How can I make an invoice easily and correctly?

How do I make an invoice? It's not easy to come up with a clear, comprehensive answer when you're just starting out in business. What information must be included? How do you manage VAT ? How can you prepare your accounts for your chartered accountant with peace of mind?

This article shares with you everything you need to know to draw up an invoice in due form and in compliance with legislation.

On the program: best practices, Excel invoice template and software selection. After that, there's no need to worry about invoicing - you can focus on your business and your customers!

See all software Billing and Invoicing

1 - Choosing the right type of invoice

The invoice is a commercial document issued in duplicate, to be provided to the customer and retained by the supplier of the product or service.

There are several types of invoice. Each type has its own specific use:

• the credit invoice, issued to rectify an erroneous invoice, cancel an invoice if the sale is not made, or grant a discount,
• the deposit invoice, issued when the customer pays part of the amount to be paid in advance,
• the balance invoice, issued after a deposit has been made, for final payment,
• recurring invoices, for subscriptions, for example,
• progress invoices or status invoices, common in the building and civil engineering sector, which correspond to intermediate invoices issued as work progresses,
• the pro forma invoice, which is not really an invoice, but rather an estimate in the form of an invoice; it has no legal value,
• the adjustment invoice, issued when the provisions for charges are lower than the actual consumption,
• the closing invoice, issued at the end of a contract.

How do I draw up an auto entrepreneur invoice ? The auto entrepreneur or micro entrepreneur status requires simplified VAT management. See our article on invoicing for autoentrepreneurs for method, tips and tools.

2 - Respect billing deadlines

The time to issue an invoice comes once the sale has been completed or the service rendered.

1. 👉 For a sale of goods : the invoice is issued when the buyer and seller have jointly agreed on an order.
   NB. In some cases, the invoice is issued at the time of delivery of the goods, which may differ from the date of sale.
   
   
2. 👉 For services : the invoice is issued when the service is performed.

For longer services, it is possible to issue progress invoices to spread out payments, so that you don't have to wait for the service to be completed before invoicing.

3 - Fill in the required information

In addition to the invoice reference in the header, here are all the compulsory details to be included:

• Seller's identity
  • company name or seller's name,
  • address
  • SIRET number and place of registration,
  • VAT identification number, if invoice amount exceeds €150,
  • legal status,
  • amount of share capital, if applicable.
    
    
• Buyer's identity
  • company name or seller's name,
  • address,
  • Invoice reference
  • the number - it must be unique, and the numbers must follow each other,
  • Invoice date.
    
    
• List of goods or services invoiced
  • their denomination,
  • unit amount,
  • quantity,
  • date of delivery or completion of service.
    
    
• Invoice amount
  • total amount of goods or services invoiced, excluding VAT,
  • the applicable VAT rate,
  • total amount including VAT,
  • whether or not VAT is applicable,
  • any surcharges or discounts.
    
    
• Terms of payment
  • due date for payment,
  • penalties applicable in the event of late payment,
  • discount terms in the case of early payment - otherwise, indicate Discount for early payment: none.

4 - Invoice retention obligations

Companies are required to retain all documents issued and received by them.

Invoices, whether customer or supplier, must be kept for 10 years from the end of the financial year (article L123-22 of the French Commercial Code).

Companies are of course free to keep and archive them for longer if they wish. This applies to both paper and electronic invoices.

5 - Create your invoice from an Excel template

Say goodbye to paper invoices , which you risk crossing out, having to start all over again, or even losing!

The easiest way is to use an Excel template , which you can then customize to suit your business. Predefined formulas automate calculations.

How do I create an invoice in Excel? Appvizer lets you download a free Excel invoice template :

6 - Or (finally) switch to electronic invoicing

In addition to simplifying your invoicing and guaranteeing its compliance, the dematerialization of invoices gradually concerns all companies since the 2020 Finance Act. Its aim: to combat VAT fraud.

Whether you're a self-employed entrepreneur or an SME, e-invoicing will :

• save you time,
• ensure that you issue compliant invoices.

All without having to worry about formulas, as you would with Excel.

How do you create an online invoice with ease?

By using dedicated invoicing software. Its advantages include

• ready-to-use invoice templates ,
• task automation ,
• easy sending of invoices in several formats (email, PDF, etc.),
• fewer errors (typing, VAT calculation, etc.),
• the assurance of issuing compliant invoices,
• easier management of reminders and recurring invoicing,
• tracking of incoming payments,
• simplified exchanges with your chartered accountant, where applicable.

💡 Good to know: electronically signing your invoices online guarantees their integrity and authenticates their origin. To do this, use approved electronic signature software such as Universign, to affix your signature to an e-invoice and, in just a few clicks, give it legal value thanks to the electronic certificate.

How to choose your invoicing software?

Low-cost or even free online invoicing software, such as Henrri, drastically simplifies your invoicing.

To help you, here's a selection:

• INFast is a French solution aimed at small businesses. Its credo is that managing quotations and invoices should no longer be a chore, but should be quick and easy :
  • create, personalize and send compliant quotes and invoices,
  • support for professionals: advice, best practices and 7/7 support,
  • easy-to-use interface: no frills, just the essentials,
  • an offline mode for working anywhere, even without Internet access.
    
    
• IPaidThat is an assistant for automatically collecting and entering invoices. It's particularly popular with start-ups and small businesses :
  • customizable invoice templates
  • automatic reminders in the event of unpaid invoices,
  • financial analysis of your business thanks to dashboards,
  • simplified communication with your chartered accountant.

• Kafinea is an online accounting software designed for SMEs and VSEs. It offers a simple, effective solution for managing your company's finances, with :
  • the creation of invoices that can be customized according to your services and sector,
  • automated invoicing of recurring services,
  • progress invoicing, taking into account invoices already issued for the same project.

• Quickbooks Invoicing is popular with contractors and freelancers for its attractive pricing:
  • personalized, compliant invoices that reflect your corporate image,
  • sent to your customers in just a few clicks,
  • ideal for service companies,
  • connection between Quickbooks and your bank account.
    
    
• Sage 50 Compta et Facturation is an online accounting, sales and billing management tool for small businesses and craftsmen. Features include
• creation of quotes and all types of invoices,
• automatic conversion from estimate to invoice, and from invoice to accounting entry,
• simplified payment thanks to online payment,
• not forgetting automatic dunning and VAT management.

• Sellsy Facturation & Gestion is an intuitive French invoicing software designed for small and medium-sized businesses. These companies appreciate it for :
  • transforming quotations into invoices in just one click,
  • automation of recurring invoices
  • automatic reminders for unpaid invoices,
  • integration of electronic signature and online payment,
  • pre-accounting functions (connection to bank accounts, chart of accounts, reporting, etc.).

• Zervantmakes it easy for entrepreneurs and small businesses to issue and send compliant electronic invoices . Key features include
• • invoice creation in under a minute,
  • invoices can be sent by email, PDF or post,
  • automatic reminders for unpaid invoices,
  • transaction tracking and generation of pre-accounting reports.

See all software Billing and Invoicing

✅ Invoicing becomes a formality

We bet that by the end of this article, your question will no longer be " How do I make an invoice?", but rather "How am I going to use this time I've saved by automating my invoicing?".

Invoicing software not only saves you time by making it easier to process your invoices. It also enables you to better prepare your accounts for your chartered accountant.

Will you take the plunge and opt for an online tool?