What Does a Tax Invoice Look Like?

A tax invoice is a structured document headed "Tax Invoice" that shows the seller's name and ABN, an invoice date and number, an itemised list of what was sold, and the GST either shown as a separate line or noted as "Total price includes GST". For sales of 1,000 dollars or more, it must also show the buyer's identity or ABN. (General information only, not tax advice.)

Picture it top to bottom. At the very top sits the heading Tax Invoice, so there is no doubt about what the document is. Directly below, usually top-left, are the seller's details: business or trading name and the Australian Business Number (ABN), often with an address and contact details. Top-right typically carries the invoice date (the date it was issued) and a unique invoice number for your records. Beneath that comes the buyer's details, the customer's name and address, or their ABN. For any sale of 1,000 dollars or more the buyer's identity or ABN is required, so it is good practice to include it on every invoice.

The middle of the page is the itemised table, the core of the invoice. Each row describes one product or service, and the columns make the maths easy to follow.

Below the table the figures stack on the right: a subtotal, then the GST line at 10 per cent shown separately (or the "Total price includes GST" note), and finally the bold Total Due. Underneath sit your payment details, bank account or BSB and number, payment terms, and due date, so the customer knows exactly how and when to pay.

A non-GST plain invoice looks almost identical but with two differences: it is headed simply "Invoice" rather than "Tax Invoice", and it carries no GST line, because a business not registered for GST cannot charge it. Everything else, seller details, dates, itemised table, total and payment details, stays the same.

A practical note: if a customer asks for a tax invoice, you generally need to provide one within 28 days, and it can be a PDF or other digital format rather than paper. In InvoiceSonic, the live preview updates as you type, so you can see exactly what a compliant tax invoice looks like before you download or send it, the heading, ABN field, itemised table and GST line all fall into place automatically.