Free Invoice Generator (USA)
Create a professional US invoice in USD with your combined sales tax rate calculated automatically, and download it as a PDF.
Saved invoices
Saved automatically in your browser.
Your business name
INVOICE
INV-001
Billed to
Client name
| Description | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Item description | 1 | — | $0.00 |
- Subtotal
- $0.00
- Total
- $0.00
Invoicing in the United States
There's no federal law dictating what a US invoice must look like — nothing like the VAT invoice rules European businesses follow. What gets you paid on time is completeness: a unique invoice number, issue and due dates, itemized charges with quantities and rates, and stated payment terms. Fill in the number and both date fields, break the work into line items, and put your terms — 'Net 30' or 'Due on receipt' — in the notes so there's no ambiguity.
Sales tax is where US invoices most often go wrong. There's no federal sales tax — what you charge is a combined state and local rate that depends on where the sale is taxed, and you only collect it at all if you have nexus in that state and the sale is taxable there. Many states exempt most services entirely. The tax line here is preset to 'Sales Tax' — enter your combined rate and it's calculated on the subtotal after any discount, or clear the rate if you don't collect.
If you invoice businesses, expect paperwork in the other direction: clients may ask you for a W-9 and issue you a 1099-NEC if they pay you above the IRS reporting threshold. Put your EIN on a line under your business name in the address block — it saves the back-and-forth, and it keeps your SSN off documents that get forwarded around accounts payable.
Hours, overtime and a placement fee on one invoice
Cardoza Staffing Group places light-industrial temps with a food manufacturer in Ohio and bills every Friday for the week just worked. Four warehouse associates are billed as a single line of hours at the contract bill rate, with overtime carried separately at one and a half times that rate, because a line can only hold one price. The same invoice closes out a permanent hire: the placement fee is 20% of the technician's first-year salary, worked out in advance and entered as a dollar amount. Sales tax is left blank — staffing is a service, and most states don't tax it — and the terms are the US standard of net 30.
| Description | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warehouse associates (4) — regular hours, week ending 7/11 | 156 | $27.50 | $4,290.00 |
| Overtime hours at 1.5x the contract bill rate — same crew | 18 | $41.25 | $742.50 |
| Direct-hire placement fee — maintenance technician, 20% of a $68,000 first-year salary | 1 | $13,600.00 | $13,600.00 |
| Background check and drug screen — per candidate placed | 6 | $48.00 | $288.00 |
| Subtotal | $18,920.50 | ||
| Total due | $18,920.50 | ||
The placement fee is really a percentage of salary, but there's no percentage field, so the basis goes into the description and the dollar figure it works out to goes into the rate column.
Five things US accounts payable will check
No federal format to follow
There is no legally mandated US invoice layout, so what counts is whether accounts payable can match it: your name and address, the client's, an invoice number, issue and due dates, and terms.
Match your W-9 exactly
The sender name should be the same legal name you gave on the W-9, or payment gets held and your 1099-NEC ends up issued to the wrong entity.
Sales tax only where you have nexus
Most professional services aren't taxable, so leave the rate empty; if you're shipping taxable goods into a state where you have nexus, set the combined state and local rate and label the line "Sales Tax".
PO or job number
Plenty of AP systems reject an invoice with no purchase order number, and there's no PO field here, so put it on the first line of the notes or at the front of the first line item.
Terms, ACH details and late fees
Spell out Net 30, your ACH or check remittance instructions and any late-fee percentage in the notes field.
How to create an invoice online
- 1
Fill in the details
Add your business info, your client, line items, tax, and an optional logo or discount.
- 2
Watch the live preview
The invoice updates as you type, so you always see exactly what your client will receive.
- 3
Download the PDF
One click generates a clean, professional PDF invoice — free and without a watermark.
A simple invoice maker for freelancers and small businesses
Everything you need to bill a client properly — and nothing you don't. Create an invoice, check the live preview, download the PDF, get paid.
Instant PDF download
Generate a polished A4 invoice PDF in one click — no waiting, no email required.
No sign-up, no watermark
Completely free to use. Your invoice is yours, with no branding stamped on it.
Private by design
Everything happens in your browser. Your invoice data never touches a server.
Logo, tax & discounts
Add your logo, any tax label and rate (VAT, GST, sales tax), and percentage or fixed discounts.
Saves as you type
Your draft is stored locally in your browser, so an accidental tab close loses nothing.
20 currencies
Invoice in USD, EUR, GBP, INR, JPY and more, with correct rounding for each currency.
Frequently asked questions
What sales tax rate do I put on the invoice?
Your combined state and local rate for the location where the sale is taxed — there's no federal sales tax in the US. You only collect if you have nexus in the state and the sale is taxable there, and many states exempt most services. If in doubt, check with your state's department of revenue or an accountant.
Where does my EIN go?
On a line under your business name in the address block — for example 'EIN 12-3456789'. Use an EIN rather than your SSN if you have one. The invoice doesn't replace a W-9 — clients who need one will request it separately.
What payment terms should I use?
Net 30 is the default expectation in US B2B; net 14 is common for freelancers. Set the due date field to match and spell the terms out — 'Net 30' — in the notes, since the due date alone won't tell a client whether late fees apply.
Can I add a purchase order number?
There's no dedicated PO field, so put it in the notes — 'PO #4471' — or at the start of the first line item description. Many US accounts-payable teams won't process an invoice without the PO reference, so include it whenever the client issued one.