Excel Invoice Template (Free): What to Include

An invoice made in Excel is perfectly valid in most countries, as long as it carries the details your tax authority requires, a unique sequential number, and you keep a copy for as long as the law says. You can download a free Excel template (.xlsx, with the totals and tax formulas already in place) without signing up from our invoice template downloads. If you'd rather not maintain a spreadsheet at all, the free invoice generator gives you a finished PDF in a few minutes.

One caveat first: more and more countries require structured e-invoices between businesses, and a PDF exported from Excel doesn't count as one. More on that below.

What every Excel invoice must include

The exact list depends on where you're registered, but almost every tax authority asks for the same core details. As a reference, here is what HMRC lists for a full UK VAT invoice:

1. A unique invoice number that follows on from the previous one.
2. Your business name and address, and your VAT number if you're VAT-registered.
3. The invoice date, and the time of supply (tax point) if it's different.
4. Your customer's name and address.
5. A description of what you supplied, clear enough to identify it: "Social media strategy workshop, 2 days", not just "Consulting".
6. Quantity, unit price and VAT rate for each line.
7. The total excluding VAT, the VAT amount and the total due.

If you aren't VAT-registered, leave the VAT columns out and don't show a VAT figure at all: showing VAT you aren't registered to charge causes trouble. In the US there is no federal invoice format; whether you add sales tax depends on the state and on what you sell.

A signature, a logo or a due date aren't legal requirements in most places. Add your payment terms and bank details anyway, or you'll wait longer to be paid.

The three formulas an invoice spreadsheet needs

Most errors in spreadsheet invoices are arithmetic: a line that isn't included in the total, or VAT rounded line by line that ends up a penny out. These three formulas cover almost every invoice.

An example: a trainer in Manchester invoices a two-day workshop and sells ten copies of her book at the same time. The workshop is standard-rated (20 %), printed books are zero-rated (0 %).

1. Net per line (in E5, then fill down):

=B5*C5

2. VAT per rate. Below the table, put each rate you use in its own cell, for example 20 % in D9 and 0 % in D10. In E9 (then copy to E10), calculate VAT on the total for that rate, not line by line:

=ROUND(SUMIF($D$5:$D$7,D9,$E$5:$E$7)*D9,2)

That gives £240.00 at 20 % and £0.00 at 0 %, so the invoice shows the net amount and the VAT for each rate.

3. Total due:

=SUM(E5:E7)+SUM(E9:E10)

Result: £1,449.00 net + £240.00 VAT = £1,689.00.

Invoice numbers: the field Excel won't fill for you

Excel doesn't know your last invoice number. Many freelancers save the template again for each invoice, overwrite an old one by accident, or use the same number twice. Three habits help:

• A fixed pattern, for example 2026-001, 2026-002… With the year first, you can restart at 001 in January without repeating a number.
• An invoice register in the same folder: number, date, customer, net, VAT, total, date paid. New number = last row plus one.
• One file per invoice, with the number in the file name: 2026-014_North-Agency.xlsx. Keep the template itself blank and read-only.

Send a PDF, keep a copy

Never send the customer the .xlsx file. They could change amounts, and the layout shifts on another computer. Export the invoice as a PDF (File → Save As → PDF) and send that.

Keep a copy of every invoice you issue. In the UK, HMRC asks VAT-registered businesses to keep VAT records for at least six years. Other countries set their own periods, often between five and ten years. Keep the PDF you actually sent, not just the spreadsheet, which can still be edited later.

When an Excel invoice is no longer enough

Several countries now require structured e-invoices between businesses: a data file (XML, or a PDF with XML embedded) that the customer's software reads directly. A PDF exported from Excel isn't an e-invoice, however tidy it looks. Italy has required this for years, Poland since 2026, France phases it in from September 2026 and Germany from 2027. Our overview of e-invoicing requirements in the EU explains who is affected and when.

If you only invoice customers in the UK, the US or other countries without such a mandate, the Excel template remains fine.

When it's worth moving beyond Excel

Excel is a good choice for your first invoices: free, offline, and every formula is visible. It gets tedious once you send several invoices a month: retyping client addresses, hunting for the last invoice number, matching unpaid invoices against your bank statement by hand.

Invoicing software takes over exactly those parts: it numbers invoices itself, remembers clients and services, and shows what's still unpaid. In KipBill you can import your clients, products and past invoices from an Excel or CSV file, keeping their original invoice numbers, and carry on where your spreadsheet left off.

FAQ

Is an invoice made in Excel legally valid?

Yes, as long as it contains every detail your tax authority requires. The law doesn't say which program you write it in. The exception is business-to-business invoicing in countries with an e-invoicing mandate.

Can I use the template in Google Sheets, Numbers or LibreOffice?

Yes. The .xlsx file opens in LibreOffice Calc and Numbers, and the download page has a separate Google Sheets copy. The formulas above work in all of them.

Do I need to sign the invoice?

No. A signature isn't one of the required details, on paper or in a PDF.

How do I correct an Excel invoice I've already sent?

Don't edit the file you sent. Issue a credit note that refers to the original invoice's number and date, then a new invoice with a new number if needed.

Last updated: 27 October 2026. UK details from HMRC VAT Notice 700/21. This article is not tax advice.