Free invoice maker for U.S. businesses: create PDF invoices with sales tax in your browser

There is no federal law that lists mandatory contents for an ordinary business invoice. A good invoice shows your business name and address, the customer’s name and billing address, a unique invoice number and date, itemized lines (description, quantity, rate, amount), sales tax as its own line if you charge it, the total, deposits received and the balance due, the payment terms and due date, and how to pay. Add the customer’s PO or contract number if they gave you one. Some states and trades require a license number on invoices. Read more →

No. The United States has no e-invoicing mandate for private business-to-business sales (as of October 2026). A PDF sent by email is a normal, valid invoice. Some large customers and government agencies require their own portal or format, but that comes from their purchasing terms, not from a law for all businesses. Federal contractors usually submit through the Treasury’s Invoice Processing Platform (IPP).

It depends. The U.S. has no federal sales tax. States (and often cities and counties) set the rates and decide what is taxable. Since South Dakota v. Wayfair (2018) a state can require you to collect its tax once your sales there pass a threshold, even without a physical presence. Many services are not taxable, while goods usually are, and shipping is taxable in some states and not in others. Invoice Studio does not look up rates: you enter the rate and mark lines taxable or non-taxable. Ask your state’s revenue department or a tax professional. Read more →

A customer such as a reseller, nonprofit or government agency can give you a signed resale or exemption certificate. With it you may sell without charging tax. Mark the lines as non-taxable, enter the certificate number under the customer’s details, and keep a copy of the certificate: if your state audits you, it is your proof that the sale was exempt. Read more →

“Net 30” means the full amount is due 30 days after the invoice date; “Due on receipt” means immediately. Net 30 is common between businesses, but it only binds your customer if it was agreed in a contract, quote or order, or accepted by the customer. An early-payment discount such as “2/10 net 30” gives 2% off if the customer pays within 10 days. Read more →

Only if the customer agreed to it in advance, for example in your contract, quote or order, and within the limits of your state’s law. Many businesses use 1% to 1.5% per month. Printing the term on the invoice reminds the customer, but it may not be enough on its own. Invoice Studio never adds a late charge by itself: you type the rate in the reminder dialog. Read more →

Federal contracts use the definition in FAR 52.232-25. It asks for the contractor’s name and address, the invoice date and number, the contract or order number, a description, quantity, unit price and extended price of the work, shipping and payment terms, the name and address of the person to receive payment, the name and phone number of someone to contact about a defective invoice, and, when the contract requires it, the TIN and bank (EFT) details. Federal payments are due 30 days after receipt of a proper invoice. Use the PO and contract number fields of Invoice Studio for this. Read more →

The IRS says to keep records that support your income and deductions until the period of limitations for the return expires: generally 3 years from filing, 6 years if you did not report more than 25% of your gross income, 7 years for a claim for a loss from worthless securities or bad-debt deduction, and 4 years for employment tax records. Many advisors recommend keeping invoices at least 7 years. Keep the PDF you actually sent, and back up your data. Read more →

No, an EIN is not required on an invoice. Business customers often ask for it for their records and for Form W-9, so many sellers print it. If you are a sole proprietor without an EIN, do not print your Social Security number on invoices. Send a Form W-9 on request instead.

If you pay an independent contractor, you generally need their Form W-9 and may have to file Form 1099-NEC. The reporting threshold is $2,000 for payments made in 2026 (it was $600 before). As a contractor yourself, expect customers to ask you for a W-9. This is general information, not tax advice.

Create a deposit invoice for the advance, record the payment when it arrives, and later create the final invoice for the full work. Enter the money already received under “Deposit / payments received” and mention the deposit invoice under “Reference to a previous invoice”. The balance due then shows what is still open. Ask your tax professional when sales tax on a deposit is due in your state. Read more →

A credit memo reduces or cancels an earlier invoice, for example after a return or a pricing error. Choose “Credit memo” as the document type and list the original invoice under “Reference to a previous invoice”. The reports subtract credit memos from revenue.

Use a unique, sequential number such as INV-1001, INV-1002 and so on. It makes payments, reminders and audits easier, and customers can refer to it. Invoice Studio suggests the next number and warns you when a number was already used.

Yes. Invoice Studio is free, needs no account, and runs in your browser. Your invoices, customers and settings are stored only in your browser’s storage and are never uploaded. That also means you should back up your data (button “Data backup” in the header) because nobody else holds a copy.