Proforma invoice generator
Proforma Invoice
A proforma invoice is a priced document sent before supply, so a buyer can pay up front or clear customs. It is not a tax invoice and no tax is reclaimable on it. This one quotes $2,145 of goods on DAP terms, valid for 14 days.
Sent when the buyer needs a document to pay against but the supply has not happened yet. A new customer paying in advance, a shipment that needs a value declared at the border, a grant or a finance department that will not release money without an invoice-shaped piece of paper.
The one line that has to be on it is that it is not a tax invoice. Leave that off and a buyer's accounts team can reclaim tax they are not entitled to, which is their problem until it becomes yours. This page prints it whether you remember or not.
- Free proforma invoice generator
- States it is not a tax invoice
- Incoterms and country of origin
- Nothing leaves your browser
Nothing on it yet. Add a line and it appears here.
Made with invoicetools.com
Copy proforma as image puts the whole document on the clipboard, so one paste sends it to an email, a chat or a note. Copy as text gives you the wording instead. Print or save PDF opens your own print dialogue: choose Save as PDF as the destination.
When a proforma is the right document
Three situations account for almost all of them. A new customer you are not extending credit to, who needs something to pay against. A shipment crossing a border, where the broker needs a declared value before the goods have been invoiced. And a buyer whose finance department will not release funds against a quote but will against something invoice-shaped.
In all three the supply has not happened yet, which is exactly why it cannot be a tax invoice.
Proforma, quote and invoice
A quote offers a price and invites an answer. A proforma states a price and asks for payment, while making clear nothing has been supplied. An invoice records a supply that has happened and is the document tax is accounted on.
The sequence most often runs quote, proforma, invoice. Once payment lands and the goods or the work go out, raise the real invoice from the same lines. The button under the sheet does that without retyping.
The declaration is not optional
If a proforma does not say what it is, a buyer's accounts team can treat it as a tax invoice and reclaim tax against it. They are not entitled to, the supply has not happened, and when that is found it becomes an argument about a document you wrote. The line prints at the foot of this sheet automatically.
Questions people ask
What is a proforma invoice?
A proforma invoice is a priced document issued before goods or work are supplied. It lets a buyer pay in advance or clear customs, and it is not a tax invoice because no supply has taken place yet.
Is a proforma invoice a real invoice?
No. It is not a demand for payment on a completed supply and tax is not accounted on it. Once the supply happens you raise a real invoice, which is the document that counts.
Can a customer pay against a proforma?
Yes, and that is usually the point of it. Add the payment methods you accept and they print on the sheet, with a QR code for the ones that open with the amount already filled in.
What is the difference between a proforma and a quote?
A quote offers a price and invites a decision. A proforma states the price and expects payment, while making clear the supply has not happened. A finance department that will not pay against a quote will often pay against a proforma.
Do I charge tax on a proforma?
You show the tax that will apply, so the buyer knows the full amount, but it is not tax being accounted for yet. The real invoice, raised after supply, is the document tax is reclaimed against.
What are incoterms and do I need them?
Incoterms set who pays for carriage and who carries the risk at each stage, using short codes such as EXW, FOB, CIF and DAP. If the goods cross a border, put one on. If they do not, leave it blank.
Should a proforma have an expiry date?
Yes. Without one you are still honoring that price whenever the buyer comes back. Two weeks is a common window and the field defaults to it.
How do I number proforma invoices?
Keep them in their own series, such as PI-2026-0044, separate from your real invoice numbers. Mixing them makes your invoice sequence look broken later.
Can I turn a proforma into an invoice?
Yes. The button under the sheet carries the lines, the buyer and the currency into the invoice generator once the supply has happened.
How do I save a proforma as a PDF?
Use Print or save PDF and choose Save as PDF as the destination in your own print dialogue. The sheet is scaled to one page first, so it does not split.