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UK VAT Invoice · Reg 14 VAT Regulations 1995 · Reverse charge ready

UK VAT Invoice Generator

HMRC-compliant VAT invoices in seconds. Standard, reduced, zero-rated and exempt items — plus reverse-charge support for CIS and cross-border B2B services.

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In this section

What is a UK VAT invoice?

The document a VAT-registered business must issue for every taxable supply, with the 11 mandatory fields specified in Reg 14 VAT Regulations 1995. A single missing field can block the customer from reclaiming input VAT.

Generators

What this generates

  • HMRC-compliant VAT invoice PDF
  • VAT-registered seller + customer + line items
  • Per-line: net + VAT rate + VAT amount
  • Totals: net + VAT + gross
  • Optional reverse-charge note (CIS, EU services, etc.)

Primary sources

A UK VAT invoice is the document a VAT-registered business must issue for every taxable supply, with the 11 mandatory fields specified in Regulation 14 of the VAT Regulations 1995 — supplier VAT number, customer details, invoice number, date, line items with rates, total VAT in sterling, and gross total. A single missing or incorrect field can block the customer from reclaiming input VAT.

Generated in your browser. Every Reg 14 mandatory field, the VAT breakdown by rate (20% / 5% / 0% / exempt), and the reverse-charge wording for CIS and B2B services. Nothing reaches our servers. A non-compliant invoice fails Making Tax Digital and gets bounced by your customer’s accounts payable.

Privacy Mode: Your data never leaves your device. Nothing is sent to our servers.
Step 1 of 4Your Business

Invoice details

Your business (supplier)

Downloads a small file. We never see it. Load it next visit to pre-fill the form.

Upload your own header image, footer image, and footer text. The payslipmaker.uk site-mark and default HMRC footer caption are suppressed in the PDF when this is on. Files stay on your device.

Step-by-step

How to Create a UK VAT Invoice

Enter the VAT-registered supplier and customer blocks, assign a unique sequential invoice number and tax point, list up to five line items with rate and net amount per Regulation 14 of the VAT Regulations 1995, pick a VAT rate or reverse-charge wording, and generate the PDF with the eleven mandatory fields locked in.

  1. 01

    Enter the supplier block

    Supplier trading name, address, and VAT number. The VAT number validates against the GB-plus-nine-digits format on blur and reformats with the GB prefix. This block carries the eleven Regulation 14 mandatory fields on the supplier side.

  2. 02

    Enter the customer block

    Customer name and address are mandatory on a full invoice. A customer VAT number is optional but lets B2B customers reclaim input VAT. For retail sales of £250 or less, switch to simplified-invoice mode and the customer block drops out.

  3. 03

    Set the invoice number, date, and supply description

    Invoice number must be unique and sequential (no gaps, no reuse) per Regulation 14. The date is the tax point unless a separate tax point is set. The supply description sits as a header above the line items and tells HMRC what was supplied.

  4. 04

    List up to five line items

    Each line carries a description, quantity, unit price, line net, and VAT rate. The generator sums the net total, computes the VAT due, and produces the gross total. All figures display in sterling per Regulation 14.

  5. 05

    Pick the VAT rate or reverse-charge wording

    Standard rate 20%, reduced 5%, zero-rated 0%, or reverse-charge for CIS and B2B services. Reverse-charge invoices carry the prescribed wording in place of a VAT amount, with the recipient accounting for the VAT under the reverse-charge mechanism.

  6. 06

    Generate the PDF

    The PDF carries all eleven Regulation 14 fields plus the simplified-invoice or reverse-charge wording where applicable. Issue within 30 days of the tax point unless HMRC has agreed a longer period. The customer reclaims input VAT against this document.

Updated 2026-05-28

What HMRC requires on a VAT invoice

Required fields (full VAT invoice)

If you are VAT-registered, every invoice you issue for a taxable supply must include:

  • A unique, sequential invoice number
  • The invoice date and the tax point (time of supply) if different
  • Your business name, address, and VAT registration number
  • The customer’s name and address
  • A clear description of the goods or services supplied
  • For each item: quantity, unit price, the VAT rate applied, and the amount before VAT
  • The total before VAT, the total VAT due, and the total amount including VAT
  • The rate of any cash discount offered

Simplified VAT invoice

If the total is under £250 including VAT and the customer is not registered for VAT, you can issue a simplified invoice. It must show your name, address, VAT number, the date of supply, a description of the goods or services, the VAT rate(s), and the total amount payable. You don’t have to break out the VAT amount or list the customer’s details.

Reverse charge

For domestic CIS construction services (since March 2021) and certain cross-border B2B services, the customer accounts for the VAT directly to HMRC instead of paying it to you. The invoice must clearly state “Reverse charge: customer to pay VAT to HMRC” (or equivalent wording) and show £0 VAT. Tick the reverse-charge option on the form and the wording is added automatically.

VAT rates 2025/26

  • Standard rate — 20%: most goods and services
  • Reduced rate — 5%: children’s car seats, domestic energy, some health and welfare
  • Zero rate — 0%: most food, books, children’s clothes, public transport (still on the VAT return)
  • Exempt: insurance, financial services, some education and health (not on the VAT return)
  • Outside the scope: not subject to UK VAT at all (e.g. wages, statutory fees)

Record-keeping

You must keep your VAT invoices for at least 6 years. From April 2026, sole traders and landlords with income above £50,000 must use Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax and submit quarterly updates using HMRC-compatible software. The threshold drops to £30,000 from April 2027 and to £20,000 from April 2028. payslipmaker.uk is a document generator — it does not submit returns or store records, so you’ll still need MTD-compliant software for filing.

Related guides

Keep reading

What Makes a Valid UK VAT Invoice →

The full mandatory-field list under Reg 14 VAT Regulations 1995, simplified vs full invoices, modified invoices, and the reverse-charge wording for CIS.

Payment Receipt Generator →

After issuing a VAT invoice, issue a separate payment receipt once funds clear. Useful for advance, part-payment and final-payment scenarios.

UK Payslip Generator →

For sole traders and small employers — generate HMRC-compliant payslips with auto-calculated PAYE, NI, pension and student-loan deductions on 2025/26 rates.

FAQ

UK VAT invoices — common questions

What fields make a UK VAT invoice valid?
A full VAT invoice must carry every field in regulation 14 of the VAT Regulations 1995: a unique sequential number, your VAT registration number, the invoice and supply (tax-point) dates, your and the customer's details, a description of the goods or services, the VAT rate and amount per line, and the total VAT. The generator includes all of them — see the full field list.
Can I issue a VAT invoice if I am not VAT-registered?
No. Only VAT-registered businesses may charge VAT and issue a VAT invoice; showing VAT without being registered is an offence under HMRC rules. If you are below the registration threshold, issue a plain invoice or a payment receipt instead — with no VAT line.
How do I show the reverse charge on a VAT invoice?
Tick the reverse-charge option and the generator adds the mandatory wording — the customer accounts for the VAT to HMRC instead of paying it to you, so the invoice shows the VAT rate but no VAT for you to collect. It applies to UK CIS construction services (since 1 March 2021) and certain cross-border B2B supplies; to check whether it applies to your job, use the CIS reverse-charge checker. See the valid-invoice guide for the exact wording.
Why is the VAT invoice a flat £1.99 rather than pay-what-you-want?
The VAT invoice is a B2B-only tool, so it sits at a flat £1.99 instead of the Pay-What-You-Want chip the consumer generators use. The watermark-free PDF is identical to the preview — you are paying for the clean document, not unlocking fields.
Does it submit my VAT return under Making Tax Digital?
No. It generates the invoice only. VAT-registered businesses must keep digital records and file returns through Making Tax Digital-compatible software; the invoice is a record you keep, not a submission.

References

After you generate

  • PDF on device; nothing uploaded
  • Sign the PDF with Falcon Verified for tamper-evidence
  • Pair with /cis-reverse-charge-checker if construction sector

First-timer questions

  • What is required on a UK VAT invoice?

    Invoice number, date, supplier name + address + VAT number, customer name + address, description of goods/services, quantity, net amount, VAT rate, VAT amount, gross total. The /newsroom/valid-vat-invoice article walks through each field.

  • I am not VAT-registered — can I use this?

    No — issuing a VAT invoice without being registered is an offence. Use /misc-receipt for a non-VAT informal receipt.

  • Reverse-charge wording?

    The form has an optional "reverse-charge notice" field. The /cis-reverse-charge-checker tool can confirm the supply qualifies.

  • Can I issue an invoice in another currency?

    GBP only. The form does not accept other currencies today.

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