South Africa
A tax invoice is the document SARS requires before a registered vendor can claim or account for VAT. This page sets out exactly what it has to contain, and gives you a free tool that produces one as a PDF in South African rand with 15% VAT — no account needed.
All seven fields a full tax invoice must carry.
15% VAT calculated and shown separately from the supply value.
South African rand (ZAR) with correct symbol and formatting.
Full invoice and abridged invoice thresholds explained.
Serial-numbered invoices you can archive as VAT records.
PDF export ready to email or print.
A full tax invoice is required where the supply, including VAT, exceeds R5,000. All seven criteria below must be met. This list is taken from SARS's own VAT invoice checklist.
The words “Tax Invoice”, “VAT Invoice” or “Invoice”
Name, address and VAT registration number of the supplier
Name and address of the recipient, plus their VAT registration number where the recipient is a vendor
Serial number and date of issue
Accurate description of the goods or services
Quantity or volume of goods or services supplied
Value of the supply, the amount of VAT charged, and the total consideration
The threshold is the value of the supply including VAT, not your annual turnover.
| Value of the supply (incl. VAT) | Document | Fields required |
|---|---|---|
| More than R5,000 | Full tax invoice | All 7 |
| More than R50, less than R5,000 | Abridged tax invoice | 5 |
| R50 or less | No tax invoice required | — |
The abridged invoice drops only two things: the recipient's details and the quantity or volume column. The supplier's name, address and VAT number are still required.
The standard rate of VAT in South Africa is 15%. The increases to 15.5% and then 16% that were announced in the 2025 Budget were reversed before they took effect, so 15% remains the rate.
You must register for VAT once your taxable supplies exceed R1 million in any 12-month period. Below that, registration is generally voluntary. If you are not registered, you do not charge VAT and you do not quote a VAT number — leave the tax rate at 0% and issue an ordinary invoice.
On the invoice itself, VAT must be visible as its own figure. Showing only a single total, or burying VAT inside your prices without stating the amount, does not meet the requirement.
Involy prints your company name and address block exactly as you type it, including line breaks. Add your VAT registration number on its own line underneath your address — for example VAT No: 4123456789 — and it appears on the PDF under your business details, which is where SARS expects to find it.
There is no separate VAT-number field yet, so the address block is the place for it. If your customer is a registered vendor, add their VAT number under their name in the client details in the same way.
Open the free invoice editor. No account is needed to build and download a PDF.
SARS accepts the words “Tax Invoice”, “VAT Invoice” or “Invoice”. Put your business name, address and VAT registration number in the company block. If you are a registered vendor, add your VAT number on its own line under your address so it prints on the PDF.
Use a serial number that increases and never repeats, plus the date of issue and the payment due date.
Describe each service or product, and give the quantity or volume for goods. Vague descriptions such as “services” do not satisfy the accuracy requirement.
Set the tax rate to 15%. The invoice must show the value of the supply, the VAT charged, and the total consideration separately — not just one grand total.
If your customer is a registered vendor, their VAT registration number is required on a full tax invoice alongside their name and address.
Export and send. Keep a copy — a tax invoice is the record that supports your VAT input and output claims.
For VAT purposes SARS treats them the same, provided the document meets the required criteria. The words “Tax Invoice”, “VAT Invoice” or “Invoice” are all acceptable. The differences that matter are the fields the document must contain, which depend on the value of the supply.
A full tax invoice is required where the supply, including VAT, exceeds R5,000. An abridged tax invoice may be used where the supply is more than R50 but less than R5,000. Above R5,000 all seven criteria apply.
The standard rate is 15%. Increases to 15.5% and then 16% were announced in the 2025 Budget but reversed before taking effect, and the rate remains 15%. Always confirm the current rate with SARS before issuing documents, because rates can change.
A vendor making taxable supplies of more than R1 million per annum must register for VAT. Below that threshold registration is generally voluntary. Once registered you must charge VAT and issue compliant tax invoices.
Yes. If you are not a registered vendor you do not charge VAT and do not quote a VAT number, so leave the tax rate at 0%. The document is then an ordinary invoice. The seven-field checklist only applies to registered vendors issuing tax invoices.
Yes. Every Involy template supports a logo upload and an accent colour, so the document carries your branding as well as the required fields.
Create your first document in seconds. No account needed, no credit card required.
Create a Tax Invoice