Proforma invoice generator
Free proforma invoice generator
A proforma invoice is a priced document sent before supply, so a buyer can pay up front or clear customs.
- 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 below.
This is a proforma invoice and not a tax invoice. No supply has taken place and no tax is recoverable on this document. A tax invoice follows once the goods or services are supplied.
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When a proforma is the right document
You send one when the buyer needs a document to pay against but the supply has not happened yet. Three situations account for almost all of them. A new customer you are not extending credit to, who needs something to pay an advance payment or a deposit 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, or a grant, will not release money against a quote but will against an invoice-shaped piece of paper.
In all three the supply has not happened yet, which is exactly why it cannot be a tax invoice and no tax is reclaimable on it. The sample on this page quotes $2,145 of goods on DAP terms, valid for 14 days.
What to put on a proforma invoice
Use this page as a proforma invoice template: each item below is a field in the form.
- Your details and the buyer's
- A proforma number in its own series, separate from your invoice numbers
- The date issued and a valid-until date
- Each line with quantity and unit price, in the currency you will be paid in
- Freight, insurance and any discount
- The tax that will apply, so the buyer knows the full amount
- Incoterms and country of origin if the goods cross a border
- Payment terms and how to pay, with bank details if you want payment against it
- The line saying it is not a tax invoice, which prints automatically
- A signature, if the buyer's bank or finance team asks for one
Proforma invoice vs quote vs 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. If the buyer is still deciding, send a quote from the quote generator instead. Once the buyer confirms the order, a sales order sets out what you will deliver and when. 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 one line that has to be on a proforma is that it is not a tax invoice. Leave it off and a buyer's accounts team can reclaim tax they are not entitled to, which is their problem until it becomes yours. The line prints at the foot of this sheet automatically, whether you remember or not.
Proforma invoice vs commercial invoice
A proforma comes before the goods ship. It is used to get prepayment or a letter of credit, or to give customs or a broker an early declared value. The commercial invoice goes with the shipment once the sale is final, and it is the document customs normally clears against.
This page makes the proforma, not the commercial invoice. When the goods do go out, a packing slip lists what is in each box, and the real invoice is raised from the same lines.
Proforma invoice questions
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.
Is a proforma invoice legally binding?
Usually not on its own. It is an offer at a stated price until the valid-until date. Once the buyer accepts it or pays against it, the terms on it can become part of the agreement. This is not legal advice.
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.
Should a proforma invoice include bank details?
Yes, if you want payment against it. Add the payment methods you accept and they print on the sheet, with a QR code where the method supports one.
Does a proforma invoice need a signature?
Not usually, but some banks and finance teams ask for one. You can type, draw or upload a signature and it prints on the sheet.
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.
What is the difference between a proforma invoice and a purchase order?
The seller issues the proforma and the buyer issues the purchase order. A buyer often raises the purchase order after receiving the proforma, quoting its number.
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.
Can a proforma invoice be used for customs clearance?
It can give customs or a broker an early declared value, and some shipments, such as samples or gifts, travel on a proforma. Commercial sales normally clear on the commercial invoice. Check with your carrier or broker before you ship.
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 cancel or change a proforma invoice?
Yes, until it is paid or replaced. Issue a revised proforma with a new number and say on it which one it replaces.
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 dialog. The sheet is scaled to one page first, so it does not split.
Need a different document?
Free and in your browser, like this one: Quote generator · Sales order generator · Packing slip generator · Invoice generator.