The short answer: in Word, go to File, then New, and search the online templates for “invoice”, or build one in a blank document: your details and the word Invoice at the top, the invoice number and dates, a table of lines, and totals worked out with Table Layout, Formula (for example =SUM(ABOVE)). Word formulas don’t recalculate as you type: select the table and press F9 before you save the PDF (Microsoft).
Start from a template
- Open Word, go to File, then New.
- Type “invoice” in Search for online templates and press Enter (Microsoft).
- Pick a simple layout, then replace the placeholder text with your details.
Or download a ready-made Word file from this site: the freelance invoice template (.docx) or the Dutch and English invoice template (.docx).
Build it from a blank document
- Header: your name or business name, address, email and, if registered, your VAT or GST number. Write “Invoice” in large type.
- Invoice details: invoice number, invoice date, due date, and the client’s name and address.
- Line items: insert a table with four columns: Description, Qty, Rate, Amount.
- Line amounts: click in the first Amount cell, go to Table Layout, then Formula, and enter
=PRODUCT(LEFT), which multiplies the numbers to the left (the quantity and the rate). Repeat for each line. - Subtotal: in the cell under the last amount, use
=SUM(ABOVE). - Tax and total: use cell references, for example
=D6*0.2for VAT at 20% on the subtotal in cell D6, and=D6+D7for the total. Word counts columns A, B, C and rows 1, 2, 3 from the top left of the table. - Update the sums: Word calculates formulas when you insert them and when the document opens. After any change, select the table and press F9, or press Ctrl+A then F9 to update every formula in the document (Microsoft).
- Save as PDF: go to File, Save As, and choose PDF. Send the PDF and keep the .docx for next time.
Where Word invoices go wrong
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| Totals that didn’t update after a quantity changed | Select the table and press F9 before saving the PDF |
| The same invoice number twice, after copying last month’s file | Change the number first, and keep a list of numbers used (invoice numbering) |
| VAT typed by hand and wrong | Use a formula, and check it with the VAT calculator |
| The client edits or misreads a .docx | Send a PDF only |
The faster route
The invoice generator does the sums, adds tax lines, suggests the next invoice number and downloads a PDF, with nothing to install. Use Word when you need a layout you design yourself; use the generator when you want the totals right without checking formulas.
Microsoft support pages checked 9 October 2026: “Use a formula in a Word table” and “Create a document in Word”.