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This article was written in collaboration with Gina D’Amore. Gina D’Amore is a financial accountant and founder of Love’s Accounting. With 12 years of experience, Gina specializes in working with smaller businesses in all areas of accounting, including economics and human resources. She has a bachelor’s degree in economics from Manhattanville College and an accounting certificate from MiraCosta College. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 774,247 times.
Receipts serve as a document for customer payments and as a record of sales. If you want to deliver an invoice to a customer, you can either write it by hand on a piece of paper or create it digitally using a template or software system. If you plan to do business, it’s important that you know how to write an invoice correctly to obtain proper documentation, tax purposes, and to protect yourself and your customers.
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Buy an account book to make it easier to write accounts. You can buy a carbonless 2-part receipt book online, at an office supply store, or at a store that stocks several sheets of reusable carbon paper. These brochures are usually prenumbered and already have account headers. Be sure to get the two-part form booklets so you have a copy for your records. If you don’t have a book handy, you can simply write the receipts by hand on a piece of paper and photocopy them.[1]
- Make sure there is carbon paper between the original and the copy before you start writing the certificate.
- Use a pencil when writing invoices by hand, making sure to press firmly to transfer the information onto the copy.
Write the account number and date at the top right. Write the complete date you made the sale and the invoice number in chronological order below. Each receipt should have a number so that you can keep track of each sale throughout the day. For the account number, start with 001 and go up one number for each account. You can do this ahead of time so you don’t have to write every time you sell.[2]
- For example, the top right of the invoice would look like this: January 20, 2019.004
- You can cancel account numbers every day as long as you enter the date on each account.
- Most account books will already have a different account number for each account.
Type your company name and contact information in the upper left corner. Write your business phone number and address under the business name. You may also include other details such as website, social media accounts, and/or hours of operation. This information will serve as proof that your business made the sale and will help the customer contact you if necessary.[3]
- If you do not have a company, please write your full name instead of the company name.
Skip the line and write down the items purchased and their price. Write the name of the item on the left side of the receipt and write the price of each item on the right side of the receipt. If you sold more than one item, list the items and their prices in order.[4]
- For example, the individual list on the receipt should look like this: Toilet Paper…………..$4 Comb………………$3Moisturizer……………$20
Write the subtotal under all items. The subtotal is the cost of all items before taxes and additional charges. Add up the price of each item you sold and write the total under the item’s price list. [5]
- To be exact, use a calculator to add the items.
- The subtotal should look like this: Toilet paper…………..$4 Comb………………$3 Moisturizer……………$20 SUBTOTAL…………..$27
Add taxes and other fees to the subtotal to get the grand total. List the name of the tax or surcharge on the left side of the bill and write its cost on the right side of the bill. Then add any applicable fees and taxes to the subtotal to get the grand total, or the amount the customer must pay.[6]
- Your grand total should look like this: SUBTOTAL…………..$27 Sales Tax………….$5.50 Shipping…………..$3 GRAND TOTAL……..$35.50
Write down the payment method and the customer’s name. Payment can be made by cash, check or credit card. Write the customer’s full name on the last line of the invoice. If they paid with a credit card, ask them to sign the bottom of the receipt. Then make a copy of the receipt and keep it for your records and give the customer the original receipt.[7]
Download the invoice template for a simple digital solution. If you are giving someone a certificate online, it may be easier to type the certificate on your computer. In this case, search for invoice templates online and download the one that suits your needs. Then complete all applicable fields using a word processor and send the customer a copy of the invoice.[8]
- Remember to include the date of sale on every invoice you write.
- Only download templates from sites that seem trustworthy.
Use software to create professional looking invoices. Compare free and paid invoice generator software and download the one that best suits your needs. Set up the program and enter your company name and information in the settings tab. Then, it’s just a matter of correctly completing the corresponding fields. Once you’re done, the program will generate a professional-looking invoice for you to hand over to the customer and record the invoice in its database so you can refer to it later.[9]
- Popular receipt programs include NeatReceipts, Certify, and Shoeboxed.
- You can also upload your company logo to appear on the client’s copy of the invoice.
Use a POS system for very precise account management. A POS or point of sale system is a system that helps you keep track of business expenses, sales, receipts, and can process payments like checks and credit cards. This system will automatically generate an invoice for the customer at the point of sale and record the sale in its database. Compare different POS systems online and choose the one that suits your needs. Then download the system to your computer and work with customer service to generate automatic invoices every time you make a sale.[10]
- Popular POS systems include Vend, Shopify, and Square Up.
- Many POS systems can now be downloaded to your phone, tablet, or computer.
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Source: HIS Education