How to invoice without GST in Australia

Use an ordinary invoice

A business that is not registered for GST should not charge GST or label the document a tax invoice. In the generator, turn off 'Charge GST'. The document heading becomes 'Invoice', and no GST row is added.

An ABN does not by itself establish GST registration. Check your actual registration position rather than assuming every Australian business charges GST.

Sources: business.gov.au: invoice types and practical invoice fields

Example for a freelance job

Enter a clear service description, quantity 3 and unit price 80. Add your business and client details, document number, issue date, due date and payment instructions.

Make the invoice easy to pay

You can use the notes field to state that no GST has been charged. Turning GST off does not determine whether you should register. Read the government guidance or consult your adviser if your circumstances change.

• Use a description the client can match to the agreed work.
• Include your business identity and ABN where applicable.
• Show the amount payable in AUD, the due date and the payment method.
• Check bank details before downloading and retain the final PDF.

If your registration changes

Review your saved business details and the GST setting for each new document. A saved draft keeps its existing settings, so do not rely on the setting from an earlier job.

Use the GST invoice guide for taxable sales once registered. Quotes and existing agreements may need separate consideration; the generator does not provide tax advice.

A complete ordinary invoice to read

For this example, an independent studio that is not registered for GST completes three hours of website content review at $80 per hour. It and its client agree on payment by 29 October. All contact details below are fictional; payment instructions deliberately contain no bank account.

• Heading: ‘Invoice’, because this supplier is not charging GST. The reference INV-206 identifies this particular request for payment.
• Supplier and buyer: identify who did the work and who should pay. Replace the bracketed ABN with your own where applicable; never borrow an identifier from a sample.
• Items: 3 × $80 = $240. The total is $240 with no GST added or extracted. GST off is different from an inclusive price with GST embedded.
• Payment instructions: give an agreed payment method, a useful reference and a deadline. The sample asks the client to contact the fictional studio; replace that with your actual, checked instructions.

Sources: business.gov.au: invoice types and practical invoice fields

Replace ambiguous wording

These corrections belong to the stated scenario. Do not use the non-GST wording to avoid charging tax that should apply. An ABN and GST registration are separate checks, and the generator does not make the registration decision for you.

Sources: business.gov.au: invoice types and practical invoice fields; ABN Lookup: check identity and GST status

Resolve questions without losing the record

If a client asks why GST is absent, explain that the supplier in this scenario is not registered, rather than calling the work ‘GST-free’. Those are different situations. If the client disputes the hours, check the agreement and work record before revising the invoice.

If you correct a document, retain the earlier export and record what changed in your own records. Starting a new document here replaces the single local draft. Saved client details do not preserve previous invoices or a history of corrections.

Sources: business.gov.au: invoice types and practical invoice fields

Check the official guidance

These examples explain how the tool works and are general information. Check the requirements for your circumstances.

• business.gov.au: How to invoice
• ATO: Tax invoices