Invoice drafting with ZeroTwo
A professional invoice generator that shows its arithmetic
Give ZeroTwo the client, the scope, the hours and rates, and the due date. It drafts the line items, the cover note and the reminder wording. You supply the tax treatment, and the checks below make sure the total is right before anything is sent.
Free plan available, no card required. Published by ZeroTwo; not tax, legal or accounting advice.
Invoice
INV-0042
From
Studio North LLC
Tax ID on file
Bill to
Acme Beverages, Inc.
Accounts payable
Issued2 Mar
Due16 Mar
TermsNet-14
| Description | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand identity: design | 12 | $125.00 | $1,500.00 |
| Brand identity: revisions | 4 | $95.00 | $380.00 |
| Style guide PDF | 1 | $425.00 | $425.00 |
| Subtotal | $2,305.00 | ||
| Tax (example rate 8.25%) | $190.16 | ||
| Total due (USD) | $2,495.16 | ||
Eight fields every invoice draft should have
An invoice is also a financial record. For tax records, the IRS says you generally keep records supporting income until the period of limitations for the return runs out, 3 years in the common case and longer in some situations. Your country may differ.
Invoice number
Unique, and sequential where your tax regime or accounting tool expects it. Pick a format once and keep it.
Issue date and due date
State terms in days (Net-14, Net-30) and compute the due date from the issue date rather than by eye.
Your business details
Legal or trading name, address and a tax ID if you are registered. Required fields vary by country.
Client legal name and address
Match the name on their purchase order or accounts-payable record, not their brand name.
Itemised lines
Description, quantity, unit, rate and line total. One billable thing per line.
Subtotal, tax, total
Show every step. Tax sits on its own line with the rate and what it applies to.
Payment instructions
The method, the account or pay link, and the reference the client should quote.
Late-fee or terms note
Optional, and only if your contract says so. Legal limits on late fees vary by jurisdiction.
The sample total, line by line
The invoice at the top of the page is built from three lines and one example tax rate. The headline total, the invoice table and this working are computed from the same figures, so they cannot disagree. The 8.25% rate is a placeholder: whether a service is taxable, and at what rate, depends on where you and your client are, so you decide it and tell the model.
| Step | Working | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Line 1 | 12 hours × $125.00 | $1,500.00 |
| Line 2 | 4 hours × $95.00 | $380.00 |
| Line 3 | 1 item × $425.00 | $425.00 |
| Subtotal | $1,500.00 + $380.00 + $425.00 | $2,305.00 |
| Tax | $2,305.00 × 8.25% = $190.1625, rounded to the nearest cent | $190.16 |
| Total due | $2,305.00 + $190.16 | $2,495.16 |
- Total due on the sample, computed once
- $2,495.16
Rounding rule
Here, tax is worked out on the subtotal and rounded to the nearest cent, half up. Some regimes round per line or expect a different method. Use yours and say so in the prompt.
Four prompts that keep the numbers in your hands
Replace the braces with your own details. Each prompt either supplies every number or asks for an independent recalculation, so the draft never relies on the model deciding a figure. To compare drafts, rerun the same brief on another model from the model list and keep the one whose wording and arithmetic hold up in chat.
Brief to draft
Draft an invoice from {my business} to {client}. Lines: 12 hours of design at $125, 4 hours of revisions at $95, one style guide PDF at $425. Tax: 8.25% on the subtotal, rounded to the nearest cent (my accountant confirmed it applies). Terms: Net-14 from {issue date}. Show each line total, the subtotal, the tax and the total as a table, with the arithmetic written out. If anything is ambiguous, ask me instead of assuming.
You provide every number and the tax treatment, so the model has nothing to invent.
Check an existing draft
Recompute this invoice from the quantities and rates only: line totals, subtotal, tax at {rate} rounded to the cent, and total. Report every figure that differs from the draft and by how much.
A second, independent pass catches a headline total that disagrees with its own table.
Line-item compression
Here are my time-tracking notes for {month}. Group them into 4 to 6 client-facing invoice lines with a description, quantity and rate. Do not change any hours or rates. List anything that looks non-billable separately.
Wording changes, numbers do not.
Reminder wording
Write a 90-word reminder for invoice {number} ({amount}, due {date}). Friendly, assumes an oversight, repeats the payment details and offers to fix anything blocking payment. No threats, and no late fee unless my contract includes one.
Reminders are a separate draft from the invoice, so they can be reviewed on their own.
Reminders are a separate draft
Write them after the invoice is approved, and review each one before it goes out. This is a cadence to adapt to your contract, not a rule.
Once an invoice is seriously overdue, the work changes from wording to process. If that is where you are, read how to follow up on an overdue invoice.
With the invoice
A short cover note: what the work was, the total, the due date and how to pay.
A few days past due
A friendly nudge that assumes an oversight and repeats the payment details.
About two weeks past due
Firmer, referencing the agreed terms and offering a call if something is blocking payment.
Still unpaid after that
A different job: escalation, a late-fee notice if the contract allows one, or a collections process.
Template to adapt, with placeholders
Hi {client}, a quick note that invoice {number} for {amount}, due {date}, is still open on our side. If it has already been paid, please ignore this. If something is blocking it, such as a purchase order number or remittance details, tell me and I will sort it today. You can pay by {method}.
Verify before you send
Seven checks, in order. If any row hits its stop condition, fix the draft and run the checks again. A draft is not an invoice until you have done them.
| Check | How | Stop if |
|---|---|---|
| Line totals | Multiply quantity by rate for every line in a calculator or spreadsheet. | Any line differs, even by one cent. |
| Subtotal | Add the line totals yourself. | It differs from the draft. |
| Tax | Apply the rate to the taxable amount and round the way your regime requires. Confirm the service is taxable at all. | The rate or its applicability is not confirmed. |
| Headline against table | Compare the amount at the top with the final row. | Two different totals appear. |
| Dates | Add the terms in days to the issue date. | The due date does not match the terms. |
| Client details | Compare name and address with their purchase order. | They do not match. |
| Currency | Look for one currency symbol or code throughout. | Currencies are mixed. |
Who does which job
Our view: use an AI workspace for the writing and the second check, and keep the system of record and the tax opinion where they already live.
Use ZeroTwo for
The first draft
Line-item wording, the cover note, reminder tone, and rerunning the same brief on another model to compare drafts.
Keep in your accounting tool
The record
Numbering, payment status and tax reports belong in whatever holds your books. Tools such as Wave, FreshBooks and QuickBooks are built for that; check each vendor's current pricing and features.
Small business automationAsk an accountant about
The tax treatment
Whether a service is taxable, cross-border VAT, and reverse-charge wording depend on where you and your client are. A model can format these; it cannot give a tax opinion.
AI for accountants
What drafting invoices costs
Start on Free to try one draft. Paid plans add a monthly credit pool and Auto-request allowance instead of unlimited generation. Prices below come from our pricing catalog; the pricing page has the full comparison.
Free
$0/mo
- 100 free credits to start
- 1 file upload per message
- No card required
Plus
$14.99/mo
- 1,650 monthly credits
- 1,000 free Auto requests / month
- +20 bonus credits every day you log in
Pro
$29.99/mo
$26.99/mo billed annually
- 3,500 monthly credits
- 2,500 free Auto requests / month
- +30 bonus credits every day you log in
Questions about invoice drafting
What is a professional invoice generator?
A tool that turns a short brief (client, scope, hours, rates, due date) into a formatted invoice. An AI-based one such as ZeroTwo also drafts the cover note and the reminder wording. What it should not do is decide your tax treatment or be the only check on the arithmetic, which is why this page shows the working for its sample total.
Is it free to use?
ZeroTwo has a Free plan that needs no card and includes 100 free credits to start with limited model selection, enough to try an invoice draft. Paid plans start at Plus, $14.99 per month, and Pro is $29.99 per month ($26.99 per month billed annually). Paid plans come with a monthly credit pool and Auto-request allowance rather than unlimited generation; the pricing page has the current numbers.
What does a professional invoice need?
At minimum: an invoice number, issue and due dates, your business details, the client's legal name and billing address, itemised lines with quantity and rate, subtotal, tax and total, and payment instructions. Exact requirements vary by country. For record keeping, the IRS says you generally keep records supporting income on a return until the period of limitations runs out, which is 3 years in the common case and longer in some situations (IRS guidance, read 5 October 2026).
Should I let the model calculate the tax?
Give it the rate and the taxable amount, ask it to write the arithmetic out, and then recompute the figures yourself or ask for an independent recalculation. Whether a service is taxable at all, and at what rate, is a decision for you or your accountant, not something to leave to the model.
Can I invoice in other currencies or tax regimes?
You can tell the model the currency and the treatment you have been advised to use and ask it to list its assumptions. Treat the output as formatting help. For cross-border B2B work, such as VAT or reverse charge, confirm the treatment and any required statutory wording with an accountant before sending.
How should I handle a client who pays late?
Send a friendly first reminder soon after the due date, a firmer one that cites the agreed terms later, and then move to a separate escalation process. A late fee only makes sense if your contract says so, and legal limits vary by jurisdiction. ZeroTwo can draft each reminder in your voice; you decide what to send.
Can ZeroTwo send invoices or track payments?
This page is about drafting. Copy the draft into the invoice template or accounting tool that issues your numbered invoices, and keep payment status and tax reports in the tool that holds your books.
How is this different from Wave, FreshBooks or QuickBooks?
Those are accounting and invoicing products built to issue invoices, track payment and keep books; check each vendor's site for current pricing and features. ZeroTwo is a general multi-model AI workspace, so it helps with the writing and checking around an invoice rather than replacing the system that records it. Many people draft here and issue from their accounting tool.
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