Invoice Template NZ: GST and Non-GST Layouts with Examples

Short answer: A New Zealand invoice template needs your name or trade name, the invoice date, a description of the goods or services and the amount charged. If you are GST registered and the sale is over $200, add your GST number and the GST: either the GST-exclusive amount, the GST and the total, or a GST-inclusive total with a statement that GST is included. Over $1,000, add the buyer’s name and one identifier if the buyer is GST registered. Copy the two layouts below.

The rules behind these templates are Inland Revenue’s requirements for taxable supply information, and they apply through the 2027 tax year (1 April 2026 – 31 March 2027). This page is the document itself; for the wider process of quoting, sending and chasing, read how to invoice as a contractor in NZ, and for the tax that sits behind each invoice, self-employed taxes in NZ.

What does an invoice template in NZ need to include?

What an invoice must show depends on whether you are GST registered and on the value of the sale. Inland Revenue sets three tiers.

Value of the sale (incl. GST)	What the record must show if you are GST registered
$200 or less	No taxable supply information has to be provided to the buyer, but you and a GST-registered buyer must each keep your own record of the sale.
Over $200 up to $1,000	Your name or trade name and GST number; the date of the invoice (or the time of supply if there is no invoice); a description of the goods or services; and the payment details: the GST-exclusive amount, the GST amount and the GST-inclusive amount, or the GST-inclusive amount with a statement that GST is included.
Over $1,000	Everything above, plus the buyer’s details if the buyer is GST registered: their name and at least one of a physical or postal address, phone number, email address, trading name, New Zealand Business Number or website URL.

Two rules sit alongside the table. For sales over $200, you must provide the information to a GST-registered buyer within 28 days of a request, or by another date you both agree. And the information does not have to live in one physical document called a tax invoice; it can be held across more than one record. In practice, one clear invoice is still the easiest way to hold it.

If you are not GST registered, the GST rows simply do not apply: you have no GST number to show and you must not add GST. Inland Revenue’s registering for GST rules say you must register if your turnover was at least $60,000 in the last 12 months, or you expect it to be at least $60,000 in the next 12, and you then have 21 days to register. Once you are registered, switch to the GST template.

GST-registered invoice template (copy this)

This layout covers every tier, so you can use it for a $90 call-out and a $9,000 job alike. Fields in square brackets are yours to replace.

TAX INVOICE

[Your name or trading name]
[Street address, town]
[Phone] · [Email]
GST number: [000-000-000]

Invoice number: [2026-001]
Invoice date: [day month year]
Due date: [day month year]

Bill to:
[Customer name or business name]
[Address, email, phone or NZBN, at least one, if they are GST registered and the sale is over $1,000]

Description                         Qty    Rate       Amount
[What you supplied, and when]       [1]    [$0.00]    [$0.00]
[Materials or second line]          [1]    [$0.00]    [$0.00]

Subtotal (excl. GST)                                  [$0.00]
GST at 15%                                            [$0.00]
Total (incl. GST)                                     [$0.00]

Payment: [Bank account name and number] · Reference: [invoice number]
Terms: [e.g. due on the 20th of the month following]

GST is 15% in New Zealand: Inland Revenue’s own GST return works out the GST inside a GST-inclusive total as three twenty-thirds of it, which is the same thing. To fill in the GST line, multiply the subtotal by 0.15; how to calculate GST in NZ covers adding, removing and rounding, and the GST you charge is what goes into your GST return.

For a sale between $200 and $1,000 you can drop the three-line breakdown and write one line instead, for example “Total $460.00 (includes GST)”. Inland Revenue accepts the GST-inclusive amount with a statement that GST is included when everything on the invoice is charged at the standard rate.

Non-GST invoice template (copy this)

If you are not registered for GST, use a plain invoice. Head it “Invoice”, not “Tax invoice”, and leave out any GST number or GST line.

INVOICE

[Your name or trading name]
[Street address, town]
[Phone] · [Email]

Invoice number: [2026-001]
Invoice date: [day month year]
Due date: [day month year]

Bill to:
[Customer name or business name]
[Customer address or email]

Description                         Qty    Rate       Amount
[What you supplied, and when]       [1]    [$0.00]    [$0.00]

Total due                                             [$0.00]

Not registered for GST: no GST has been charged.
Payment: [Bank account name and number] · Reference: [invoice number]
Terms: [e.g. 14 days from the invoice date]

The “not registered for GST” line is optional, but it stops business clients asking why there is no GST on the bill.

What does a filled-in tradie invoice look like?

Here is the GST template completed by a GST-registered electrician for a switchboard job. The total is over $1,000 and the customer is a GST-registered property manager, so the buyer’s name and an identifier are required. All names and numbers are made up.

TAX INVOICE · Tama Rewi Electrical · 14 Example Road, Hamilton · GST number 123-456-789 Invoice 2026-047 · Date 2 October 2026 · Due 20 November 2026 Bill to: Ruru Property Management Ltd · accounts@example.co.nz · 3 Sample Street, Hamilton

Description	Qty	Rate	Amount
Call-out, 1 October 2026	1	$60.00	$60.00
Labour: replace switchboard, 22 Kōwhai Lane	6 hrs	$95.00	$570.00
Switchboard (supplied)	1	$680.00	$680.00
RCDs and fittings	1	$210.00	$210.00
Subtotal (excl. GST)			$1,520.00
GST at 15%			$228.00
Total (incl. GST)			$1,748.00

Payment to 12-3456-0000000-00, reference 2026-047.

The job address in the description lets the property manager match it to the right tenancy, and listing materials separately means a query about the switchboard does not hold up payment for the labour.

What does a filled-in freelancer invoice look like?

Here is the non-GST template completed by a freelance writer who is not GST registered. The same layout suits designers, photographers and consultants. Again, the names and numbers are made up.

INVOICE · Mere Thompson Writing · Wellington · mere@example.co.nz Invoice 2026-012 · Date 30 September 2026 · Due 14 October 2026 Bill to: Kererū Outdoor Gear Ltd · hello@example.co.nz

Description	Qty	Rate	Amount
Website copy, six product pages (brief dated 8 September 2026), two revision rounds included	6	$180.00	$1,080.00
Client interview and research	1.5 hrs	$90.00	$135.00
Total due			$1,215.00

Not registered for GST: no GST has been charged. Payment to 12-3456-0000000-00, reference 2026-012.

Naming the brief and the revision rounds makes a fourth round of changes clearly a new job, not a dispute about this invoice.

Should my invoice say “tax invoice”?

You can head it “Tax invoice” if you are GST registered, but the label is not what makes it compliant. Inland Revenue’s test is whether the record holds the right taxable supply information for the value of the sale, and that information does not need to be in a single document called a tax invoice.

If you are not registered, do not use “Tax invoice”. The heading suggests GST is included and your customer may try to claim GST that you never charged.

Some arrangements turn the usual process around. If a GST-registered customer issues the paperwork for what they buy from you, that is buyer-created taxable supply information, which has its own conditions, set out on that page.

How should I number invoices and set payment terms?

Give every invoice a unique number and never reuse one. No numbering format is prescribed, so choose one you can keep for the life of the business:

• Plain sequence: 001, 002, 003
• Year prefix: 2026-001, 2026-002
• Customer code: RURU-001, RURU-002

If a job is cancelled or over-billed, issue a credit note rather than deleting the invoice. Keep a copy of every invoice you issue: Inland Revenue’s record keeping rules require business records to be kept for at least 7 years.

Put a real date in the due field, not just “Net 14”, and state your terms on the invoice, such as due on receipt, 14 days or the 20th of the month following. If you want to charge interest or a fee on late payment, agree it in writing before the work starts.

What should an invoicing app do, and where does Keel fit?

A spreadsheet copy of the templates above is enough. An app helps when it numbers invoices for you, keeps each job’s paperwork together and shows who still owes you.

Keel: Invoice Maker & Receipts, by Ilura Technology OÜ, creates invoices like these as PDFs on your iPhone. An accepted estimate becomes the invoice in one tap, receipts and expenses sit under the same job, and “who owes you” prepares reminder drafts that you review and send yourself; nothing is sent automatically. Your records stay on the phone: no account, no bank connection, no cloud sync, and the App Store privacy label reads “Data Not Collected”.

Keel is a record keeper, not a compliance tool. It does not register you for GST, file GST returns or connect to Inland Revenue, so check that your invoices show the fields in the table above. Keel is free with no invoice limit; free invoices carry a small “Made with Keel” footer. Keel Lifetime is a one-time purchase ($249.99 USD; the App Store shows your local price) that adds custom branding, a signature, premium templates and accountant-ready exports. Keel on the App Store. For more New Zealand guides, see the New Zealand hub.

Frequently asked questions

What should be on an invoice in New Zealand? Your name or trade name, the invoice date, a description of what you supplied and the amount. If you are GST registered and the sale is over $200, add your GST number and the GST amount or a statement that GST is included. Over $1,000, also add the buyer’s name and one identifier if they are GST registered.

Do I need a GST number on my invoice in NZ? Only if you are GST registered and the sale is over $200. At $200 or less no taxable supply information has to be provided to the buyer, although both of you still keep your own records. If you are not registered you have no GST number, and your invoice is complete without one.

Can I use the same invoice template if I’m not GST registered? Use the non-GST version instead. Head it “Invoice” rather than “Tax invoice”, leave out the GST number and GST line, and show a single total. Adding a line that says you are not registered for GST is optional, but it stops business clients asking why no GST has been charged.

How do I show GST on an invoice template? Either show three lines, the GST-exclusive subtotal, GST at 15% and the GST-inclusive total, or show only the GST-inclusive total with a statement that GST is included. The single-line option works when everything on the invoice is charged at the standard rate. Business customers usually prefer the three-line version because it shows the GST they can claim.

What is the right invoice format for a contractor or tradie in NZ? Use the GST template if you are registered and put the job address and date of work in each description. List materials separately from labour so a query on one item does not hold up the rest. For a GST-registered customer and a job over $1,000, include their name and an address, email, phone number or NZBN.

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This article is general information, not tax advice. Consult a qualified New Zealand tax professional.