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Free South Africa VAT invoice generator

Create a South African tax invoice free, pre-set to ZAR and VAT at 15%, with fields for your VAT registration number and the customer’s VAT number, the words "Tax invoice" in the notes, and per-item control for zero-rated lines. Download a PDF instantly, no signup.

Last updated August 2026 · Maintained by the Invoice My Clients team.

Is this South African invoice generator really free?

Yes. You can build a tax invoice and download a professional PDF without paying or signing up, as many times as you like. The free download carries a small footer mark; a free account removes it and keeps the VAT you charged on record for your VAT201 return.

Capability	Free, no account	Free account
Build invoice with live preview
Unlimited line items & per-item tax
12 currencies, locale formatting
Download PDF	Yes (small footer mark)	Yes (clean, unbranded)
Save & revisit documents
Email the invoice to your client
Get paid online
Recurring invoices & retainers

How to make a South African tax invoice in under a minute

Fill in the form, watch the live preview, and download or save. Here is the full walkthrough.

01Add your business name, address and VAT registration number (the 10-digit number starting with 4 that SARS issued you), then the customer’s name, address and, for a supply over 5,000 ZAR, their VAT number.
02Add each supply as a line item with a description, quantity and price. The subtotal and VAT recalculate live.
03VAT is pre-set to 15%. Untick taxable on zero-rated lines (basic foodstuffs such as brown bread, maize meal and rice, exports, fuel) and on exempt supplies.
04Set a serial invoice number, the date of issue and the due date, upload your logo, and confirm the currency is ZAR.
05Keep "Tax invoice" at the start of the notes, add your banking details and payment terms, then click Download free PDF.

The notes start with "Tax invoice. VAT charged at 15%. Payment due within 30 days of the invoice date." Edit that line if your terms differ. The PDF is a document you give your customer; nothing is filed with or sent to any tax authority, and registering for the tax, charging the right rate and reporting it remain your responsibility.

What must a South African tax invoice include?

Section 20 of the VAT Act sets out what a tax invoice must show, and SARS distinguishes a full tax invoice (supplies over 5,000 ZAR) from an abridged one. Include the following and you satisfy both.

The words "Tax invoice", "VAT invoice" or "Invoice"
Your name, address and VAT registration number
For supplies over 5,000 ZAR, the recipient’s name, address and VAT registration number
A serial number, and the date of issue
An accurate description of the goods or services, and the quantity or volume
The value of the supply, the VAT charged and the total, or a total including VAT with a statement that it includes VAT at the standard rate
Zero-rated items marked as such, with 0% VAT
Amounts in South African rand (a foreign-currency invoice must still show the VAT in rand)
Your banking details and payment terms

Taxes, VAT, GST, and multiple currencies

You can mark each line item taxable or not and set the rate, so a single invoice can mix taxed and untaxed items. This per-item control is something many simple tools cannot do, where one document is limited to one tax rate.

Documents render in 12 currencies with locale-correct formatting: USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD, JPY, INR, PKR, MXN, NZD, ZAR, and SGD. That covers VAT in the EU and UK, GST in India, Australia and Canada, and US sales tax. Need detailed tax handling across your whole workflow? See the tax feature.

Do more with a free account

Invoice My Clients keeps your VAT registration number on every invoice, reports output VAT for each VAT201 period, takes card and bank payments in ZAR, and reminds late payers for you.

Create account & save

Features

Unlimited line items

Add as many items as you need with per-item taxable control.

Your logo, your brand

Upload a logo and it appears on the document and the PDF.

Live totals

Subtotal, discount, and tax recalculate instantly.

12 currencies

Locale-correct formatting for every supported currency.

No signup to download

Build and download a PDF without creating an account.

SARS tax invoice layout

"Tax invoice" wording in the notes, your VAT registration number and the customer’s VAT number as printed lines, and VAT at 15% with zero-rated lines excluded.

Frequently asked questions

What are the SARS tax invoice requirements?

A full tax invoice, required for any supply over 5,000 ZAR, must show the words "Tax invoice", "VAT invoice" or "Invoice"; your name, address and VAT registration number; the recipient’s name, address and VAT registration number; a serial number and date; an accurate description and quantity of what was supplied; and the value, the VAT and the total (or a VAT-inclusive total with a statement that VAT is included at the standard rate). For supplies of 5,000 ZAR or less an abridged tax invoice may omit the recipient’s details and the quantity. For supplies of 50 ZAR or less no tax invoice is needed, but keep a till slip or receipt. A registered customer must hold a valid tax invoice to claim input tax.

What is the VAT rate in South Africa?

The standard rate is 15%, which this tool starts with. (The increase to 15.5% proposed in the 2025 Budget was withdrawn before it took effect.) A list of basic foodstuffs, exports, international transport and fuel are zero-rated, and financial services, residential rent and public transport are exempt; untick taxable on those lines. There are no reduced rates.

Do I have to register for VAT?

Registration is compulsory once the value of your taxable supplies exceeds 1 million ZAR in any 12-month period, or is expected to under a written contract. You may register voluntarily above 50,000 ZAR of taxable supplies in the past 12 months. If you are not registered you must not charge VAT or issue a document headed tax invoice: leave the VAT registration number blank, untick taxable on every line and delete "Tax invoice" from the notes.

Can I issue a tax invoice in a foreign currency?

Only if the amount of VAT is also shown in rand. For an export that is zero-rated there is no VAT to convert, so pick USD, EUR or GBP in this tool and mark the lines non-taxable. For a standard-rated supply to a customer who wants to pay in foreign currency, invoice in ZAR and put the agreed foreign-currency equivalent in the notes.

Is my client data safe?

Yes. Everything you type stays in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored on our servers unless you create an account and save the document yourself. See our privacy policy for details.

What currencies are supported?

USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD, JPY, INR, PKR, MXN, NZD, ZAR, and SGD, each formatted correctly for its locale.

Do I need to install anything?

No. Everything runs in your browser. There is nothing to download or install.

What happens when I create an account?

Your invoice is carried straight into your new Invoice My Clients account. Your invoice arrives ready, PDF generated, so you can send it and get paid online. From there you can edit it, send it, track payment, and get paid online.

Does it remember my business details?

Yes. Your own business details, logo, currency, and payment information are saved on your device (in your browser, never on our servers) so you do not re-enter them next time, and your invoice number auto-increments from the last one you used. Client details, line items, and amounts are never saved. You can clear everything any time with the "Clear saved details" link above the form.

Is there a Spanish version?

Yes. The same invoice generator is available in Spanish, with the document, the labels and the PDF in Spanish, at the "Español" link in the header.

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