From Susan Ward,
Your Guide to Small Business: Canada.
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Once you've sold the product or provided the service, it's invoice time. An invoice not only shows the customer or client how much money is due but provides tax information. Both you and your customers need to be able to track how much GST and/or PST is paid or owed, for instance. Because invoices are such an important part of your business records, it's important to get them right.

What has to be on the invoice

There are certain pieces of information that have to be on your invoices. Your invoice must include:

• your business name
• the date of the invoice
• your Business Number
• the purchaser's name
• a brief description of the goods or services performed
• the total amount paid or payable
• the terms of payment
• an indication of items subject to GST at 6% or HST at 14%, or that the items are exempt, and either the total amount of GST/HST charged, or a statement that the GST/HST is included and the total rate of tax
• if applicable, an indication of items subject to PST (also known as RST) at the provincial rate, or that the items are exempt, and either the total amount of PST charged, or a statement that the PST is included and the total rate of tax.

So what does a complete invoice look like? Here's an invoice sample that you can use as an invoice template.

Sample Invoice

Cypress Technologies
Suite 7, 77 Marwood Place
Crestwood, B.C., V6T 7Q7
1-888-888-888

Sarah's Computer Bin
8424 Business Plaza
Vancouver, B.C., V9W 2T2

Att'n: Sarah Norgaard

INVOICE FOR:

1 HP OfficeJet Inkjet Color Printer $583.97
GST $35.03
PST$ 43.80

TOTAL PAYABLE: $662.80

GST Registration No. 888888888

Invoice No. 754

Date of Invoice: Month Day, 2006

To be paid within 30 days of invoice date.

To use this sample invoice, just copy it into Word or some other word processor, and substitute your relevant data, using your own customized business letterhead, if you like, and formatting as you desire. This is a product invoice from one business to another in the same province; if you provide services, rather than sell products, you may wish to use the subheading "Description of the Work Performed" along with the Invoice For heading.

Note the statement at the bottom of the invoice, saying that the invoice amount is due within 30 days. You'll often see invoices that say, "Payable Upon Receipt", but that's just asking for trouble, because you don't necessarily know when your customer or client is seeing the invoice - even if you've emailed it. Using a specific terms statement like the one on this invoice gives your customer a due date, and helps you to avoid collection problems.

Invoices are even easier to do if you use accounting software. Accounting software designed for small businesses can not only be used as POS (Point of Sale) systems and print out invoices on the spot, but make it easier to calculate and keep track of taxes, such as the GST.