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Quick Answer

Create your invoice design in Word or Excel. Instead of saving it as a normal document, go to File > Save As, and change the file format dropdown to Word Template (*.dotx) or Excel Template (*.xltx).

How to Create a Template Invoice from Excel or Word ​

Estimated Time to Fix: 15 minutes

Applies to: Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel
Article Type: How-To
Last Updated: 2026-07-21

Summary ​

When you first start a business, paying for accounting software only to send one invoice a month doesn't make sense. You can easily build a professional invoice in Word or Excel. The trick is saving it as an official "Template File" so you don't accidentally overwrite your blank copy with last month's client data.

Prerequisites ​

  • Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel installed on your computer.

Instructions ​

1. Choose Word vs. Excel ​

Decide which program fits your needs best:

  • Choose Excel if your invoices require math. For example, if you bill 14.5 hours at $75/hr and need to add 8% sales tax, Excel will calculate the totals automatically.
  • Choose Word if you bill simple flat fees and want the document to look like a highly styled, beautiful letterhead.

(Tip: Microsoft has hundreds of free, pre-built invoice templates. Open Word or Excel, click File > New, and search for "Invoice" to start with a professional design instead of a blank page).

2. Design the Invoice ​

Whether you start from scratch or use a Microsoft design, ensure your invoice includes:

  1. The word "INVOICE" in large type at the top.
  2. Your business name, logo, and address.
  3. A blank line for the "Invoice Number" (you must track these sequentially, e.g., 1001, 1002).
  4. Blank lines for the Client's Name and Address.
  5. The date of the invoice and the "Due Date".
  6. A table with columns for: Description of work, Quantity/Hours, Rate, and Total.
  7. Clear payment instructions at the bottom (e.g., "Please send ACH transfers to routing number...").

3. Save as an Official Template ​

This is the most important step. If you save it as a normal .docx file, you will eventually open it, fill it out for a client, hit "Save", and ruin your blank copy.

  1. Once your design is perfectly blank and ready to use, click File in the top left corner.
  2. Click Save As.
  3. Choose where you want to save it (e.g., your OneDrive "Templates" folder).
  4. Type a file name (e.g., Acme Corp Blank Invoice).
  5. Click the dropdown menu directly below the file name (where it usually says "Word Document").
  6. Change it to Word Template (*.dotx) or Excel Template (*.xltx).
  7. Click Save.

4. How to use your new template ​

  1. Navigate to the folder where you saved the template. You'll notice the icon looks slightly different (like a pad of paper).
  2. Double-click the file.
  3. Instead of opening the original file, Word/Excel will instantly create a brand new file called "Document1" based on your design.
  4. Fill out the invoice with the client's details.
  5. Go to File > Save As, and change the format to PDF. (Never send a Word or Excel file to a client as an invoice; they can alter the numbers. Always send a locked PDF).

Troubleshooting ​

WARNING

If you ever need to change the underlying template (like updating your logo or changing your hourly rate), double-clicking the template file will not open it for editing. You must open Word first, go to File > Open, and browse to the .dotx file to edit the master copy.

Symptom / ErrorPotential CauseSolution
Double-clicking the file opens the original instead of a copySaved as standard documentYou saved it as a .docx or .xlsx. Open the file, go to File > Save As, and ensure you select the "Template" format.