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QuickBooks invoice templates allow you to create professional, branded invoices that match your business identity. Whether you use QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Desktop, customizing your invoice template ensures your invoices include the right information, display your logo, and look polished when clients receive them. A well-designed invoice template also reduces payment delays by making the amount due and payment terms immediately clear.
QuickBooks provides several built-in template styles that you can modify with your company logo, brand colors, custom fields, and payment terms. You can create multiple templates for different purposes — one for standard invoices, another for estimates, and a third for recurring billing. Each template can have its own layout and set of visible fields.
This guide covers the complete process of creating and customizing invoice templates in both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop, including adding custom fields, setting default payment terms, and troubleshooting common formatting issues.
In QuickBooks Online: go to Settings (gear icon) > Custom Form Styles > New Style > Invoice. Choose a template, add your logo, adjust colors, and click Done. Your new template will be available the next time you create an invoice.
Method 1: Create a Custom Invoice Template in QuickBooks Online
QuickBooks Online offers a visual template editor that lets you customize your invoice layout without any coding knowledge.
Access Custom Form Styles
Click the Settings gear icon in the top right corner of QuickBooks Online. Under the Your Company column, select Custom Form Styles. Click the New style button and select Invoice from the dropdown. You can also duplicate an existing template by clicking the dropdown arrow next to it and selecting Duplicate.
Design the Header
In the Design tab, choose one of the pre-built layout options (Modern, Classic, or Airy). Upload your company logo by clicking the logo placeholder — recommended size is 500x500 pixels in PNG or JPG format. Select your brand color using the color picker or enter a hex code. Choose a font style that matches your brand identity.
Configure Content Fields
Switch to the Content tab. Here you control which fields appear on the invoice. The header section lets you toggle company address, phone number, email, and website visibility. The table section controls which columns appear in the line items area — you can add or remove Description, Quantity, Rate, Amount, SKU, and custom fields. The footer section handles notes, payment terms, and attachments.
Add Custom Fields
To add custom fields (like Purchase Order number, Project name, or Sales Rep), click Manage custom fields in the Content tab. Create up to three custom fields in QuickBooks Online Essentials and Plus, or up to 12 in Advanced. Mark fields as visible on invoices and optionally make them required.
Preview and Save
Click Preview PDF at any point to see how the invoice will look when sent to clients. Check that your logo is not cropped, the text is readable, and the layout is balanced. When satisfied, click Done. Name your template something descriptive like "Standard Invoice" or "Consulting Invoice."
Tip: Create a separate template for each type of service you offer. For example, a "Consulting Invoice" template might show hourly rates and project descriptions, while a "Product Invoice" template displays SKUs, quantities, and shipping information.
Method 2: Customize Invoice Templates in QuickBooks Desktop
QuickBooks Desktop provides more granular control over invoice template design through its built-in template editor.
Open the Templates List
Go to Lists > Templates from the top menu bar. You will see all existing templates listed. To create a new invoice template, click Templates > New at the bottom of the list, or right-click an existing template and select Duplicate to use it as a starting point. Select Invoice as the template type.
Customize Basic Information
Click Manage Templates. In the template editor, start with the Basic Customization window. Here you can add your company logo (click Select Logo), change the color scheme, choose fonts, and modify the template title (e.g., change "Invoice" to "Tax Invoice" or "Service Invoice"). You can also update your company name and contact information display.
Use Additional Customization
Click Additional Customization for detailed control. The Header tab lets you show or hide fields like P.O. Number, Terms, Due Date, and Ship To address. The Columns tab controls which line item columns appear. The Footer tab manages the display of subtotal, discounts, tax, total, and payment stub. Check or uncheck each field's Screen and Print checkboxes independently.
Adjust the Layout
Click Layout Designer in the Additional Customization window. This opens a drag-and-drop editor where you can reposition every element on the invoice. Move your logo, resize text blocks, adjust column widths, and set margins. Use the alignment guides to keep elements properly positioned. Click OK to save the layout.
Method 3: Set Up Recurring Invoice Templates
If you bill clients on a regular schedule, recurring invoices save time by automatically generating invoices at set intervals.
Create a Recurring Invoice in QuickBooks Online
Go to Settings > Recurring Transactions > New. Select Invoice as the transaction type. Choose the type: Scheduled (auto-sends on a set date), Reminder (notifies you to review before sending), or Unscheduled (saves as a template to use manually).
Fill In Invoice Details
Enter the customer name, invoice items, amounts, and tax settings. Set the interval (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly) and the start date. Choose an end date or select None for ongoing recurring invoices. The invoice template you created in Method 1 will be used for the appearance.
Configure Email Settings
If using the Scheduled type, check Automatically send emails. Customize the email subject and message body. You can include merge fields like customer name and invoice number. Set the number of days before the due date to send the invoice.
Warning: When duplicating an existing template, always rename the copy immediately. Having multiple templates with similar names (like "Custom Invoice" and "Custom Invoice - Copy") causes confusion and may lead to sending invoices with the wrong branding or layout.
Why Does This Problem Happen?
Users encounter several common issues when working with QuickBooks invoice templates:
- Logo appears blurry or cropped: QuickBooks resizes logos to fit the template header. Upload a high-resolution image (at least 500x500 pixels) in PNG format for best quality. Square or landscape-oriented logos work better than tall vertical logos.
- Custom fields not showing on printed invoices: In QuickBooks Desktop, each field has separate Screen and Print visibility checkboxes. A field can be visible on screen but hidden when printing. Check the Print column in Additional Customization.
- Template changes not applying: QuickBooks caches template data. After making changes, close and reopen the invoice to see updates. In QuickBooks Online, clear your browser cache if changes do not appear.
- PDF export looks different from the preview: Some fonts and spacing render differently in PDF format. Always check the PDF preview before finalizing your template design.
- Multiple users overwriting templates: In multi-user environments, template changes are global. One user modifying a template affects all users. Create separate templates for different departments or purposes instead of modifying shared ones.
Frequently Asked Questions
QuickBooks Online allows unlimited custom form styles. QuickBooks Desktop allows up to 14 templates per template type (invoices, estimates, sales receipts, etc.). If you reach the limit in Desktop, delete unused templates or export them as backup before removing.
Yes, if you have QuickBooks Payments enabled. Go to Settings > Account and Settings > Payments and connect your QuickBooks Payments account. Once connected, invoices automatically include a "Pay Now" button that lets clients pay by credit card or bank transfer directly from the invoice email.
In QuickBooks Online, go to Settings > Account and Settings > Sales > Sales form content. Set the default Terms (Net 15, Net 30, Due on receipt, etc.). This default will apply to all new invoices. You can override it on individual invoices when needed.
In QuickBooks Desktop, you can export a template from one company file and import it into another. Go to Lists > Templates, select the template, click Templates > Export. Save the .DES file, then in the other company file, go to Templates > Import and select the saved file. QuickBooks Online does not support template import/export between accounts.
In QuickBooks Online, go to Settings > Account and Settings > Sales and enable the Discount field. When creating an invoice, a Discount field will appear below the subtotal where you can enter a percentage or flat amount. In QuickBooks Desktop, add a discount item through the Items list and include it as a line item on the invoice.
QuickBooks maintains the aspect ratio when resizing logos, but some template layouts have fixed logo dimensions. To avoid stretching, use a square or landscape-oriented logo. In QuickBooks Desktop, use the Layout Designer to manually resize the logo area to match your image's proportions.
QuickBooks does not natively support bilingual templates. As a workaround, create two separate templates — one in each language — and select the appropriate one when creating an invoice. Some users add a second language in the notes or footer section of the invoice template.
In QuickBooks Online, go to Settings > Account and Settings > Sales > Sales form content and enable Custom transaction numbers. You can then manually set the next invoice number. In QuickBooks Desktop, open an invoice and change the number in the Invoice # field — subsequent invoices will increment from that number.
Yes. After creating an invoice, click Save and Send to email it directly to the client. QuickBooks sends the invoice as a PDF attachment with a payment link (if QuickBooks Payments is enabled). You can customize the email subject and body text in Settings > Account and Settings > Sales > Messages.
Add your bank details to the invoice footer. In QuickBooks Online, edit your template in Custom Form Styles, go to the Content tab, and add your bank information in the footer message field. In QuickBooks Desktop, go to Additional Customization > Footer tab and add a footer text field with your bank name, account number, routing number, and SWIFT code.