Fill it in, then print it or save a PDF
Add your details, the customer's, and a line for each thing you're charging for. The invoice builds itself as you type, with the totals and the due date worked out. When it's ready, print it or save it as a PDF to send by email or WhatsApp.
It works for any trade, and there's a VAT version if you're VAT registered. A checklist under the form tells you what's still missing from the things GOV.UK says every invoice must show.
The invoice form loads here when JavaScript is on. The list below shows what to put on a paper invoice.
Your invoice
What you type stays in this browser tab. It isn't sent or saved anywhere, so print it or save a PDF before you close the page.
To save a PDF, choose "Save as PDF" as the printer. On a phone, use Print in the share menu.
What an invoice must show
GOV.UK lists what every invoice must include:
- a unique invoice number
- your business name, address and contact details
- your customer's name and address
- a clear description of what you're charging for
- the date of the work, and the date of the invoice
- the amounts charged, any VAT, and the total owed
If you're a sole trader, show your own name as well as any business name you use, and an address where legal documents can reach you. A limited company shows its full name as it appears on its certificate of incorporation. If you name one director on your invoices, name them all.
Source: Invoices: what they must include on GOV.UK.
If you're VAT registered
You must register for VAT once your taxable turnover for the last 12 months goes over £90,000. After that, your invoices also need your VAT registration number, the tax point (usually the date of the work), the VAT rate and the price before VAT for each line, and the total VAT in pounds. Tick "I'm VAT registered" and the template adds all of these and calls it a VAT invoice.
The total VAT is rounded down to the whole penny, which HMRC allows on invoices. The template uses one VAT rate for the whole invoice, so if a job has items at different rates, invoice them separately or check with your accountant.
For a sale of £250 or less, HMRC lets you give a shorter, simplified VAT invoice if your customer agrees. The full version works for any amount. If you're not VAT registered, leave the box unticked: you can't charge VAT or call it a VAT invoice.
Sources: when to register for VAT and VAT Notice 700 (sections 16 and 17) on GOV.UK.
Make it fit your trade
A clear description is what gets an invoice paid without questions. Here's what to put on the lines for each kind of work.
Plumbing and heating
Give each part you fitted its own line, with the make and model where the customer may need it for a warranty. Keep the call-out charge separate from labour. See Knockround for plumbers and heating engineers.
Electrical work
Say which circuits, points or fittings you worked on. If you issued a certificate, put its number in the note so the invoice and the certificate match up. See Knockround for electricians.
Building and handyman work
On a bigger job, invoice the stages you agreed: say which stage this invoice covers and what's been paid so far. Put materials and skip hire on their own lines. See Knockround for builders and handymen.
Roofing
Give scaffold, skips and materials their own lines so the customer can see where the money went. See Knockround for roofers.
Painting and decorating
Name the rooms and surfaces, the number of coats and who supplied the paint. See Knockround for painters and decorators.
Window cleaning
One invoice can cover a month of visits: put each clean on its own line with its date in the description. Customers who pay on the day often don't need an invoice at all, just a record that they paid. See Knockround for window cleaners.
Cleaning
Say whether it's a regular or one-off clean, and list extras like ovens or carpets on their own lines. See Knockround for cleaning businesses.
Gardening and exterior cleaning
Keep regular maintenance apart from one-off work, and give green waste, gutters or a driveway clean their own lines. See Knockround for gardeners and exterior cleaners.
Any other trade works the same way. See every trade Knockround covers.
Get paid on time
- Send it the same day: an invoice that arrives while the job's fresh gets paid sooner.
- Number them in order: 1001, 1002, 1003, and never reuse a number. Keep a copy of every one.
- Make paying easy: put the due date, your bank details and a payment reference on it, so you can match the payment when it lands.
- Follow up once it's due: a short, friendly message the day after usually does it.
Pricing a job before you start? The free job quote template works the same way, and the quote follow-up guide has messages for quotes that go quiet.
Invoices in Knockround
In Knockround, an invoice is a link with a Pay button. You send it by WhatsApp, text or email, or show it as a QR code on the doorstep, and your customer pays by Apple Pay, Google Pay or card. The money goes to your own Stripe account and on to your bank, and every invoice is numbered for you. Knockround doesn't do VAT invoices yet, so if you're VAT registered, keep using this template for now.
See it on the plumbing demo, with made-up customers. It's free for 7 days with no card needed, then £19.99 a month.
Written by the Knockround team. Checked against GOV.UK and HMRC guidance on 26 October 2026.