If you're an office manager or owner of a small business, you may find that you need help with billing forms. Tracking and sending invoices to customers is a critical part of any small business accounting process. A free invoice sample template makes invoicing new and existing customers much easier.
Small Business Invoicing
Small business invoicing can be somewhat disorganized, but it's in your best interests to use a standardized template and track all invoices to improve your chances of getting paid. Establish a payment schedule with each client or customer prior to beginning work, to ensure that your expectations are met. Invoicing during work, upon approval, and requesting partial payment up-front are both good ways to minimize risk to both parties.
Invoice Processing With Templates
Invoice processing is easier with templates. Use this free invoice sample, which includes tax calculations, from the Microsoft Template Gallery, to standardize your invoicing. The template is compatible with any version of Microsoft Excel, starting with 2003, and including any later versions of the software. Just agree to the Microsoft Terms of Service, and download the file to your computer. Save it in an easily accessible folder, and be sure to clearly identify it as the template. Then, each time you need to create an invoice, open the template and save it as a new document. Organizational tips:
- Create a naming format for all invoices, such as the numerical date and the name of the customer. The name of a file using this format might look something like this: 10142010Smith.xls. Standardizing the format of file names is a great way to improve organization.
- Organize your completed invoices by customer name and date, to simplify future retrieval. Just create a folder for each month, and individual folders within each month for each customer. Save the completed invoice in the appropriate folder on your computer to reduce paper consumption.
Small Business Billing
Small business billing, and organizing your accounting, is much easier when you use templates for invoice processing. The free sample invoice above is a general template that will apply to most situations, and can be customized if necessary, to reflect the unique needs of your company. If you own (or manage) a small business, free online templates are a simple addition to your accounting procedures that will save both time and money. Looking for more free small business templates?
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Victoria Nicks - Victoria Nicks has a Master's Degree in IT, and extensive hands-on experience with various types of hardware and software.
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