Marked as a proforma
The heading should say proforma invoice so it is never filed or claimed as a final tax invoice.
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Free Proforma Invoice Generator
Set Out the Commercial Detail Before You Supply
Create a preliminary commercial document showing the goods or services, quantities, prices and payment details in advance of supply, then download a clear PDF for your buyer.
Your business
Bill to
Proforma details
Line items
Totals & notes
Amount payable: $0.00
Your business name
Proforma invoice
#PRO-0001
Bill to
Client name
Issue date
Sep 22, 2026
Payable by
Oct 22, 2026
Terms
Net 30
Currency
USD
| Description | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | 1 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
- Subtotal
- $0.00
- Amount payable
- $0.00
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Preliminary, not final
What a Proforma Invoice Is
It looks like an invoice so the buyer can act on it — but it is issued before supply.
A proforma invoice is a preliminary commercial document. It presents the intended supply in invoice form: itemised goods or services, quantities, unit prices, the total and how payment should be made. Because it is issued before anything is supplied, it records an intention rather than a completed sale.
A proforma invoice is not automatically a tax invoice, and should not be presented as one. What makes a document a valid tax invoice is set by the tax authority where you trade — confirm those requirements and issue the proper invoice once the supply has happened. This is general information, not tax advice.
Typical situations
When a Proforma Is Used
Usually when the buyer needs a formal document before anything can move.
- Payment in advance has been agreed, especially with a new customer
- The buyer needs a document to raise a purchase order or release budget
- A deposit is required to reserve stock, a date or production capacity
- The buyer's finance process cannot pay without an invoice-shaped document
- Goods are crossing a border and paperwork is needed before shipping
- Final quantities or weights will be confirmed on supply
Cross-border trade
International Transactions, Customs and Shipping
In export trade a proforma often travels with the goods paperwork.
Buyers, banks and customs brokers frequently ask for a proforma before shipment: to open a letter of credit, to apply for an import permit, or to give a customs authority an advance view of what is arriving and at what value.
Where that applies, the document usually needs more than a domestic invoice does — description of goods, country of origin, commodity or tariff codes, gross and net weights, the agreed Incoterms and the delivery route. Customs and documentation requirements differ by country and by commodity, so check them with the relevant customs authority or your freight forwarder rather than assuming a standard layout will satisfy them.
Proforma essentials
What It Normally Contains
The same commercial information an invoice carries, clearly marked as preliminary.
Seller and buyer details
Full trading names and addresses for both sides, plus contacts for questions about the supply.
Reference number and date
Its own sequence, kept separate from your invoice numbering, plus the date it was issued.
Goods or services and quantities
Clear descriptions, unit quantities and unit prices, in the currency the sale is priced in.
Totals and any tax shown
Subtotal, any tax you expect to apply and the total payable — described as anticipated, since supply has not happened.
Payment and delivery terms
How and by when payment is expected, plus delivery or shipping terms where goods are involved.
Know the difference
Proforma vs Commercial Invoice
One anticipates the supply; the other records it.
Proforma invoice
- Issued before supply
- Shows the intended sale
- Not a tax invoice
- Not entered as a sale in your accounts
- Figures can still change
Commercial invoice
- Issued after supply
- Records the actual sale
- May need to meet tax invoice rules
- Entered in your accounting records
- Creates the payment obligation
Supply complete? Issue the invoice.
Written for real supply
Proforma Invoice Examples
Four situations where a proforma does a job a quote cannot.
Advance payment
New customer, first order
- Bespoke cabinetry, oak · 1 · 4,850.00
- Delivery and installation · 1 · 620.00
Payment in advance of manufacture. Final invoice issued on completion.
International goods
Export order for customs paperwork
- Machined components, part A-220 · 500 · 7.40
- Export packing · 1 · 180.00
- Freight, port to port · 1 · 940.00
Country of origin and commodity codes stated separately for customs. Incoterms as agreed.
Budget approval
Buyer needs a document to raise a PO
- Annual software licences · 25 · 180.00
- Onboarding and configuration · 1 · 1,400.00
Issued so the buyer can raise a purchase order. Commercial invoice follows on activation.
Event or booking
Venue hire deposit
- Hall hire, full day · 1 · 900.00
- Audio-visual package · 1 · 340.00
50% payable to hold the date. Balance invoiced after the event.
Figures are illustrative only. Customs, tax and documentation requirements depend on the goods and the countries involved.
Avoid these
Common Proforma Mistakes
Most of them come from treating the proforma as the final document.
- 01
Presenting it as a tax invoice
It is not one. Label it clearly and issue the proper invoice after supply.
- 02
Recording it as a sale
Nothing has been supplied, so it does not belong in your sales figures yet.
- 03
Using your invoice number sequence
Keep proforma references separate, or your invoice numbering develops gaps and duplicates.
- 04
Omitting validity
Prices, freight rates and exchange rates move. Say how long the figures hold.
- 05
Thin descriptions on export documents
Customs paperwork needs specifics — codes, weights, origin — not a one-line summary.
- 06
Never issuing the final invoice
Payment against a proforma still has to be followed by the invoice your records require.
Questions
Proforma Invoice FAQs
What a proforma does, and just as importantly what it does not do.
What is a proforma invoice?
A proforma invoice is a preliminary document sent before supply. It sets out what will be provided, in what quantity and at what price, so the buyer can arrange payment, budget approval or import paperwork.
Is a proforma invoice a tax invoice?
No. A proforma is not a tax invoice and should not be treated as one. Tax invoice requirements are set by your own tax authority, so confirm what a valid tax invoice must contain where you trade.
When is a proforma invoice used?
Commonly for advance payment, for new customers with no credit account, for a buyer who needs a document to raise a purchase order or release funds, and in international trade where paperwork is needed before shipping.
How is a proforma different from a quote?
A quote invites the customer to accept a price. A proforma usually comes after that agreement and is formatted like an invoice so the buyer can process a payment against it.
Does the buyer pay against a proforma?
Often yes, where advance payment has been agreed. The final commercial invoice then follows, reflecting what was actually supplied.
Do I still need to issue a final invoice?
Yes. Once the goods or services are supplied, issue the commercial or tax invoice that your accounting and tax records require. The proforma does not replace it.
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