Invoice template for UK sole traders, with or without VAT

What an invoice must show in the UK

• A unique invoice number

  Every invoice needs a unique identification number. [1]

• Your details

  Your business name, address and contact information. As a sole trader, also your own name next to any business name you use and, if you trade under a business name, an address where legal documents can be delivered to you. [1]

• Limited companies: the full company name

  A limited company shows its full name as it appears on the certificate of incorporation. If you put any directors' names on the invoice, you must list all of them. [1]

• Your customer

  The name, or company name, and the address of the customer you are invoicing. [1]

• What you are charging for

  A clear description of the goods or services. [1]

• Two dates

  The date the goods or services were provided (the supply date) and the date of the invoice. [1]

• The amounts and the total owed

  The amounts charged, the VAT amount if VAT applies, and the total amount owed. [1]

• VAT invoices: your VAT registration number

  A VAT invoice shows the supplier's name, address and VAT registration number. [2]

• VAT invoices: sequential number and time of supply

  A sequential number from one or more series, the time of supply (the tax point), and the date of issue when it differs from the time of supply. [2]

• VAT invoices: each line in full

  For each item: the quantity of goods or the extent of the services, the unit price, the rate of VAT and the amount excluding VAT. [2]

• VAT invoices: the totals

  The total excluding VAT, the rate of any cash discount offered, and the total VAT, shown in sterling even when the invoice is in another currency. [2]

Rules worth knowing

Make this invoice in Clodou

• Set your workspace country to United Kingdom: invoices are titled INVOICE, the tax line reads VAT, and your number and your client's print after "VAT reg. no.". GBP is suggested as the currency, and each invoice can use another.
• Say what you sold in one sentence. Clodou finds or creates the client, numbers the invoice INV-0001 onwards, and asks when a price is missing instead of guessing one.
• Prices go in before VAT. Each line can carry its own rate (20%, 5%, 0%) or none, so the sample above is one invoice: the PDF adds a rate column and prints each VAT line with its rate and, when it covers only some lines, the amount it applies to ("VAT 20% on £168.00"). Not VAT registered? Remove VAT from your default taxes in Settings and invoices carry no tax.
• The notes print on the PDF: use them for the supply date or a tax point that differs from the issue date, reverse charge wording, or your bank details. The footer carries your business name and legal status, such as your company number or "sole trader".
• After it goes out: payment reminders prepared as cards you approve before anything is emailed, partial payments with the balance left, quote to invoice in one step, monthly retainer drafts, and a CSV export with VAT per rate for your accountant. Undo works for 10 minutes and every change is in the activity log.

Just ask

What Clodou does not do

• No compliance check. Clodou prints the fields on this page; it does not check that an invoice meets HMRC's rules. For example, when every line has the same rate, the PDF shows that rate once, on the VAT line, not on each line. Your accountant checks the rest.
• No VAT returns or Making Tax Digital filing, no bookkeeping or ledger, no bank feeds, no payroll.
• No separate time of supply (tax point) or discount field: the PDF prints the issue date, so a different tax point, the supply date or an early-payment discount goes in the notes or the line description.
• No reverse charge mode: you set no VAT on those lines and write the reverse charge wording, with the VAT amount or rate, in the notes yourself.
• No currency conversion: on an invoice in euros or dollars, Clodou does not show the VAT in sterling, which HMRC asks for.
• No credit notes, no e-invoicing, no client portal or e-signature, no card processing (the Team plan prints your own payment link), and no statutory late-payment interest calculation.

Questions

What does a sole trader need to put on an invoice?

A unique invoice number, your name and any business name you use, your address and contact details, your customer's name and address, a clear description, the supply date, the invoice date, the amounts, any VAT and the total owed. If you trade under a business name, the address must be one where legal documents can reach you. VAT-registered sole traders add the VAT details listed above.

Can I send an invoice if I'm not VAT registered?

Yes. Send an ordinary invoice with no VAT on it: only VAT-registered businesses can issue VAT invoices. You must register once your taxable turnover for the last 12 months goes over £90,000, or you expect it to in the next 30 days.

What is a simplified VAT invoice?

For a supply of £250 or less including VAT, a VAT-registered business can issue a shorter invoice: name, address and VAT registration number, time of supply, description, and for each VAT rate the total including VAT and the rate. It cannot include exempt supplies. Above £250 you need a full or modified VAT invoice.

Can one invoice have items at 20% and 0% VAT?

Yes. A VAT invoice shows the VAT rate for each item. In Clodou each line can carry its own rate: the PDF adds a rate column and one VAT line per rate, as in the sample above.

How long does a customer have to pay an invoice?

Until the date you agreed. Without an agreed date, gov.uk says the customer must pay within 30 days of getting your invoice or the goods or service. If a business pays late, statutory interest is 8% plus the Bank of England base rate, unless your contract sets another rate. Clodou prepares payment reminders for you to approve; it does not calculate the interest.

How much does Clodou cost?

Free: 20 AI requests and 3 quotes or invoices a month. Solo: US$29 a month or US$290 a year. Team: US$79 a month or US$790 a year, with 5 seats. Prices are per workspace, in US dollars. Every new workspace starts with a 14-day trial of Team, no card needed.

Sources

1. GOV.UK: Invoices, what they must include
2. HMRC: Record keeping (VAT Notice 700/21), sections 3 and 4
3. GOV.UK: Register for VAT, when to register
4. HMRC: VAT domestic reverse charge technical guide, invoices
5. HMRC: Place of supply of services (VAT Notice 741A)
6. GOV.UK: VAT rates
7. GOV.UK: Charge, reclaim and record VAT, charging VAT
8. GOV.UK: Charge, reclaim and record VAT, keeping VAT records
9. GOV.UK: Invoicing and taking payment, payment obligations
10. GOV.UK: Late commercial payments, charging interest

Last checked on November 5, 2026. This page explains the rules; it is not tax or legal advice. Check your invoices with your accountant or tax adviser.