Pro Forma Invoice
A pro forma invoice is a preview of what a client will owe, sent before the real invoice. It is not yet a bill. Use it to confirm a price before you start.
What it means
A pro forma invoice looks almost the same as a real invoice. It has the same line items and the same total. But it is a heads-up, and it does not ask for payment. Clients sometimes ask for one before they approve a purchase internally. Some ask before they send a deposit on a bigger job. Their accounts team then has a number to sign off first.
The key point: a pro forma invoice creates no obligation, and you do not track it as money owed. Do not number it in the same sequence as your real invoices. Do not record it as revenue. It becomes a real invoice with its own number later. That happens when the client confirms and the work is underway or done.
A commercial client asks for a pro forma invoice for a $2,400 fit-out before their office manager will sign off. You send one marked “Pro Forma. Not a Tax Invoice.” When the client approves, you send the real invoice with a fresh invoice number.
Giving a pro forma invoice a number from your real invoice sequence. Later your sequence looks broken, because a number that was never billed seems to be missing.
See also
Where this shows up
Want this in one place?
BizBinder keeps quotes, jobs, invoices, and follow-ups in one binder.
You are on the list.
A person reads every request. You will hear from us within one business day.
- 01 A person reads your note — not a queue.
- 02 You get an invite as spots open.
- 03 Your admin starts filing itself.
The free library is open while you wait. Nothing in it needs an account.
- guide What to put on an invoice so you actually get paid Seven fields prevent most late payments before you send a reminder.
- tool Free Invoice Generator Fill in your business and client details and add line items. A clean invoice builds as you type. Then download it as a PDF.
- tool Materials up-front check Enter your quote price, your materials and parts cost, and your planned deposit. Add the days between paying your supplier and getting paid. The tool shows your own cash in the job and whether the deposit covers it.