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How to fill in the header of an invoice?

Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2025 7:25 am
by sakib60
In France, all companies are required to issue an invoice for each sale and/or service provided. An invoice is a legal document that includes many mandatory details , some of which appear in the header . But what are these details and how do you fill out the header of an invoice? In this article, we explain everything in detail and provide you with several invoice chinese overseas europe data templates with and without VAT to make your task easier!

How to fill in the header of an invoice?
To all self-employed workers!
With the all-in-one accounting software Indy , you can create and customize all your invoices! You also benefit from the pre-filling of certain mandatory information… enough to create headers without errors!
I create my invoices on Indy

📝 In summary:

The header of an invoice is the section located at the top of the document;
It contains several mandatory information , namely: the invoice number and date, the purchase order number, the date of the service and/or sale, information on the sender and the recipient, the VAT identification number and finally the logo;
An invoice includes other details such as the designation and breakdown of the products delivered and/or services rendered, the applicable VAT rate or the total amount to be paid;
To create your invoices, you can opt for an all-in-one accounting software like Indy .
Zoom in on the header of an invoiceDefinition
The header of an invoice is the section at the top of the document . It contains many elements including:

The invoice number;
The date of issue of the document;
The contact details of the sender and recipient;
Etc.
What is it made of?
The header of an invoice contains several mandatory information that it is important not to omit. Any omission or error may result in a penalty!

⚖️ The tax authorities provide for a fine of €15 per missing or incorrect entry , up to a quarter of the total amount of the invoice.

Here below is the complete list of information to include in the header of an invoice:

The invoice number
The header of an invoice must contain a unique number . It is assigned according to a chronological and continuous sequence , without interruption or "gap" since no invoice can be deleted. It is also possible to opt for separate numbering series (with a prefix per year for example) if this is justified by the operating conditions.

🔢 Example of invoice numbering:

Monthly numbering: 2025-01-001, 2025-01-002…;

Annual numbering: 2025-001, 2025-002…;

Numbering taking into account the city: PARIS-001, LYON-001…

The purchase order number
The purchase order number represents a unique identification number assigned to both the purchase order and the invoice of the seller and/or service provider. The purchase order number is mandatory if the buyer has previously established one.

The date of issue of the invoice
The invoice date is simply the date the invoice was sent .

The date of the provision of services or sale
This date corresponds to the exact date on which the delivery of the goods is made or the provision of services is finalized .