How to invoice as a sole trader in Australia

As a sole trader, you are the business: the legal name on your invoice is your own name, and your ABN is your individual ABN. What your invoice looks like depends mostly on one question: are you registered for GST?

This guide covers both kinds of invoice, your ABN and business name, how to show your bank and PayID details, the payment terms Australians use, and the card surcharge changes from 1 October 2026. The free invoice generator handles all of it in the browser, without signing up.

Registered for GST or not

You must register within 21 days of your GST turnover reaching $75,000, measured over the current month and the previous 11, or projected over the next 12 months. Taxi, limousine and ride-sourcing drivers must register whatever their turnover. See invoicing without GST and what a tax invoice must include for the details of each.

Your name, ABN and business name

At the top of every invoice:

• your name: your own first name and surname is your legal name;
• your ABN, written as 11 digits, such as 51 824 753 556;
• your registered business name, if you trade under one;
• your address, email and phone number.

If you trade under any name other than your own first name and surname, you generally have to register it with ASIC, and ASIC says the registered business name and your ABN must appear on your invoices. "John Smith" doesn't need registering; "John Smith Plumbing" does. You don't need to show the registration number.

Showing both names is clear: Invoice Native prints "Jane Citizen trading as Jane's Gardens". For why the ABN matters even without GST, see your ABN on invoices.

Payment details

Tell your client exactly how to pay. Most Australian invoices give one or both of these:

PayID payments through Osko usually arrive in near real time. Before paying a PayID, your client sees the name it's registered to, which helps catch scams where someone changes the bank details on an invoice.

Add a payment reference, usually the invoice number, so you can match the payment. Invoice Native's default note is "Please use INV-0001 as the payment reference." BPAY needs a biller code from your bank, so it's mostly for larger businesses. Cheques are being phased out, so don't rely on them.

Payment terms

"30 days EOM" catches people out. An invoice dated 15/10/2026 on 30 days EOM is due on 30/11/2026: 30 days after 31 October. Invoice Native works the due date out for you and prints it on the invoice. Dates on the PDF are written day first, such as 1 October 2026.

No card surcharges on eftpos, Mastercard or Visa

If you take card payments through a payment link or terminal, note the change from 1 October 2026. The Reserve Bank's reforms remove surcharging on debit, prepaid and credit cards on the eftpos, Mastercard and Visa networks from 1 October 2026.

American Express, other networks of that kind, buy now pay later services and PayPal aren't covered by this change; the Reserve Bank is reviewing them separately. Rather than add a card fee line, build your costs into your prices. Invoice Native has no surcharge line for Australian invoices.

An example invoice

A cleaner who is not registered for GST bills a small business:

No GST has been charged. Payment due 14 days from the invoice date: BSB 123-456, account 12345678, or PayID jane@example.com (Jane Citizen).

Keep your records

Keep copies of your invoices and other business records for 5 years. As a guest in Invoice Native, nothing you type leaves your browser, so download the PDF and file it. Signed-in businesses keep every invoice in their account.

Checklist

• ✅ "Tax Invoice" if you're registered for GST, "Invoice" if you're not
• ✅ Your name, your ABN and any registered business name
• ✅ A unique number, the date and a clear due date
• ✅ BSB and account number, or a PayID, with a payment reference
• ✅ No card surcharge on eftpos, Mastercard or Visa
• ✅ Copies kept for 5 years

Rules can change, so check the ATO's and ASIC's guidance or ask a registered tax agent about your situation. Invoice Native does not provide tax advice.