A creator invoice needs your name or business name, a unique invoice number, the brand's name and address, the date, a line-by-line description of the deliverables with prices, any tax, the total and how and when to pay. In Australia, a GST-registered creator must title it a tax invoice and show their ABN and the GST, and the ATO's page on tax invoices adds the buyer's identity or ABN for sales of $1,000 or more. In the UK, GOV.UK lists the supply date and, for sole traders using a business name, an address for legal documents. US brands care most that your invoice matches the W-9 you gave them.
Copy-ready invoice template
Build this once in your accounting software or a document template, then duplicate it for each campaign. Items in square brackets are yours to fill in.
| Block | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Title | “Tax invoice” if you are registered for GST in Australia; “VAT invoice” where UK VAT rules apply; otherwise simply “Invoice” |
| From | [Legal name], trading as [registered business name], [address], [email], ABN [number] or VAT number [number] where you have one |
| Bill to | [Brand's legal entity name], [address], attention [contact], purchase order or campaign reference [reference] |
| Invoice number and dates | Invoice [unique number], issued [date], services supplied [date or date range] |
| Line items | One line per deliverable: platform, format and quantity, such as [number] short-form videos on [platform], with the price for each |
| Rights and extras | Separate lines for usage rights [term and territory], whitelisting or paid amplification [period], exclusivity [category and period] and raw footage, if sold |
| Tax | GST amount, or the statement “Total price includes GST”; VAT amount where charged; nothing where no tax applies |
| Total | Total payable and the currency, especially when invoicing a brand in another country |
| Payment | Due date or terms, accepted methods, account name and details, and the reference to quote |
| Footer | Contract or brief reference, your late-payment line, and for US clients a note that your W-9 is on file or attached |
Price the lines before you invoice them; our UGC creator rates worksheet and influencer rate card template keep the line names consistent with what you quoted.
Required fields by country
The Australian column follows the ATO and business.gov.au, the UK column follows GOV.UK's invoices: what they must include, and the US column describes common practice, because US federal tax rules do not prescribe invoice contents for a creator's sales the way GST and VAT rules do.
| Field | Australia, GST-registered tax invoice | United Kingdom | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Document label | Must show it is intended to be a tax invoice | VAT invoice when both parties are VAT registered | “Invoice” is enough |
| Your identity | Seller's identity | Name, address and contact details; sole traders add any business name used | The legal name on your W-9, plus any trade name |
| Your tax number | ABN required | VAT number on VAT invoices | Given on the W-9, usually not printed |
| Customer | Buyer's identity or ABN for sales of $1,000 or more | Customer's company name and address | Brand's legal entity and any purchase order number |
| Dates | Date of issue | Invoice date and the date the goods or service were provided | Invoice date and due date |
| What was sold | Brief description, quantity if applicable, and price | Clear description and the amounts charged | Deliverables matching the contract |
| Tax shown | GST amount, or “Total price includes GST” when it is exactly one-eleventh, and which items are taxable | VAT amount if applicable | Depends on state sales tax rules for the service |
| Invoice number | Recommended by business.gov.au | A unique identification number is required | Expected by most accounts teams |
Australia: tax invoice or plain invoice
The label depends on GST registration. The ATO's page on setting up your business invoices says that if you are registered for GST your invoices should be called tax invoices, and if you are not, they must not include the words “tax invoice”. Registration is compulsory once GST turnover reaches $75,000, according to the ATO's registering for GST page, which uses a creator as its worked example: a performer whose trust earns advertising revenue from an Australian social media platform has to register once that revenue passes the threshold.
Two smaller rules catch creators out. A GST-registered seller must provide a tax invoice within 28 days when a customer asks, unless the sale is $82.50 including GST or less, per the ATO's tax invoices guidance, and a PDF sent by email is a valid tax invoice if it holds the required details. And the buyer threshold is worded differently in two places: business.gov.au's how to invoice guide says buyer details are needed for sales over $1000, while the ATO says $1,000 or more. Follow the ATO wording, so an invoice for exactly that amount carries the brand's name or ABN. The same business.gov.au guide notes there is no law setting out what a regular, non-GST invoice must contain, but recommends the same core fields.
Quote your ABN even when you are not registered for GST. The ATO's page on withholding if an ABN is not provided says a business paying a supplier who gives no ABN generally withholds the top rate of tax from a payment of more than $75 excluding GST. Exceptions exist, such as supplies made as part of a hobby, and the supplier uses a written statement to claim one. If you invoice under a stage or channel name, check whether it has to be registered first; see do creators need to register a business name.
United Kingdom and United States notes
GOV.UK's list applies to every invoice: a unique identification number, your name, address and contact details, the customer's name and address, a clear description, the supply date, the invoice date, the amounts charged, VAT if applicable and the total owed. Sole traders add their name and any business name, plus an address where legal documents can be delivered if they use a business name. A limited company shows its full name as it appears on the certificate of incorporation, and if it names one director it must name them all.
In the US, payment usually waits on the W-9 rather than the invoice layout. The brand needs your taxpayer identification number to file its information returns, so send the W-9 with your first invoice and use exactly the same legal name on both. Which forms come back at year end is covered in what tax forms content creators get.
Numbering and the payment terms line
Use one sequence for all clients, never reuse a number, and keep cancelled numbers in your register with a note rather than deleting them. A prefix by year makes gaps easy to spot. The payment line should say when payment is due and how; business.gov.au's guide to payment terms describes terms as part of the sales contract and suggests stating methods, timing, any credit conditions and how overdue amounts are collected. Agree the terms in the contract first; negotiating them is covered in how influencers get paid for brand deals.
- “Payment due within [number] days of the invoice date by bank transfer to the account below. Please quote invoice [number].”
- “Payment due on [date], in line with clause [number] of our agreement dated [date].”
- “[Percentage] deposit invoiced on signing; balance invoiced on delivery of final content and due within [number] days.”
Late-payment line options
| Where | Wording option | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| UK, business clients | “We reserve the right to charge statutory interest and a fixed recovery sum under late payment legislation on amounts not paid by the due date.” | GOV.UK sets statutory interest at 8% plus the Bank of England base rate for business-to-business debts unless a contract sets a different rate, with fixed recovery sums of £40, £70 or £100 by debt size (GOV.UK on statutory interest; GOV.UK on recovery costs) |
| UK, no agreed date | “Payment is due within 30 days of receipt of this invoice.” | GOV.UK says that unless a payment date is agreed, the customer must pay within 30 days of getting the invoice or the service (GOV.UK payment obligations) |
| Australia | “Overdue amounts attract the late fee set out in clause [number] of our agreement.” | A contractual term: business.gov.au treats payment terms as part of the contract and does not describe an automatic interest right like the UK's |
| United States | “Late payments are subject to the late charge stated in our agreement.” | Contract and state law; agree it before the work starts |
| Any client, softer tone | “If this invoice is unpaid by the due date we will send a reminder and then a formal demand.” | Matches the reminder-then-demand sequence business.gov.au describes |
Before you send: a checklist
- The title matches your GST or VAT status.
- Your name or business name matches your registration, ABN, VAT number or W-9.
- The brand's legal entity is the one in the contract, not just its trading name.
- The invoice number is the next in your sequence.
- Every deliverable, rights term and extra is its own line.
- Tax is shown the way your country requires, or not at all if you are not registered.
- The due date and payment details are on the page, not only in an email.
- A copy is saved with the contract and brief, ready for your records and your monthly pay-yourself transfer.
Limitations of this guide
This is general information drawn from ATO, business.gov.au and GOV.UK pages checked on 1 October 2026. It does not cover VAT invoice detail, GST on sales to overseas brands, US state sales tax, or invoicing through an agency or marketplace, and the wording options are examples rather than legal drafting. Your contract overrides any generic line.
Have a registered tax agent or BAS agent check your first tax invoice in Australia, or an accountant in the UK or US, and ask a lawyer to review late-payment clauses in your standard contract.