Invoice and document guides

Choose a guide for the document you need

Use these invoice and document guides to match the record to the stage of the job. If you are describing a price before work begins, read How to write a quote for a job. It covers the scope, price, exclusions, validity and acceptance details that belong in the offer. Use Invoice vs quote when you need to distinguish the offer from the later request for payment. The quote-versus-estimate guide explains the difference between an agreed price and an approximation, with examples that show how the wording changes the price promise.

If work is ready to bill, start with How to make an invoice. It follows the document from business and customer details through the invoice number, dates, line items, total and payment instructions. Invoice anatomy is useful when you already have a draft and want to identify the job of each field. For a construction project, the construction invoice guide follows deposits, progress claims, variations and the final claim. Those stages help you choose the right document for the billing moment instead of treating every job as a single finished-work invoice.

When you are matching documents after an order or payment, choose the guide that explains that record. A purchase order records what the buyer ordered; the purchase-order-versus-invoice guide explains how the order and the request for payment fit together. A delivery note records goods handed over. An itemized receipt records paid items, while a billing statement summarizes activity on an account. For a correction to an earlier bill, read What is a credit invoice before choosing the credit-note document. Follow the linked template page when you need a downloadable file; use the guide when you need to understand what the document records and when to use it.