How to Create an Invoice Online: A 2-Minute Walkthrough for Australia

How to create an invoice online: open a free invoice generator, type your business details and ABN, add the client, list each item with a quantity and rate, set GST if you're registered, add a due date and your bank details, then download the PDF and email it. With your details saved, a repeat invoice takes about two minutes. Below is every field in order, a worked example with GST, and how online generators compare with Word, Excel, accounting software and invoicing apps.

How do I create an invoice online? The short version

You fill in a ready-made invoice layout in your browser and download it as a PDF. The tool does the maths; you supply the details. There's no software to install and, on a free generator, no account to create.

The order that works:

1. Your business details and ABN
2. Your client's details
3. Invoice number, issue date and due date
4. Line items: description, quantity, rate
5. GST (only if you're registered)
6. Payment details and terms
7. Notes, then download the PDF
8. Email it to the client

If you're registered for GST, use an Australian tax invoice generator instead of a general one. It has a dedicated ABN field, 10% GST set up, and an on-screen checklist of the details the ATO requires.

How to fill in an online invoice, field by field

Each field below matches a box on the invoice, top to bottom. The first time you'll spend most of the two minutes on your own details; after that they're remembered and you only change the client and the items.

1. Your business details and ABN

Type your name or business name, then your address, email and phone. Add your 11-digit ABN: on the general generator it goes in the details box under your name, and the Australian tax invoice version has its own ABN field. Upload a logo if you have one; it's optional. The ABN matters: without it, a business client generally has to withhold 47% of the payment.

2. The client

Enter the client's business name and the person or accounts email that pays invoices. For a business client, add their ABN. On a tax invoice of $1,000 or more, the ATO requires the buyer's identity or ABN.

3. Invoice number, dates and reference

Give every invoice a unique number that follows on from the last (INV-0042 after INV-0041). Set the issue date to today and pick a due date. If the client gave you a purchase order number, put it in the reference field, because many accounts teams won't pay without one. Our guide on how to number invoices covers numbering systems.

4. Line items

One line per product or service, each with a description, quantity and rate. The generator multiplies them out and adds up the subtotal. Write descriptions a stranger would understand: "Lawn mowing, front and back, 4 visits" rather than "Mowing".

5. GST: on or off

Leave GST at 0% if you aren't registered, and title the document "Invoice". If you are registered, set the rate to 10%, label it GST and title the document "Tax Invoice". If your rates already include GST, tick the "Prices include tax" box in settings ("Prices include GST" on the Australian version) so the tool extracts one-eleventh instead of adding 10% on top. Not sure which applies? Read do I add GST to my invoice?

6. Discounts, deposits and the balance due

Apply a percentage or flat discount if you've agreed one. If the client has already paid a deposit, enter it in "Amount Paid" so the invoice shows the remaining balance due rather than the full total.

7. Payment details and terms

Put your account name, BSB, account number and PayID in the payment details box, and write the terms in plain words: "Payment due within 14 days. Please use the invoice number as your reference." The guide to bank details on an invoice has a layout that also protects clients from payment-redirection scams.

8. Notes, then download the PDF

Add a short note if it helps ("Thanks for your business"), check the total, and click Download PDF. Open the file and read it once as your client will before you send it.

Online invoice example: a gardener's tax invoice

Here is a complete invoice created online by a GST-registered gardener in Brisbane, billing a regular client for a month's work with GST-exclusive rates.

The maths: $260 + $165 + $45 = $470.00 subtotal. GST is 10% of $470 = $47.00, so the total is $517.00. Because the total is under $1,000, the client's name is good practice but the ATO doesn't require their identity or ABN. The title reads "Tax Invoice" and the gardener's ABN sits under the business name. A tax invoice template already has this layout if you'd rather start from a fixed format.

How do I email an invoice once it's created?

Attach the PDF to an email to the client's accounts contact, and put the invoice number, amount and due date in the subject line. An emailed PDF counts as a tax invoice as long as it has everything a tax invoice needs; the ATO says a tax invoice doesn't need to be issued in paper form.

A template that works:

• Subject: Invoice INV-0042 from Greenline Gardens, $517.00 due 30 October
• Body: "Hi Sam, please find attached invoice INV-0042 for October's garden maintenance. The total is $517.00 including GST, due 30 October. Bank details are on the invoice; please use INV-0042 as the reference. Thanks."

Name the file with the number and client ("INV-0042 Sam Patel.pdf") so it's easy to find in both inboxes.

Ways to create an invoice: online generator vs Word, Excel, software or an app

A free online generator is the fastest way to create a correct invoice when you send a handful a month. Word and Excel work but leave the maths and numbering to you. Accounting software and invoicing apps cost money but add sending, tracking and bookkeeping.

If you prefer a file you can edit offline, our guide to invoice templates in Word and Excel covers the formulas and fields to set up. Whichever route you take, the content rules are the same; the how to write an invoice guide lists them.

Is it safe to create an invoice online? Where your data goes

On Invoice-Generator.com.au, the details you type are saved in your own browser's local storage, and the PDF is built in your browser. The tool's code doesn't send your invoice contents to a server, so there's no account and no copy of your invoices held by us.

What that means in practice:

• Your details come back next visit on the same browser and device, so you don't retype your ABN and bank details.
• Clearing browser data deletes them. So does a private window. Keep the downloaded PDFs; they're your record, not the browser.
• A shared computer shares the saved details. Use your own device, or clear the form when you're done.
• Analytics counts visits, not invoices. The site uses Google Analytics for page views and events such as "PDF downloaded". Those events don't include your client, items or amounts.

Other online tools work differently; many store invoices on their servers so you can log in anywhere. Check the privacy policy of any tool before you type client details into it.

Common mistakes when you create an invoice online

Most errors on online invoices come from reusing the last one: the old invoice number, last month's dates, or the wrong client left in. A quick read of the PDF before sending catches nearly all of them.

• Duplicate invoice numbers. Change the number every time, including when you reissue a corrected invoice.
• Stale dates. The issue date and due date carry over from the last invoice on some tools. Update both.
• GST on when you're not registered. If you aren't registered, GST stays at 0% and the title says "Invoice".
• Adding 10% to GST-inclusive prices. If your rates already include GST, tick the inclusive option; otherwise the client is overcharged.
• No ABN. A business client may withhold 47% of the payment.
• Only keeping the invoice in the browser. The ATO says to keep most business records for 5 years, so save every PDF somewhere backed up.

The ATO's record-keeping rules start the 5 years from when you prepared the record or completed the transaction, whichever is later. For what a valid tax invoice must contain, see tax invoice requirements in Australia.

When should you move from an online generator to invoicing software?

Move when the admin around the invoice takes longer than creating it: when you're sending more than a few invoices a month, chasing late payers, or retyping the same clients. Until then, a free generator and a tidy PDF folder do the job.

The short answer

To create an invoice online, open a generator, enter your details and ABN, the client, the invoice number and dates, your line items, GST if you're registered, and your bank details, then download the PDF and email it with the number, amount and due date in the subject line. The free online invoice generator for Australia remembers your details, so the next one takes about two minutes.

When the invoices pile up and the chasing starts, InvoiceSonic sends them, tracks opens and sends the reminders for you. It's free to start, with a 7-day Pro trial.

This article is general information, not tax advice. For your circumstances, check the ATO's tax invoices page or a registered tax agent.

Frequently asked questions