How to Make an Invoice in Australia
In Australia, "Invoice" and "TAX INVOICE" are not two styles of the same document — they are legally different things. Write "tax invoice" without being registered for GST and you’ve mislabelled the document; leave your ABN off and the business paying you may be required to withhold 47% of your money and send it to the tax office instead of you. The generator below is preset to the ATO’s rules — TAX INVOICE wording, ABN field, GST at 10% shown separately, BSB payment block — and everything you type stays on your device.
Includes the words TAX INVOICE, your ABN and GST shown separately, per ATO requirements.
| Description | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | 1 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Choose "Save as PDF" in the print dialog. Nothing you type leaves this page — the profile you save is stored only in this browser.
Invoice or tax invoice? Answer three questions
The ATO’s rules hinge on two dollar thresholds and one registration question. This decider walks the same logic the tax office uses.
Three questions. The answer changes what belongs on the page — and what must not be on it.
The 7 details every Australian tax invoice needs
For taxable sales up to $1,000, the ATO requires enough information to clearly determine seven things: that the document is intended to be a tax invoice (the words matter — put TAX INVOICE at the top), the seller’s identity, the seller’s ABN, the date of issue, a description of the items sold including quantity and price, the GST amount, and the extent to which each sale is taxable. Miss one, and the document technically isn’t a tax invoice — which means your GST-registered customer can’t use it to claim their credit, and you’ll be reissuing it after an awkward email.
The GST line has a shortcut worth knowing. If GST is exactly one-eleventh of the total price — which it is whenever everything on the invoice carries 10% GST — you may show a single statement, "Total price includes GST", instead of a separate GST figure. The generator above shows GST separately, which satisfies the rule in every case and is what most accounts teams prefer to see.
The two thresholds: $82.50 and $1,000
Below $82.50 including GST (that oddly specific number is just $75 plus 10% GST), you’re not required to issue a tax invoice at all — a receipt or docket does the job. Above it, a customer who asks for a tax invoice must get one within 28 days. And from $1,000 including GST, one more detail becomes mandatory: the buyer’s identity or ABN must appear on the invoice. Bigger sales mean bigger GST credit claims, and the ATO wants the audit trail to show exactly who claimed them. A $550 logo design needs the standard seven details; a $2,200 switchboard upgrade needs all seven plus the customer’s name or ABN.
Not registered for GST? Different rules apply to you
GST registration becomes compulsory once your turnover hits $75,000 a year ($150,000 for non-profits). Until then, you invoice with a plain "Invoice" — no GST charged, no GST line shown, and definitely not the words "tax invoice". You should still quote your ABN prominently: without one, the no-ABN withholding rules generally require a business customer to hold back 47% of your payment and remit it to the ATO. There are narrow exceptions — payments of $75 or less, and genuine hobbies, where a written "Statement by a supplier" can stand in for an ABN — but for anyone invoicing regularly, an ABN is free to get and saves you from the harshest withholding rate in the system.
Record keeping and fixing mistakes
Keep every invoice you issue and receive for five years. PDFs and accounting-software records count, as long as they’re complete, readable and retrievable. And if you spot an error on a tax invoice you’ve already sent — wrong amount, wrong ABN — don’t quietly edit the original. The correct fix is an adjustment note issued within 28 days of discovering the mistake, so both sets of books tell the same story. This page is general information rather than tax advice; the ATO website and a registered tax or BAS agent are the right sources for decisions about your own situation.
Frequently asked questions
Seven details: the words "tax invoice" shown prominently, the seller’s identity, the seller’s ABN, the date of issue, a description of the items sold with quantity and price, the GST amount (shown separately, or as the statement "Total price includes GST" where GST is exactly one-eleventh of the total), and the extent to which each sale is taxable. Sales of $1,000 or more must also show the buyer’s identity or ABN.
You can, but it usually costs you money: under the no-ABN withholding rules, a business paying an invoice that doesn’t quote an ABN is generally required to withhold 47% of the payment and send it to the ATO. Limited exceptions exist, such as payments of $75 or less (excluding GST) and genuine hobby activities, for which the payer may accept a written "Statement by a supplier".
No. If you are not registered for GST you must not charge GST and should not label your document a "tax invoice" — use "Invoice" instead, with no GST line. Charging GST without being registered creates compliance problems and may require refunds to your customers.
If you are registered for GST and the taxable sale is more than $82.50 including GST, you must provide a tax invoice within 28 days of the customer requesting one. For sales of $82.50 or less you are not required to issue one, though many businesses do anyway.
GST registration is required once your annual turnover reaches $75,000 ($150,000 for non-profit organisations); you must register within 21 days of exceeding the threshold. Below that, registration is optional. This page is general information, not tax advice — the ATO website and a registered tax agent are the authoritative sources for your situation.
Five years. Electronic records are fine — PDFs and accounting-software exports all qualify — provided they are complete, readable and accessible if the ATO asks. If you discover an error on an issued tax invoice, don’t edit or delete it: issue an adjustment note within 28 days of finding the mistake.
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