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. It still needs what GOV.UK lists for every invoice: a unique number, your details, your customer's, a description, the supply and invoice dates, the amounts and the total owed.

Can I charge VAT if I'm not VAT registered?

No. You cannot include VAT on your invoices until you have a VAT registration number. If you are waiting for one, you can raise your prices to cover the VAT you will owe, then reissue the invoices showing VAT once the number arrives.

Do I have to write "not VAT registered" on my invoices?

GOV.UK's list of what an invoice must include does not ask for it. A short line such as "Not registered for VAT" can save a question from a customer who expects VAT, and Clodou puts it in the notes when you ask.

What does a limited company that is not VAT registered put on its invoices?

Everything on the list above, with the full company name as it appears on the certificate of incorporation, and the names of all directors if you show any. Business letters, order forms and websites also show the registered number, registered office and place of registration; you can add them to an invoice's notes too.

How much does Clodou cost?

Free: up to 5 clients and 20 AI actions a month, with no separate cap on quotes and invoices (making them in the chat uses AI actions). 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.

Invoice templates / UK, not VAT registered

Invoice template for UK sole traders and companies not registered for VAT

For sole traders and limited companies in the UK that are not registered for VAT. Here is what GOV.UK says every invoice must include, the extra details for sole traders and companies, and when you must register for VAT. The sample invoice below charges no VAT and downloads as a PDF.

Start free See the sample invoice

What an invoice must show in the UK

A unique invoice number
A unique identification number. [1]
Your details
Your company name, address and contact information. [1]
Your customer's details
The company name and address of the customer you are invoicing. [1]
What you are charging for
A clear description of what you are charging for. [1]
Two dates
The date the goods or service were provided (the supply date), and the date of the invoice. [1]
The amounts and the total owed
The amount or amounts being charged, and the total amount owed. [1]
Sole traders: your own name
Your name and any business name you use, and, if you use a business name, an address where legal documents can be delivered to you. [1]
Limited companies: the full company name
The full company name as it appears on the certificate of incorporation. If you put directors' names on your invoices, include the names of all directors. [1]
No VAT and no VAT number
Only VAT-registered businesses can issue VAT invoices, so an invoice from a business that is not registered carries no VAT. [2]

Sample invoice

This is how Clodou prints an invoice for this country: same labels, taxes and layout as the PDF.

Northgate Digital Ltd

INVOICE

INV-0001

From

Northgate Digital Ltd

Web development

Unit 4, 20 Example Street, Manchester M0 0AA

Bill to

Sam Patel

Oakfield Lettings Ltd

8 Market Row, Leeds LS0 0AA

Issue date: Nov 10, 2026
Date of supply: Oct 31, 2026
Due date: Nov 24, 2026
Total: £630.00

Description	Qty	Unit price	Amount
Website maintenance, October	1	£450.00	£450.00
Booking form changes (hours)	3	£60.00	£180.00

Subtotal: £630.00
Total: £630.00

Notes

Not registered for VAT. Northgate Digital Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company number 00000000. Please pay by bank transfer within 14 days, quoting INV-0001.

Fictional business and client. Tax numbers are placeholders made of zeros: use your own.

Your own invoice, filled in and downloaded as a PDF: free invoice generator, no sign-up.

Rules worth knowing

VAT invoices are for registered businesses

You must use VAT invoices if you and your customer are VAT registered. They include more information than non-VAT invoices. [1]

After you register, HMRC gives you a 9-digit VAT registration number, which you must include on all invoices you raise. [3]

The £90,000 VAT threshold

You must register for VAT if your total taxable turnover for the last 12 months goes over £90,000, or you expect it to go over £90,000 in the next 30 days. Below that, you can choose to register (voluntary registration). [4]

Taxable turnover is the total value of everything you sell that is not VAT exempt or out of scope. It includes zero-rated and reduced-rated goods and services. [4]

If you register late, you must pay VAT on any sales you have made since the date you should have registered, and you might have to pay a penalty. [4]

While you wait for your VAT number

You cannot include VAT on your invoices until you get your VAT registration number, but you can increase your prices to account for the VAT you will pay HMRC. Once the number arrives, reissue those invoices showing the VAT, so your customer can reclaim it. [3]

Limited companies: names and details

A company must include its name on all company documents, publicity and letters. Business letters, order forms and websites also show its registered number, its registered office address, where it is registered and that it is a limited company. [5]

Make this invoice in Clodou

Set your workspace's tax country to United Kingdom, remove VAT from your default taxes in Settings ("New quotes and invoices will carry no tax") and leave the VAT number empty. Invoices then carry no VAT line and no VAT number, under the title "INVOICE".
The company name and address in Settings print at the top of every invoice. A limited company enters its full registered name; a sole trader with a business name can enter both, such as "Alex Morgan trading as Fern Studio". A company number goes in the notes, as in the sample above.
When the supply date differs from the invoice date, give it to Clodou: the PDF prints it next to the issue date. Clodou finds or creates the client, numbers the invoice (INV-0001, INV-0002…) and asks when a price is missing instead of guessing one.
When you register for VAT, add VAT at 20% to your default taxes and your VAT number in Settings, and new invoices carry it. Clodou edits drafts only: an invoice already issued is reissued as a new invoice.
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 and monthly retainer drafts. Undo works for 10 minutes and every change is in the activity log.

Just ask

Invoice Oakfield Lettings for October's website maintenance at £450 and 3 hours of booking form changes at £60, supplied on 31 October, with no VAT

Add a note to draft INV-0001: Not registered for VAT. Company number 00000000

Who still owes me money?

What Clodou does not do

No compliance check. Clodou prints the fields on this page; it does not check that an invoice meets GOV.UK's or HMRC's rules. Your accountant checks the rest.
Clodou does not track your taxable turnover or tell you when you near £90,000.
No default invoice note: say "Not registered for VAT" or your company number in your message, or ask Clodou to add it to a draft.
No VAT returns or Making Tax Digital filing, no bookkeeping or ledger, no bank feeds, no payroll.
No credit notes. No card processing, client portal or e-signature; on Solo and Team, the PDF prints your own payment link.

Questions

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. It still needs what GOV.UK lists for every invoice: a unique number, your details, your customer's, a description, the supply and invoice dates, the amounts and the total owed.
Can I charge VAT if I'm not VAT registered?: No. You cannot include VAT on your invoices until you have a VAT registration number. If you are waiting for one, you can raise your prices to cover the VAT you will owe, then reissue the invoices showing VAT once the number arrives.
Do I have to write "not VAT registered" on my invoices?: GOV.UK's list of what an invoice must include does not ask for it. A short line such as "Not registered for VAT" can save a question from a customer who expects VAT, and Clodou puts it in the notes when you ask.
What does a limited company that is not VAT registered put on its invoices?: Everything on the list above, with the full company name as it appears on the certificate of incorporation, and the names of all directors if you show any. Business letters, order forms and websites also show the registered number, registered office and place of registration; you can add them to an invoice's notes too.
How much does Clodou cost?: Free: up to 5 clients and 20 AI actions a month, with no separate cap on quotes and invoices (making them in the chat uses AI actions). 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

Last checked on November 10, 2026. This page explains the rules; it is not tax or legal advice. Check your invoices with your accountant or tax adviser.

Your next invoice is one sentence away

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