Advertising invoice template
Invoice print and digital advertising in your browser: publisher and advertiser details, the PO or insertion order reference, one line per ad with discount and agency commission, and VAT or a reverse-charge note. The total due is worked out as you type. Print it, save it as a PDF or download a CSV file. No sign-up.
What goes on an advertising invoice
An advertising invoice asks the advertiser, or its media agency, to pay for ads that were booked and have run. It should match the signed insertion order line by line, because that is the first thing an accounts team checks when an invoice arrives.
- Your company name, address, VAT or company number and a contact for billing questions.
- The customer’s name, billing address and VAT number. When an agency books, say whether the agency or the advertiser is billed.
- A unique invoice number, the invoice date and the due date.
- The buyer’s purchase order number or your insertion order reference. Many agencies will not pay an invoice without it.
- One line per ad: publication, issue or run dates, size and placement, quantity and unit price.
- Discounts, agency commission, VAT and the total due, each on its own line.
- How to pay: bank details, a payment reference and your payment terms.
How agency commission and VAT are shown
When an agency books the ad, the publisher usually invoices the agency and shows its commission as a deduction from the gross amount. This template applies the discount first, then takes commission off the discounted amount, so each line shows what the agency actually owes. This template then works out VAT on the net total after commission, not on the gross rate card price; check your local VAT rules for how your country treats it.
If you invoice a business in another country, VAT may not be charged at all; the customer accounts for it instead under the reverse-charge rule. Tick reverse charge and the invoice shows no VAT and prints a note saying so. Rates, thresholds and the exact wording required differ by country, so check your local VAT rules.
Invoicing per issue or per contract
Most publishers invoice per issue: once an issue is published, every ad in it is invoiced, so the invoice matches what the advertiser can see in print. Digital campaigns are often invoiced per month or at the end of the run. A contract for a series of issues can also be invoiced up front or in agreed instalments. Whichever you choose, state it on the insertion order so the advertiser is not surprised, and quote the same reference on every invoice in the series.
Where spreadsheet invoicing breaks
A spreadsheet or a template like this one works for a handful of advertisers. It gets harder as volume grows. When an ad is cancelled or runs in the wrong place, you need a credit note that refers to the original invoice, not an edited copy of it. A part-run booking, where a contract is half delivered, means working out by hand what has already been invoiced. Each invoice then has to be typed into your accounting system again, which is where numbers drift.
In RunMags, advertiser invoices, credit memos and customer records push to Xero, QuickBooks or Fortnox, so you do not type them in twice. See billing and payments in RunMags.
