Free Invoice Generator New Zealand [GST 2026]

If you are searching for a New Zealand tax invoice template, there is something worth knowing first: New Zealand does not formally require a "tax invoice" any more.

Since new rules took effect on 1 April 2023, what you must keep and supply is called taxable supply information. Most templates you will find still use the old language.

Before you panic about the invoices you have already sent: Inland Revenue is explicit that existing practice still works. Businesses can carry on using documents labelled "tax invoice", and an invoicing process that complied with the old rules automatically complies with the new ones. Nothing you issued became invalid.

What changed is the framing. It is no longer about producing one particular document. It is about holding a minimum set of records — and what that minimum is depends on the size of the supply.

Our free invoice generator carries every field you need for all three tiers.

What you must show, by the value of the supply

This is the part that is genuinely different from the UK's single list, and Inland Revenue sets it out in three bands.

Supplies of $200 or less need only:

your name or trade name
the date of the invoice, or the time of supply
a description of the goods or services
the consideration — what was charged

Notably, your GST number is not required at this level.

Supplies over $200 and up to $1,000 add:

your GST number
either the GST-exclusive amount, the GST amount and the GST-inclusive amount shown separately, or the GST-inclusive amount with a statement that it includes GST

Supplies over $1,000 add, on top of all of the above:

the GST-registered buyer's name, and
an identifier for them — which can be an address, phone number, email address, trading name, New Zealand Business Number, or website URL

That last item is more flexible than people expect. You do not need a physical address if you have their NZBN or even their website.

The practical version: put everything on everything

Three tiers means three chances to fall short of the one you happen to land in, and an invoice that seemed small can grow when a second line is added.

Include the full set every time. It costs nothing, it removes the need to check which band you are in, and it means no document you issue is ever incomplete. Our generator carries all of it — your GST number, the buyer's details, and GST shown as its own total separate from the subtotal.

The tiers are worth understanding anyway, for one reason: if you receive an invoice from a supplier that is missing their GST number on a $150 job, they have not done anything wrong.

You have 28 days

For supplies over $200, taxable supply information must be provided to a GST-registered buyer within 28 days of a request — or by another date the two of you agree.

Two things follow.

The obligation is triggered by a request. You are not required to spontaneously issue the full record for every small supply; you are required to be able to produce it when asked.

And 28 days is not very long if your records are a folder of PDFs you have not looked at since. If a client asks in March for information about a job in November, the clock is running. Keeping a clean, numbered set as you go is what makes that a five-minute job rather than a weekend.

GST is 15%, and only if you are registered

New Zealand's GST rate is 15%.

Whether you must register depends on your annual turnover crossing a threshold that Inland Revenue publishes. We are not going to quote that number — we could not verify it from the source directly, and a stale registration threshold is exactly the kind of figure that costs a reader money. Check it with IRD.

What matters either way: if you are not registered, do not charge GST. It is not a paperwork slip. You would be collecting money you have no mechanism to remit, and a registered client would be claiming a credit against a GST number that does not exist. Their accountant will find it before you do.

Buyer-created information exists here too

Inland Revenue has a category for buyer-created taxable supply information — arrangements where the customer, not the supplier, produces the record.

It is real, it is used in particular trades, and it is not something you can simply decide to do between yourselves. The conditions are IRD's, and we have not read them, so we are not going to summarise them for you. If a client tells you not to invoice because they will generate the record instead, that is worth checking on the IRD page for it before you agree.

The practical risk is the same one that applies in Australia: your income now depends on a document you do not control. Keep your own record of what was supplied and when, and reconcile theirs against it.

Getting the invoice paid, which is a separate job

Compliance and collection are different problems, and the second is where the money is.

Send it to accounts payable, not only to your contact. The person who briefed you does not pay you. An invoice sitting unforwarded in their inbox is invisible to everyone whose job it is to pay it.

Quote the purchase order. Where a client uses POs, a missing or mismatched reference stops the payment run rather than starting a conversation.

Describe the work so an approver recognises it. Whoever signs it off was probably not in the meeting. "Consulting" matches nothing in a budget; "Website copy, brief of 4 March" matches a line somebody already approved.

Put the terms on the document, and agree them first. An invoice that mentions payment terms for the first time is announcing them, not agreeing them.

Then chase on a schedule. A short note a few days after the due date, a second a week later addressed higher up. Freelancers who chase erratically get paid erratically.

What the generator does

Line items with quantity, rate and a per-line GST percentage
GST shown as its own total, separate from the subtotal
A tax registration number field for your GST number
Buyer name and contact details, for supplies over $1,000
A separate date-of-supply field, distinct from the invoice date
New Zealand dollars, or any other currency
A no-watermark PDF, with no account needed to produce one

Open the invoice generator

What it does not do

It does not decide whether you must register for GST, whether a supply is standard-rated, zero-rated or exempt, or which tier a given supply falls into. Those depend on your turnover and on what you actually sell.

It does not file a GST return, track which invoices have been paid, or store anything between visits. It produces one document, correctly, and then it forgets you.

The imported-goods and secondhand-goods rules have their own separate requirements at IRD, and are not covered here.

Check the current rules, rates and thresholds with Inland Revenue or a New Zealand accountant. This page describes the general requirements as published; it is not tax advice, and rules and thresholds change.

How does this affect YOUR Money OS?

An invoice that is complete first time and chased on a schedule is the whole difference between revenue and receivables — the same work, paid in weeks instead of quarters.

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FAQ

Does New Zealand still require a tax invoice? Not in those terms. Since 1 April 2023 the requirement is to hold and supply "taxable supply information". Inland Revenue is explicit that existing practices still comply, so a document labelled "tax invoice" is still fine.

What must a New Zealand invoice include? It depends on the value. Supplies of $200 or less need your name, the date, a description and the amount. Over $200 adds your GST number and the GST breakdown. Over $1,000 adds the buyer's name and an identifier such as an address, email, NZBN or website.

Do I need my GST number on every invoice? Not on supplies of $200 or less. It is required above that. The simplest approach is to put it on everything, which costs nothing and removes the need to check.

How long do I have to provide taxable supply information? Within 28 days of a request, for supplies over $200 — or by another date you and the buyer agree. The obligation is triggered by the request, not automatically.

What is the GST rate in New Zealand? 15%.

Can I charge GST if I am not registered? No. You would be collecting money you cannot remit, and a registered client would be claiming a credit against a GST number that does not exist. Whether you must register depends on a turnover threshold IRD publishes.

What is buyer-created taxable supply information? An arrangement where the customer produces the record instead of the supplier. It is real and it is not simply a private agreement — the conditions are set by IRD, so check their page before agreeing to it.

Is this invoice generator really free? Yes. No watermark, no account, and no limit on how many you produce.