invoice or receipt

urgent help needed

[bluecorr]

Hi!

I need help fairly urgent. I am from outside EU and have worked for a web design company in UK. They're now requesting an invoice or receipt so they can cover their costs. The problem is I do not know how to write either of them so they would meet UK standards. I'm only 19 and this is the first time I have to deal with this issue. Please tell me how I can write it and send it to them. Alternatively, it could be sent in the name of someone in the UK who helped me. Either way I want to avoid causing them fiancial problems.

Thanks

[andreasfriedrich]

IŽd just ask the web design company what format and what kind of information they need on the invoice.

Andreas

[rogerd]

Bluecorr, I wouldn't worry too much - they probably just need a document so they can write a check. The invoice should have the customer's name and address, a "remit to" address (that would be yours!), a date, a very brief description of the work, the amount due, and the terms (e.g., Due on Receipt, Net 10, Net 30, etc.) You may want to create an invoice number, too, since their accounting software probably expects one.

[bluecorr]

I told them that as well but they said it doesn't make sense for them to send me a copy to see how it looks so I can send it back to them. What's the difference between sending a receipt and sending an invoice?

[rogerd]

An invoice is a request for payment, a receipt is a confirmation that payment has been made.

[ytswy]

A receipt is what you send after they have paid, an invoice is what you send after they have recieved the goods/service but haven't paid yet.

If you are telling them how much they have to pay before they receive the goods/service then you send a proforma invoice.

[edit]you might want to check out [learn.co.uk...] seems to give an example of the info needed on an invoice, but you need flash to see it which I don't have so I can't comment on its accuracy[/edit]

[edited by: ytswy at 3:06 pm (utc) on April 1, 2003]

[rcjordan]

MS Word templates [search.officeupdate.microsoft.com] might help

[bluecorr]

Thanks for all the help. Does it matter if I'm a freelancer and not a business?

[rcjordan]

>matter if I'm a freelancer

Not in the US. Most businesses will want to know your tax ID so they can fill out a 1099.

[ytswy]

I'm really not sure about that but I wouldn't have thought so. By the sound of it the company just needs a bit of paper to issue payment against.

Probably the most important things to have on it is the amount and any reference number they have given you.

[gsx]

bluecorr, the reason they need the payment is probably because it is a sole trader or partnership. These people have to pay tax on their profits, but if requested by the government, they have to prove how much they have spent and received.

Your piece of paper with the details given above would allow them to use the amount they give to you to 'shrink' their tax bill slightly.

Your invoice should state the name that the cheque should be payable to (even if it is a personal name). Then if it is checked by the tax office, their payment can be traced to your account allowing them to claim it as company costs.

An invoice is nothing to worry about - just put the information on given here (by rogerd) and send it. There is no standard formatting, except the total price (including all taxes, delivery and services) is usually at the bottom right, under a list of each service, part and all other items you have charged for.

[bluecorr]

Thanks for the input. Much appreciated :)