Does Shopify Automatically Generate Invoices?

There are a lot of questions new merchants have when starting on Shopify. That’s no surprise, as there’s always a lot to learn when using a platform that’s brand-new to you. Luckily, Shopify is very intuitive and has a lot of handy built-in features.

One common question newcomers have, “Does Shopify automatically generate invoices?”

Shopify does not have a built-in way for you to generate invoices for your business. Although Shopify does not automatically generate invoices there are a lot of ways that you can create invoices with Shopify. To do so, you’ll either need to use their free invoice generator or a third-party app.

If you want to learn more about invoice generation through Shopify, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we’ll dive into everything related to generating invoices for your store.

Shopify’s Free Invoice Generator

The folks at Shopify have provided a free invoicing tool that any store can use. To get started, you’ll need to fill out an invoice template with your company information.

The invoice generator is 100% free, and you can use it at any time and as many times as you want.

A downside is that it’s strictly for invoices only and won’t help you with billing. If you want more robust features for invoicing and billing, we recommend using an app. Yet, if you simply need a way to invoice your customers, the free tool is a great way to do so.

No matter what, you will need a way to generate invoices for your customers. Invoices not only look professional, but they provide a way to itemize every order. Keeping track of your invoices is a necessity for staying organized. You’ll also need them in case of an audit.

Here’s a breakdown of the information you need to use the free generator:

Company name, address, and email

Customer name, email, and address

A unique invoice number and date

Your company logo (optional for branded invoicing)

An itemized list of the products you wish to bill

Any notes

From there, the built-in calculator will determine your total, tax, and subtotal. Once you hit the submit button, you’ll be able to download your invoice for free. That way, you can easily share/email it to your customer.

You have the option to add your logo to your invoices. Doing so will help you build your brand. Your customers will appreciate a clear invoice with your branded image, so there’s no mistaking it’s from you. Branded invoices are a great way to build recognition for your logo.

Shopify’s free invoices have all the necessary information required for general tax purposes. However, before you use them as official documentation, consult with your tax professional. That way, they can verify that the amounts are correct for your state.

Downsides of the Free Invoice Generator

So if you have simple needs for invoicing your customers, using the free generator is a great idea. Yet, if you have more complex requirements for your invoices, it can be too cumbersome to use. Other drawbacks include:

Lack of automation. If you have a medium to a large-sized e-commerce store, then you’ll need to be able to generate lots of invoices. That’s where the free generator starts to show its weakness. Filling out each invoice by hand using the free tool can be very cumbersome. If you have thousands of customer orders each day, then it’s impossible. You’ll need to use an application that has automated workflows.

Lack of compliance. As we stated before, you need to consult with your tax professional about the free invoices. The free tool only uses general tax information. Your state or country may have stringent tax requirements that the free generator doesn’t know about at all.

Only strictly invoices. You can only use the free tool to generate invoices. It won’t help you out with the billing side of things.

Using Sufio for Your Invoices

If you want to create beautiful, compliant, branded invoices on the fly, then you need Sufio. It’s an invoicing app that you can download on the Shopify App Store. It’s the ultimate tool for generating invoices as well as processing payments. You can automate your invoices to generate them whenever there’s an order.

One of its best features is its worldwide compliance. Sufio ensures that a team of certified accountants validates its invoices. That means your invoices will always meet global regulations for B2B and B2C sales. You’ll never have to worry about compliance when using Sufio.

You’ll also get to use professional invoice templates that are easily customizable. You can add your logo, branded images, and more. That way, you can stand out and impress your customers.

Whenever someone orders a product in your store, Sufio will generate an invoice. That will save you from having to fill out each invoice as orders come in painstakingly. Sufio will also automatically handle payments and fulfillments without you having to do anything.

Other core features of Sufio include:

Multi-currency capabilities. Did a customer pay with a different type of currency than you use? That’s no problem for Sufio. You can create and send invoices in their currency for your customer’s convenience. Doing so is straightforward, thanks to Sufio’s intuitive design.

Bulk invoicing. You can print/download thousands of invoices at once with Sufio. You can also share them with your team at the click of a button.

30 different languages. With Sufio, you can easily invoice customers from other countries. In a few clicks, you can translate your invoices into 30 different languages from around the world.

Excellent support. The team at Sufio is there to support you at all times. They can help you via live chat and email to answer all your tax, setup, and invoicing questions.

To get started using this excellent application, visit Sufio at this link.

Try Shopify for free.

If you are interested in Shopify and want to try it out, Shopify is offering a 14-day free trial here. The free trial is great because you get to see how Shopify works before committing to one of their monthly programs. If you decide to start the free trial, you can pick up right where you left off when you switch to the monthly plan. If you’re looking to grow or start your online business, this is an excellent opportunity to try Shopify.