Invoice Checklist
Run every invoice past this list before it goes out. Two minutes of checking removes the easiest excuses a slow payer has.
What's included
- Verify every mandatory field before an invoice is sent
- Confirm the GST treatment matches your registration
- Catch numbering, dating and reference errors early
- Make sure paying you is the path of least resistance
- Turn invoice quality into a repeatable habit
5 min read
Why this checklist matters
Most late payments start with the invoice, and most invoice problems are omissions: a missing due date, an unclear description, the wrong payment reference. Each gap is an open door to a query, and a query buys the customer time. A short pre-send checklist closes those doors before the invoice leaves your hands, when fixing them costs nothing.
The value is in consistency. Anyone can send a clean invoice when they concentrate; the trick is sending a clean one every time, on a busy day, without thinking. A checklist makes invoice quality a habit rather than a matter of how careful you happened to feel that afternoon.
The checklist
- Your details complete?
- Trading name and ABN present and correct.
- Buyer identified?
- Customer named; ABN shown if the total is $1,000 or more.
- Unique invoice number?
- Sequential, never reused, no gaps.
- Issue and due dates?
- Explicit calendar dates — 'Due 28 March 2026', not 'net 14'.
- Description clear?
- Itemised in the customer's language; PO or job name quoted.
- Amounts correct?
- Line items, subtotal and total all reconcile.
- GST right?
- Shown only if registered; 'tax invoice' wording present if so.
- Payment details and reference?
- EFT/BPAY shown; exact reference for the customer to quote.
- Terms stated?
- Payment terms, and any interest clause, consistent with the quote.
- Sent to the right person?
- Accounts contact, not just the person who ordered.
How to use it
Keep the list beside your invoicing screen — printed, pinned, or saved as a note — and run down it before you hit send. The two highest-value lines are the due date (an explicit calendar date removes the 'when was it due?' argument) and the payment reference (the exact reference the customer should quote so the payment reconciles itself).
The line people most often miss is the last one: sending to the right person. The person who ordered the work is frequently not the person who pays it; route the invoice to the accounts contact and you skip a needless delay. Better still, bake the checks into your template via the Merion invoice generator so compliance is the default and the list becomes a final glance, not a rescue.
Tips
- An explicit calendar due date removes the 'when was it due?' argument.
- Give the exact payment reference so the payment reconciles itself.
- Show GST only if you are registered — and use 'tax invoice' wording if so.
- Send to the accounts contact, not just whoever placed the order.
FAQ
What is the single most-missed invoice field?
The explicit due date. A calendar date like 'Due 28 March 2026' is unarguable, whereas 'net 14' invites debate about when the clock started. Make it a date every time.
Why does the payment reference matter so much?
A clear reference (usually the invoice number) lets the customer's payment reconcile against the right invoice automatically. Without it, you waste time matching unidentified deposits.
Should I really check who the invoice is sent to?
Yes. The person who ordered often is not the one who pays. Routing the invoice straight to the accounts contact removes a common, avoidable source of delay.
Templates are a head start — not legal advice
Customise to your business and have important documents reviewed. Need to recover a debt? We can help.