Invoice Generator for Australia

Two identifiers sit behind almost every Australian invoicing question: the ABN and GST registration. An ABN identifies your business in dealings with other businesses and with the Australian Taxation Office. GST registration determines whether you charge GST and whether the document you issue is a tax invoice.

If you are registered for GST, a business customer needs a valid tax invoice to claim a GST credit. The ATO sets out exactly what that document must contain, and the requirements differ slightly for sales of $1,000 or more, where the buyer's identity or ABN must also appear.

If you are not registered, you still issue invoices — you simply leave GST out entirely and do not label the document a tax invoice.

Each invoice should carry its own number, and using a sequence makes your BAS reconciliation far simpler. A plain run of 0001, 0002, 0003 works; so does a dated format such as 2026-041.

Trades and contractors often prefix by job or site — SMITH-014, WESTFIELD-003 — which helps when several invoices relate to the same project and payments arrive in stages.

Never reuse a number. If you need to cancel an invoice, issue an adjustment note referencing the original rather than rewriting history, so your GST records still add up.

An Australian tax invoice must show the date it was issued. Adding a due date as well removes any ambiguity, and pairing it with stated terms means a late payment conversation starts from a written position.

Seven and fourteen day terms are widespread in the trades, where cash cycles are short. Corporate and government customers generally work to 30 days.

GST in Australia is a broad-based tax of 10% on most goods, services and other items sold or consumed in the country. It is administered nationally by the ATO, which means there is one rate to apply rather than a patchwork of state rates.

You must register for GST once your turnover reaches the ATO's registration threshold, and registration is compulsory from the start for some activities including taxi and ride-sourcing services. Take the current threshold from the ATO rather than from secondary sources.

Some supplies are GST-free — many basic foods, most medical and health services, and certain education courses — and others are input taxed. GST-free is not the same as not registered, and the distinction affects both your invoice and your BAS.

Australian invoices are issued in Australian dollars, written as $1,250.00 or AUD 1,250.00. When your customer is offshore, use the AUD prefix so a dollar sign is not read as US or Canadian.

If you invoice an Australian customer in a foreign currency and you are registered for GST, the GST amount generally needs to be expressed in Australian dollars. The ATO publishes guidance on the conversion approach and rates you can use.

For overseas payers, include BSB and account number alongside SWIFT and the full account name. Australian bank formats are unfamiliar to many international finance teams and a missing SWIFT code is a common cause of delay.

The ATO publishes clear guidance for straightforward invoicing, and for most sole traders that is enough. Advice from a registered tax or BAS agent earns its keep when the question is about your position rather than the paperwork — registration timing, contractor versus employee status, or how a particular supply is treated.

Construction businesses should also take advice on the security of payment legislation in their state, because it governs how progress claims must be made and what happens when one is disputed.