Australian tax invoices, set up in one click
Pick Australia once and every invoice carries the Tax invoice title, your ABN, GST at 10% and your PayID or BSB. Here is what the ATO asks a tax invoice to show, and how WhizInvoice handles each part of it.
How GST invoicing works in Australia
Australia has one national goods and services tax, collected by the Australian Taxation Office. Once your business is registered for GST you add 10% to most of what you sell, and a registered customer relies on your tax invoice to claim that GST back as a credit.
You must register within 21 days of your GST turnover reaching $75,000 a year, or $150,000 for a non-profit. Taxi and ride-sourcing drivers register whatever they earn. Below the threshold registration is optional, and until you register you charge no GST, so a plain invoice does the job.
When a customer asks you for a tax invoice you have 28 days to provide it. The only exception is a sale of $82.50 or less, including GST.
Australian invoicing at a glance
- Tax and rate
- GST at 10% on most sales. Some sales are GST-free or input-taxed and carry no GST.
- Who must register
- GST turnover of $75,000 or more a year, or $150,000 for non-profits. Taxi and ride-sourcing drivers always register. Register within 21 days of reaching the threshold.
- Tax invoice under $1,000
- Shows it is intended to be a tax invoice, your identity and ABN, the issue date, a brief description with quantity and price, the GST (or the words Total price includes GST when the GST is exactly one eleventh of the total), and how much of each sale is taxable.
- Tax invoice of $1,000 or more
- Everything above, plus the buyer’s identity or ABN.
- When to issue
- Within 28 days of a customer asking. Not required for sales of $82.50 or less including GST.
- Tax number label
- ABN (Australian Business Number)
- Currency
- Australian dollar, AUD ($)
- Date format
- DD/MM/YYYY, for example 18/10/2026
- Paper size
- A4
- E-invoicing
- Peppol eInvoicing is voluntary for businesses. Non-corporate Commonwealth entities must be able to receive eInvoices and are making eInvoicing their default.
Sources: Australian Taxation Office pages on tax invoices, registering for GST and eInvoicing, checked October 2026.
Mixed sales, rounding and emailed invoices
Plenty of jobs mix taxable and GST-free items. When one tax invoice covers both, it must make clear which items are taxable and show each taxable sale, the GST payable and the total to pay.
Rounding has a simple rule when an invoice holds a single taxable sale: round the GST to the nearest cent, with half a cent rounding up. Invoices with several taxable sales can use either of the two methods the ATO describes, and you and your customer do not have to use the same one.
A tax invoice does not need to be on paper. A PDF sent by email is a valid tax invoice as long as it contains every required detail.
How WhizInvoice sets up Australian invoicing
Choose Australia in Settings and these details are filled in for you. Every one of them can be changed later.
The Australia preset
Australian dollars, GST at 10%, the ABN label, the Tax invoice title, DD/MM/YYYY dates and A4 paper arrive in one step. Adjust any of them whenever your business changes.
Not registered yet
Switch off GST registration in your tax settings and new invoices carry no GST and are titled Invoice. Switch it back on from the date your registration starts.
Your ABN and theirs
Your ABN prints under your business name on every invoice. Save a business customer’s ABN on their record and it prints on their invoices too, which covers the $1,000 rule.
PayID and BSB on the invoice
Enter your PayID, BSB and account number once and they appear in the payment section of every invoice. Add your own Stripe, PayPal or Square link if you also take cards.
GST-free lines
Set a line to 0% when part of a job is GST-free, and add GST-free to its description so the invoice shows which items are taxable. GST is then worked out on the taxable lines only.
GST collected, ready for your BAS
On the Business plan, reports show the GST you collected for your accountant or BAS agent. Tax is never added twice when a quote becomes an invoice.
A tax invoice over $1,000
A quarterly pest service for a strata building. Because the total is over $1,000, the customer’s name and ABN sit on the invoice beside your own ABN, and GST is charged at 10%.
Example only, with a fictional business and customer. Your invoices use your own details, tax settings and design.
| Description | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Termite inspection, three storey building, written report | 1 | $480.00 | $480.00 |
| General pest treatment, common areas and bin room | 1 | $395.00 | $395.00 |
| Rodent bait station service, per station | 12 | $15.00 | $180.00 |
Recipient-created tax invoices (RCTIs)
Some head contractors and labour hire firms pay subcontractors through recipient-created tax invoices, where the customer writes the tax invoice instead of you. That is only allowed when you are both registered for GST, you have a current written agreement that they will issue RCTIs and you will not issue tax invoices, and the supply is covered by the Recipient Created Tax Invoice Determination 2023.
A valid RCTI shows it is a recipient-created tax invoice, carries both ABNs and states that the GST is payable by you as the supplier. The customer must give it to you within 28 days of the sale or of working out its value. If you work under an RCTI agreement, check each one against the work you did, and do not send your own tax invoice for the same supply.
Good to know
Does my invoice have to say Tax invoice at the top?
The ATO asks that a tax invoice makes clear it is intended to be one, and the words Tax invoice at the top are the simplest way to do that. The Australia preset uses that title whenever you are registered for GST.
I am a sole trader not registered for GST. Can I still use WhizInvoice?
Yes. Turn off GST registration in your tax settings and your invoices are titled Invoice, without GST added. When your turnover heads towards $75,000, register with the ATO and switch it back on.
When do I need the customer's ABN on a tax invoice?
For a taxable sale of $1,000 or more, the tax invoice must show the buyer’s identity or ABN. Save the ABN on the customer’s record in WhizInvoice and it prints on their invoices automatically.
Is a PDF emailed to the customer a valid tax invoice?
Yes. The ATO accepts digital tax invoices, including PDFs sent by email, as long as they contain all the required information.
Can I still add a card surcharge?
Not on eftpos, Mastercard or Visa cards. Surcharging on those cards ended on 1 October 2026, so build card costs into your prices instead.
Does WhizInvoice lodge my BAS?
No. WhizInvoice keeps your invoices and the GST on them in order, and on the Business plan its reports show the GST you collected so your accountant or BAS agent can lodge.
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