Guides
Invoicing, explained for South African businesses
Short, practical guides written by people who invoice for a living. VAT rules, payment terms, numbering, late payers and the rest.
7 min readHow to make an invoice in South Africa (with a free template)Step-by-step guide to writing a professional invoice in South Africa: what to include, VAT rules, numbering, payment terms and a free invoice generator.Read more6 min readSARS tax invoice requirements: the full checklist (2026)Exactly what a valid South African tax invoice must contain under section 20 of the VAT Act, including full vs abridged tax invoices, the R5 000 and R50 thresholds and the 21-day rule.Read more5 min readQuotation vs invoice: what is the difference and when to send eachThe difference between a quotation, a pro forma invoice and an invoice, what each one commits you to, and how to convert a quote into an invoice without retyping it.Read more4 min readWhat is a pro forma invoice? Meaning, uses and a South African examplePro forma invoice explained: what it is, how it differs from a quotation and a tax invoice, when South African businesses use one, and what to put on it.Read more5 min readInvoice payment terms explained: Net 30, COD, deposits and what works in South AfricaWhat payment terms like Net 30, due on receipt, COD and 50% deposit mean, which ones get paid fastest, and how to write terms that hold up when a client pays late.Read more7 min readHow to chase late payments in South Africa without losing the clientA practical, escalating process for overdue invoices: reminder timing, email templates, interest, letters of demand, the small claims court limit and when to write a debt off.Read more4 min readInvoice numbering best practices: formats that scale and satisfy SARSHow to number invoices: sequential rules, prefixes, year-based formats, separate series for quotations and credit notes, and what to do about cancelled or deleted invoices.Read more5 min readRecurring invoices for retainers and subscriptions: a practical guideHow to set up recurring monthly invoices for retainer clients, what to put on them, how to handle price changes and scope creep, and how to automate the whole thing.Read more8 min readFreelance invoicing in South Africa: a complete guide for 2026How freelancers in South Africa should invoice: what to include, tax and VAT basics, provisional tax, deposits, international clients and currency, and the tools that make it painless.Read more7 min readBest invoicing software for small businesses in South Africa (2026 buyer's guide)How to choose invoicing software in South Africa: Rand pricing, VAT, tax invoice compliance, PayFast and EFT, sending from your own email, templates, quotations, recurring billing and team features compared.Read more
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