Invoices – as detailed as possible? Or not

As you set about your business, one of the things you must consider are the details you put on invoices when it comes to specifying what you’re charging the customer for. It’s always nice to follow consistency and still be thinking about the client, what they want to see on the invoice and what would benefit them. 

One of the things to consider is the level of details you show the service comprised of. Would you just compose everything on one line saying “stuff” or something more formal or would you split it into sellable commodities you have in your business? Would it make sense to group some items, i.e. if part of your service were also the tools used, maybe they could be grouped?

Another matter is the descriptions. Is it just “rent” or “rent” with an address and period specified? Is it useful for the client to see the period and the premise the rent is charged for? It may be if they’re renting many premises and since you have no way of knowing it, you might as well be considerate of their possible needs.

The only way of knowing the answer to those questions is to imagine yourself as your customer and then imagine your needs. Obviously there may be cases where your client will specifically ask for a new invoice where you split or group things more, but if anything that would just be an exception to the rule. Unless it happens too often to just be an exception.