To create an invoice online, enter your business and customer details, assign an invoice number, itemize the agreed work, review any discount, tax and prior payment, then check the PDF before sharing it. The Check Stubs Online Invoice Generator lets you choose a design and prepare a downloadable invoice from those entries. You remain responsible for accurate billing details, the applicable tax treatment and sending the finished document to your customer.
Reviewed October 29, 2026 · Practical guidance for U.S. business invoicing. Builder features were checked against the live tool. The worked amounts are fictional; the assumed tax rate is an arithmetic example, not a determination that a particular sale is taxable.
A well-presented invoice should help a customer identify the work, understand the charge and see what remains payable. Choosing a good-looking template is useful, but the information behind that template is what makes the bill understandable.
This guide follows the Check Stubs Online invoice builder from preparation through final review. For a deeper explanation of individual charges and payment reconciliation, use the separate itemized-invoice guide.
What does an invoice generator help you do?
An invoice generator organizes your billing information into an invoice document. It provides fields for the seller, customer, dates, items and adjustments, with a preview you can inspect before completing the document order. It does not establish that the work was authorized, that the customer received the bill or that the customer paid it.
Choose the document that matches the actual stage of the transaction. An attractive invoice should not be used to make a proposed job appear completed or to label an unpaid charge as money received.
| Document | Primary purpose | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Estimate or proposal | Describe proposed work and its expected price. | Which terms have actually been accepted. |
| Invoice | Communicate the charge and the remaining balance for the identified transaction. | What is being billed, why it is owed and when it is due. |
| Payment receipt or confirmation | Document a payment that actually occurred. | The amount, date, payer and transaction status. |
Keep the supporting records behind these documents. The IRS’s business-record guidance identifies invoices, receipts and other transaction documents as support for bookkeeping entries. One document may not establish every part of a transaction.
What should you gather before opening the builder?
Start with the accepted work description, purchase order or other genuine billing reference. Confirm the customer’s billing contact and submission requirements. If a buyer requires a project code or a particular portal, account for that before preparing a finished PDF.
- Your business identity: the name you bill under and the contact details the customer needs.
- The customer: the correct customer or company name, billing address where relevant, and the person responsible for processing the invoice.
- A document reference: an invoice number from your own consistent sequence, the issue date and any agreed payment deadline.
- The charges: actual goods or services, quantities, units and accepted unit prices.
- Adjustments: an authorized discount, a supported tax treatment and payments already received and applied to this invoice.
- Payment instructions: the agreed payment method and contact route for billing questions.
Use the optional notes field for relevant context such as a service period or purchase-order reference. Avoid including sensitive identity information merely to fill empty space. Confirm any separate customer request for tax documents through the appropriate process.
How to create an invoice with Check Stubs Online
The live builder groups the work into business details, customer details, invoice information, items and final notes. Follow that order so the preview reflects a complete transaction.
1. Enter the business that is issuing the invoice
Add the business or individual name you use for billing. Include the address, email or phone details that are useful for the transaction. If you add a logo, use your own authorized artwork. The current upload field accepts JPG or PNG files up to 2 MB and recommends a transparent PNG.
A logo helps identify the issuer; it does not replace the issuer’s written name. Check that the final PDF still identifies the business clearly if the logo is small or the customer prints in grayscale.
2. Identify the customer accurately
Enter the customer or company name and any relevant billing address or email. Check the spelling against the approved account or purchase record rather than copying a name from an unrelated conversation.
Entering the customer’s email does not automatically send the invoice. The builder expressly leaves sharing to you. Plan to deliver the finished PDF through the customer’s agreed email address, portal or other accepted route.
3. Set the invoice number and dates
Use your own invoice numbering sequence. A number should distinguish this invoice from other bills and make later questions easier to trace. Keep an existing number associated with its actual transaction rather than recycling it for a different customer.
Enter the invoice date and, where applicable, the agreed payment-due date. A date printed on a document is not proof that it was delivered. Keep the sending or submission record separately, especially if the customer’s process begins when a complete invoice is received.
4. Add the real items or services
Describe each charge clearly enough for the customer to connect it to the accepted work. Enter the quantity and unit price using the same unit: hours with an hourly rate, deliverables with a per-deliverable rate, or another accurate basis.
The current invoice tool uses USD and supports fractional quantities to three decimal places. Review the displayed line amounts after entry. A fixed project price can be one accurately described item; do not invent hours just to make the invoice look detailed.
5. Review discounts, tax and payments already received
The builder offers an invoice discount as a percentage or a dollar amount. Its tax entry applies the rate you enter to the subtotal after that discount. Confirm that this calculation fits the transaction before using it.
The tool’s fields do not decide which goods or services are taxable or which rate applies. Obtain the correct treatment from the relevant tax authority or a qualified adviser. Do not put a tax amount into an unrelated field simply to force a desired total.
Enter only a payment that was actually received and is being applied to this invoice. A promised transfer is not an amount already paid. A checkout coupon for buying the PDF is also separate from a discount you give your customer.
6. Add useful terms and inspect the preview
Use the payment-instructions and notes fields for agreed terms and practical directions. Make the due date and payment method consistent with the underlying agreement. Do not add an unexplained late charge or change previously accepted terms through a footer note.
Choose your design, color and font, then inspect every preview page. Check that descriptions, dates and contact details are complete and that the remaining balance is easy to find. The preview can contain multiple pages; review each page rather than checking only the first.
A worked invoice calculation you can check independently
Assume a fictional customer approved 12.5 hours of work at $64 per hour plus two additional deliverables at $95 each. The business grants a $40 invoice discount. For this arithmetic illustration only, assume a 6% tax applies to the entire discounted subtotal and a documented $250 payment has already been applied.
| Entry | Calculation | Amount (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Service hours | 12.5 × $64.00 | $800.00 |
| Two deliverables | 2 × $95.00 | $190.00 |
| Subtotal | $800.00 + $190.00 | $990.00 |
| Invoice discount | Agreed dollar discount | −$40.00 |
| Discounted subtotal | $990.00 − $40.00 | $950.00 |
| Assumed tax | $950.00 × 6% | $57.00 |
| Invoice total | $950.00 + $57.00 | $1,007.00 |
| Payment already applied | Confirmed prior payment | −$250.00 |
| Balance due | $1,007.00 − $250.00 | $757.00 |
The customer’s remaining balance is $757.00. The discount changes the charge, the assumed tax adds to the invoice total, and the prior payment reduces what remains to be paid. They serve different purposes even though they all affect the final figure.
In this example, leaving out the prior payment would overstate the balance by $250.00. Subtracting the discount twice would understate it by $40.00. Recalculate the document from the source entries when a result looks wrong; do not create a second adjustment to conceal an earlier entry error.
How should you choose an invoice template?
The current builder offers five designs with color and font choices. Select a design that keeps the seller, customer, invoice number and amount due recognizable at ordinary reading size.
- Use a readable font: inspect long item descriptions and small contact details, not just the heading.
- Keep contrast strong: a pale accent may work for decoration while making important amounts difficult to read.
- Review the full item list: check page breaks and the totals section after adding longer descriptions.
- Use restrained branding: the logo and accent color should support the information rather than compete with it.
Before purchasing, confirm that the preview shows the intended template and that the design changes have not distracted you from checking the figures. A consistent presentation is useful, but accurate entries should drive the final approval.
What happens after you review the invoice?
The document order is separate from the customer’s bill. Review the checkout’s current PDF price and terms before completing a purchase. Paying for the PDF does not pay the invoice balance or record a payment from your customer.
After obtaining the finished document, save a copy and send it through the agreed route. A practical message identifies the invoice number, the work reference, the amount due and the payment deadline, with a clear contact for questions. State that an amount has been paid only when your records support that statement.
Keep private order and resume links private. The builder warns that anyone holding a saved-details link can view those details. Share the finished customer-facing PDF through the appropriate channel rather than circulating a private editing or order-access link as a billing attachment.
| Review area | Question to answer | Supporting record |
|---|---|---|
| Customer and work | Does this bill identify the right customer and accepted transaction? | Accepted scope, customer account or purchase order. |
| Items and amounts | Do the quantities, rates and adjustments reproduce the displayed total? | Work log, price agreement and checked calculation. |
| Payment status | Is each amount shown as paid supported and applied only once? | Payment confirmation and the account record. |
| Delivery and access | Will the right person receive the finished document through the agreed route? | Verified billing contact or submission instructions. |
How should you handle payment records and later corrections?
Keep the issued PDF with its work reference, any approved revisions, payment confirmations and correspondence. An invoice is part of the billing record; it is not a substitute for recording the later payment.
If an amount changes, identify what changed and give the customer a clear replacement or adjustment record. Preserve the earlier issued version so the history remains understandable. When the issue is a genuine new charge, record the basis for that charge rather than quietly rewriting a settled transaction.
IRS Publication 583 describes electronic records that must remain complete, accurate and reproducible in a legible form. Choose an orderly filing method that lets you retrieve the invoice and its supporting documents together. Requirements for how long to retain a record depend on the applicable circumstances; a private download link is not your complete retention plan.
Check unfamiliar invoices and payment instructions carefully. The FTC’s small-business scam guidance recommends clear purchase-approval procedures and invoice review. The FBI’s business email compromise guidance recommends independently verifying changes to payment procedures or account details. Use a known contact route rather than relying on contact details supplied in a suspicious change request.
For year-end record questions, our guides to self-employment income without a 1099 and 1099-NEC versus 1099-MISC explain how billing records connect with separate reporting documents. Do not add an invoice amount to an already recorded payment merely because you have received another document describing the transaction.
Frequently asked questions
Can I create an invoice without a logo?
Yes. The logo field in the Check Stubs Online builder is optional. Use a clear written business name and the contact information appropriate to the transaction. Add only artwork that you have permission to use.
Does the generator email the invoice to my customer?
No. The customer-email field does not send the bill automatically. Review and obtain the completed PDF, then share it through the email address, portal or delivery method agreed with the customer.
Is the PDF purchase price included in my customer’s balance?
No. The document checkout is a separate purchase. Your customer’s invoice balance comes from the charges, adjustments and payments you entered. Do not add the PDF fee to the customer’s bill without a separate valid basis.
Can I show that part of the invoice has already been paid?
Use the amount-already-paid field for a real payment applied to that invoice. Check the supporting confirmation and enter the amount once. The fictional example reduces a $1,007.00 total by a $250.00 payment to leave $757.00 due.
Will the tool determine the right sales-tax rate for my work?
No. It uses the tax rate you enter and applies it after the invoice discount. Confirm whether tax applies and whether the tool’s calculation matches your actual transaction before approving the document.
Is an invoice enough to prove that the customer paid?
An invoice describes the billing position shown on the document. Verify a payment using its actual confirmation and account records. Keep the invoice, payment evidence and any adjustments linked under the same reference.
The Check Stubs Online Editorial Team reviewed the live Invoice Generator, checked the fictional calculations separately and consulted the linked government references for recordkeeping and payment-verification context. Tool choices and prices can change; inspect the builder’s current preview and checkout before completing your order.