private?
Everything you enter into the generator is stored in your browser's local storage. Nothing is sent to our servers. That means your invoice data is private, but it also means it lives on this device only. If you want invoices that sync across your laptop and phone, plus secure cloud backup, that's where the full app comes in.
How do I get paid faster on invoices?
Four things move the needle: send the invoice the same day work is completed, use shorter terms (Net 15 instead of Net 30), offer online payment (clients pay roughly twice as fast when there's a "pay now" button vs. a bank transfer instruction), and follow up automatically on the due date instead of waiting a week.
The Simple Invoice app handles all four for you, including auto-reminders that go out on the due date and weekly thereafter, in your tone of voice, so you never have to write the awkward "just checking in" email again.
Outgrowing the free generator? Save, send, and track payments automatically.
The full Simple Invoice app remembers your clients, sends invoices in one click, gets you paid by Stripe, and chases overdue balances so you don't have to. 3-day free trial.