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Company information
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Customer information
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Invoice items
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| Description | Qty | Unit price | GST treatment | Amount |
|---|
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Creating an invoice should be simple. But if you are registered for GST in Australia, there are a few rules you need to follow. Your invoice may need to be a tax invoice. It also needs to contain certain information. The good news is that the rules are quite straightforward once you understand them. I will explain what an Australian tax invoice is, when you need one, and what information you should include.
What is a tax invoice?
A tax invoice is an invoice that contains the information required under Australia’s GST rules. It is particularly important when your customer is registered for GST. A valid tax invoice helps your customer support their claim for a GST credit. It also provides a clear record of the sale for both businesses.
Invoice vs tax invoice: What is the difference?
The terms invoice and tax invoice are often used interchangeably. But they are not necessarily the same thing. An invoice is simply a document showing that a customer owes money for goods or services. A tax invoice has additional requirements under the Australian GST system. If you are registered for GST and issue an invoice for a taxable sale, you may need to issue a tax invoice.
This is why our invoice generator asks you whether your business is registered for GST. If you select GST registered, the document can be prepared as a Tax Invoice. If you are not registered for GST, you should not charge GST.
When do you need to provide a tax invoice?
The ATO has an important $82.50 threshold. If a customer asks you for a tax invoice, you generally need to provide one within 28 days of their request, unless the sale is $82.50 or less, including GST.
For purchases over $82.50 including GST, a GST-registered buyer generally needs a tax invoice to claim the GST credit. That is why getting the invoice details right matters.
What must a tax invoice include in Australia?
For taxable sales of less than $1,000, the ATO says the tax invoice must contain enough information to clearly determine seven things.
1. It must be clear that the document is a tax invoice
The document should clearly indicate that it is intended to be a tax invoice. The simplest approach is to use the heading:
TAX INVOICE
This immediately tells the customer what the document is.
2. The seller’s identity
Your customer needs to know who supplied the goods or services. Normally, this means showing your business or trading name. For example: Example Consulting Pty Ltd
3. The seller’s ABN
Your Australian Business Number should appear on the tax invoice. For example: ABN: 12 345 678 901. This is one of the reasons our invoice generator asks for your ABN when creating the invoice.
4. The date the invoice was issued
Every tax invoice should show its issue date. For example: 28 August 2026
You may also want to include a due date. The due date is useful for payment management, even though it is different from the issue date required for the tax invoice.
5. A description of what you sold
Describe the goods or services clearly. You should include the quantity where applicable and the price.For example:
Bookkeeping services — 5 hours — $500
or:
Office chairs — 4 × $250 — $1,000
Try to avoid descriptions that are so vague that your customer cannot tell what they were charged for.
6. The GST amount
The invoice needs to show the GST payable, if any. The GST can be shown separately.
For example:
Subtotal: $1,000
GST: $100
Total: $1,100
There is also another option where the GST is exactly one-eleventh of the total price. The invoice can state that the total price includes GST. For clarity, I personally prefer showing the GST separately. It makes the invoice easier to understand and makes the GST component immediately visible.
7. The extent to which each sale is taxable
Sometimes an invoice contains different types of sales. For example, one item may be taxable while another may be GST-free. Your invoice needs to contain enough information to determine which sales are taxable. A simple way to do this is to show the GST treatment against each invoice item.
For example:
Consulting services — GST 10%
GST-free item — GST-free
This becomes particularly useful when one invoice contains a mixture of taxable and non-taxable items.
What changes when the invoice is $1,000 or more?
There is one additional requirement to remember. For sales of $1,000 or more, the tax invoice also needs to show the buyer’s identity or ABN. In practice, I recommend entering your customer’s business name on every invoice anyway.
It creates a much clearer business record. So an invoice for $1,000 or more should contain the normal tax invoice information plus information identifying the buyer.
Do Australian tax invoices need to be signed?
A signature is not one of the standard information requirements listed by the ATO for an ordinary tax invoice. So there is generally no need to add a signature box simply to make your invoice look more official. A clean invoice containing the required information is usually the better approach. That is also why our Australian Invoice Generator keeps the process simple.
Do you need an invoice number?
An invoice number is extremely useful for keeping your records organised. You might use a sequence such as:
INV-1001
INV-1002
INV-1003
This makes it much easier to locate an invoice later, match payments and follow up unpaid accounts. Even where you are focused on the ATO’s minimum tax invoice information, good invoice numbering is a sensible business practice.
Should you include the customer’s ABN?
For a tax invoice of $1,000 or more, the ATO requires the buyer’s identity or ABN. That means you do not necessarily need both. For smaller invoices, the buyer identification requirement does not apply in the same way. Still, there is nothing wrong with recording the customer’s ABN when it is useful to your business.
Can a tax invoice contain GST-free and taxable items?
Yes. A single invoice can contain different types of sales.
For example:
| Description | Amount | GST treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Consulting service | $1,000 | Taxable — 10% |
| GST-free item | $200 | GST-free |
| Total | $1,300 |
The important point is that the invoice must make it possible to determine the extent to which the sales are taxable and the GST payable. This is why selecting the correct GST treatment for each line item is important.
What about input-taxed sales?
Not every sale attracts GST. Some supplies can be GST-free. Others can be input taxed. And some transactions may have no GST for another reason. You should not automatically add 10% GST to every invoice simply because your business is GST registered.
The GST treatment depends on what you are supplying. If you are unsure whether a particular sale is taxable, GST-free or input taxed, check the applicable GST rules before issuing the invoice.
Can I issue a tax invoice if I am not registered for GST?
If you are not registered for GST, you cannot simply add 10% GST to your prices and collect it as though you were GST registered. This is an important distinction for small businesses. Our invoice generator therefore gives you two options at the beginning:
Yes, GST registered
or
No, not GST registered
Your selection determines whether GST is calculated and whether the document is presented as a tax invoice or a standard invoice.
What happens if a tax invoice is incorrect?
Accuracy matters. An invoice with incorrect or incomplete information may not qualify as a valid tax invoice. That can create problems for your customer when they try to claim a GST credit. If you discover an error, it is generally better to correct the document rather than leave an inaccurate invoice in your records. Your invoices should agree with the underlying transaction and your accounting records.
Can tax invoices be electronic?
Yes. You do not have to think of a tax invoice as a piece of paper.
Businesses commonly create and send invoices electronically.
For example, you might create the invoice as a PDF and email it to your customer.
This is exactly why a browser-based invoice generator can be useful.
You enter the transaction details, review the invoice and save the finished document as a PDF.
A simple Australian tax invoice example
Suppose I provide accounting services for $1,000 plus GST.
My invoice could show:
Accounting services: $1,000
GST: $100
Total: $1,100
The tax invoice would also identify my business, show my ABN, include the issue date and clearly identify the document as a tax invoice. If the sale is $1,000 or more, I would also make sure the buyer is properly identified. There is no need to make the document unnecessarily complicated. The objective is to make the transaction clear.
A simple tax invoice checklist
Before sending your invoice, I would quickly check the following:
- Does it clearly say Tax Invoice where appropriate?
- Is the seller’s business identity shown?
- Is the seller’s ABN shown?
- Is the issue date shown?
- Are the goods or services clearly described?
- Are quantity and price shown where applicable?
- Is the GST amount clear?
- Can the customer identify which sales are taxable?
- For a sale of $1,000 or more, is the buyer’s identity or ABN shown?
- Have you checked the figures before sending the invoice?
That small check can prevent a lot of confusion later.
Create an Australian tax invoice online
You do not need complicated accounting software just to create a straightforward invoice. Our Australian Invoice Generator is designed to make the process easier.
Enter your business details.
Add your customer.
Add the goods or services you supplied.
Choose the appropriate GST treatment.
Then review your invoice and save it as a PDF.
If you are GST registered, the generator can prepare a tax invoice and calculate GST where applicable.
If you are not GST registered, you can create a standard invoice without charging GST.
The goal is simple: create a clean, professional Australian invoice without making invoicing complicated.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a tax invoice in Australia?
A tax invoice is a document containing the information required under Australia’s GST rules. It provides evidence of a taxable sale and can be important when a GST-registered buyer claims a GST credit.
What information must be on an Australian tax invoice?
For taxable sales under $1,000, the invoice needs enough information to establish that it is a tax invoice, identify the seller and their ABN, show the issue date, describe the goods or services including quantity and price where applicable, show the GST payable and indicate the extent to which the sales are taxable.
What additional information is required for invoices of $1,000 or more?
The tax invoice must also show the buyer’s identity or ABN.
Does a tax invoice need a signature in Australia?
A signature is not included in the ATO’s standard information requirements for an ordinary tax invoice.
Does a tax invoice need an ABN?
The seller’s ABN is one of the required pieces of information for a tax invoice.
Does a tax invoice need to show GST separately?
The GST amount can be shown separately. Where the GST payable is exactly one-eleventh of the total price, the ATO also permits the invoice to use a statement indicating that the total price includes GST.
How long does a business have to provide a tax invoice?
If a customer requests a tax invoice, the supplier generally has 28 days to provide it, unless the sale is $82.50 or less including GST.
Do I need a tax invoice to claim GST credits?
For purchases costing more than $82.50 including GST, a GST-registered purchaser generally needs a tax invoice to claim the GST credit.
Can I create a tax invoice as a PDF?
Yes. Tax invoices can be electronic. A PDF invoice is a convenient way to create, store and send invoices to customers.
Can a business that is not registered for GST charge GST?
No. A business that is not registered for GST should not charge and collect GST as though it were GST registered.
Always check the latest ATO guidance if you are unsure about the GST treatment of a particular transaction.