Basic invoice generator: questions and guides
Each guide here answers one question with a practical example, then takes you to the tool to try it yourself. Guides: 27.
Questions
- What to include in a simple invoiceA checklist of what a simple invoice should include, how it differs from a receipt, and when you need a certified e-invoicing system instead.
- I freelance in Dubai: is a simple PDF invoice enough, or do I need e-invoicing software?What a simple PDF invoice does and does not do for a UAE freelancer, who decides whether you must e-invoice, and a worked example at the rate you enter.
- The client paid a deposit before the shoot; how do I show it on the final invoice?Enter the full job as usual, then put the deposit in the amount-paid field: the invoice shows total, paid and balance due. A worked 3,000 SAR shoot.
- Why does the invoice tool say the amount paid is more than the total?What the 'amount paid is larger than the invoice total' error means and how to fix it: a missing line, a tax rate left out, or a client who overpaid.
- How do I invoice half of a project upfront before I start?An advance invoice with one line naming the milestone and quote number, then a second invoice for the rest. Worked through for a 12,000 SAR website project.
- How do I bill 37 hours 45 minutes of development work at an hourly rate?Convert minutes to a decimal before entering the quantity: 37 hours 45 minutes is 37.75, not 37.45. A developer's invoice at 180 AED an hour, worked through.
- Which currency and tax setting should I use to invoice a client in the US?Pick the agreed currency from the list and leave the tax field empty if you charge none. The tool does no currency conversion. A 2,250 USD example.
- Where do I put my IBAN, bank name and payment deadline on the invoice?The 'Payment details' field prints as its own block under the totals, and the due date shows in the header. How to lay out bank details so clients pay first time.
- Why does my invoice show 15.00 tax when my calculator says 14.9985?A riyal has only two decimals, so the tool rounds tax to the nearest halala, halves up. Worked through for 99.99 SAR, and why the summary and PDF always agree.
- Why do I get an error when I enter the invoice due date?The tool rejects a due date earlier than the invoice date. The usual causes: changing the invoice date afterwards, a misread day and month, or the wrong year.
- Should an invoice show the discount as a line or just the reduced price?Both give the same total because the tool applies the discount before tax, but a visible discount line records what the client saved. A 2,000 SAR example at 10% off.
- Is it safe to type my client's tax number and address into an online invoice maker?Here the invoice is built inside your browser: client details are not sent to a server or stored. What that means in practice, and why you must keep your own copy.
- Why does every page of my invoice say it is not a certified e-invoice?What the notice printed in every page footer means, why it cannot be removed, what the file lacks to be an e-invoice, and what to tell a client who asks.
- How do I issue an invoice in Bahraini dinars with tax to the nearest fils?Pick BHD and every amount switches to three decimals, with each line and the tax rounded to the nearest fils. A worked example at a rate you enter yourself.
- My Saudi client's accounts team reads English; should the invoice be bilingual?The bilingual option prints every label in Arabic and English on a right-to-left page, but it does not translate your line descriptions. When to use it and how.
- Why is 'Balance due' the bold figure on my invoice instead of the total?Once an amount paid is entered, the tool adds paid and balance-due rows and highlights the balance, which is what the client owes. When it happens and how to undo it.
- A client paid two of three installments and went quiet; how do I resend the invoice showing what is left?Recreate the invoice with the same number and date, enter the installments received as amount paid, and add a reminder note. The client sees exactly what is left.
- I sell at VAT-inclusive prices; how do I make an invoice that splits out the tax?The tool adds tax on top of the unit price, so enter the net price. How to get it from the shelf price, and when a one-halala gap appears. Worked for 57.50 SAR.
- A corporate buyer wants their PO number on my invoice; where do I put it?There is no dedicated PO field, so put it where accounts will see it: in the customer block, the first line description or the notes. With an example that matches the PO.
- A customer bought from my shop and wants an invoice in their company's name to claim it back; what do I fill in?Put the company's name, address and tax or registration number in the customer block, list the items at the prices charged, and mark it fully paid so the balance is zero.
- Why is tax being charged on the travel costs I added to my photography invoice?The tool applies one tax rate to all lines after discount, so an expense added as a line is taxed like your fee. A 2,500 AED photo job plus 300 travel, worked out.
- How do I produce a tidy multi-page wholesale invoice with 120 items?Up to 200 lines per invoice, with the table header, footer and page number repeated on every page and the totals at the end. What to know before you enter 120 items.
- Why is my downloaded invoice just named invoice.pdf, without the invoice number?The file name keeps only the Latin letters and Western digits of the invoice number, so a number written in Arabic vanishes from it. How to write it so it shows.
- Is an invoice generator better than an Excel invoice template?An honest comparison: the generator rounds each line exactly, catches mistakes and outputs a PDF with proper Arabic; Excel keeps your history and custom columns.
- I am not VAT registered; do I leave the tax box empty or put 0?An empty field removes the tax row, while typing 0 prints 'Tax (0%)' with 0.00. The difference in what a client reads, and why you never add a tax number you lack.
- Should I send the invoice on WhatsApp as a PDF or as a picture?Send it as a PDF document, not a screenshot: WhatsApp usually compresses photos, which can blur small figures, while a PDF stays sharp and printable, every page included.
- I supply cakes to a café every week; how do I combine the month's deliveries into one invoice?One line per delivery with its date and quantity, and the tool totals the month, so the café can match each drop to its records. Four deliveries totalling 4,465 SAR.