Is an invoice a legal document?
How to make an invoice legally binding
When completing business transactions and dealing with invoices, there may be confusion on the exact definition of an invoice and whether or not invoices count as a legal contract.
Simply, an invoice or sales invoice is not a legal contract. This article will explore the differences between the two types of documents.
What Defines an Invoice?
Invoice definition: An invoice is a professional document that requests payment from your customers in exchange for your products or services with stated payment terms. As we move more electronically for the sale of goods or services, you will see the term e-invoicing for a business transaction.
An invoice includes a detailed description of products/services, the invoice number, the business name, the customer’s purchase order number and specifications, payment terms, due date, and the business’s relevant information, such as contact information, address, email address, and phone number. Invoice numbers should only be used once.
Learn more about what an invoice contains with our article what makes a good invoice, which many times starts with good purchase orders for your product or service.
An invoice is also the basis of invoice factoring, a simple process that involves selling your invoices to a factoring company like Bankers Factoring for an immediate cash advance on your invoices. The benefits of selling your invoices can be found later in this article.
Are There Different Types of Invoices?
Yes, there are both credit invoices and debit invoices. A credit invoice and a debit invoice serve different purposes in accounting:
Credit Invoice: This is issued to reduce a customer’s owed amount. It’s often used to correct errors, provide refunds, or apply discounts. It acts as a “negative” invoice, decreasing the total amount due.
Debit Invoice: This is used when the customer owes an amount that needs to be increased. It might be issued if additional charges were not included in the original invoice or if there was an undercharge
Pro Forma Invoice: A pro forma invoice is a preliminary bill of sale sent to buyers before a shipment or delivery of goods. It outlines the transaction details, including the description of the items, prices, and other important information such as shipping weight and transport charges. Unlike a regular invoice, it does not demand payment but serves as a commitment from the seller to provide the specified goods at the agreed-upon terms.
It’s often used for customs purposes, to estimate the costs involved, and to ensure that both parties are clear on the terms of the sale before the final transaction.
What Defines a Contract?
A contract is a legally binding agreement that outlines working agreements between a service provider and a customer. A contract is intended to protect both the provider and the client and ensure that both parties know the expectations and what is to be delivered.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) states that two main conditions must be met for a contract to be legally considered valid. These legal requirement elements are:
- All parties must agree to an offer made by one party and accepted by the other party involved.
- Something of value must be exchanged for something else of value. This can include cash, goods, or services.
Also, read our comprehensive guide to factoring invoices.
Why is an Invoice Not a Legal Contract?
An invoice is not a contract because it shows no legal agreement between the parties involved. A contract is a legal agreement between two parties, while an invoice is a payment request for completed services. Fraudulent or teaser invoices are often mailed, hoping the recipient will pay.
A good invoice should reference the purchase order, vendor agreement, or contract on which its terms and conditions are based. An invoice by itself is not a legal document. Only in combination with other documents, like legally binding contracts, can an invoice have legal force and become a legally binding document.
An invoice primarily deals with the terms of payment for the goods or services delivered, while a contract primarily deals with the full scope of a legal agreement between two parties regarding a good or service to be completed.
Large companies and government entities will tell you their requirements and dictate whether you agree to the terms or not reflected in your business invoices. In the old days, customers would sign your invoice or use the store stamp. Those days are long gone with electronic billing and reverse invoicing. Read our government contracting guide for information on doing business with the United States Federal government.
Understand what an invoice factoring company is and how it can help you as a business owner with your B2B invoices.
How Does Selling Invoices Benefit Cash Flow?
Are you stuck waiting for cash on invoices with 30- 90-day payment terms? By selling your invoices through invoice factoring, you can turn this problem around, creating immediate, safe, and reliable working capital.
Once you have delivered your company’s products or services to your customer, you can now sell your fulfilled invoice to us. We will then provide you with an immediate cash advance of up to 80-93%, with the remarkably short turnaround of same-day funding after approval. We will now collect the payment from your customer ourselves, and once the payment is collected, we will issue you the rest of the reserves, minus a small factoring fee.
Learn more about how factoring works.
Invoice Verification with Invoice Factoring
When using invoice factoring to sell your invoices, the factoring company will only deal with invoices for which the good or service has already satisfied the customer. This will be verified during the invoice factoring approval process with the invoice factoring verification process.
Learn what your CPA needs to know about invoice factoring.
By offering your honest service to customers, you can gain access to unlimited working capital and credit protection. Our invoice verification process ensures that we only accept legitimate invoices, enabling us to factor invoices fulfilled by your customers.
Got more questions? Get them answered with our invoice factoring FAQ.
What If My Customers Fail to Pay Their Invoice?
When your business creates an invoice, it is crucial to ensure payment. Customers’ non-payment can be damaging, causing a loss of cash flow and bad debt.
If a federal government entity doesn’t pay you, you probably did not meet all the purchase order terms.
Thankfully, when you factor your invoices with Bankers Factoring, we offer you something not many factoring companies do non-recourse factoring.
Non-Recourse Invoice Factoring
Non-recourse factoring means if your client can’t pay their invoice due to bankruptcy, insolvency, or slow payment, Bankers Factoring will cover this risk, protecting you from bad debt and preserving your credit score.
Learn more about why choose Bankers Factoring to meet your working capital needs.
With the bad debt protection that non-recourse factoring provides, you will no longer need to worry if your customer will fail to pay. Leave the headache and stress of the potential for non-payment behind and feel true security in your invoices.
Delve deeper into non-recourse factoring.
Invoices vs Legal Contracts
Understanding the difference between invoices and legal contracts will equip you with more information and enhance your ability to manage your company’s financial health.
Don’t hesitate to sell your invoices to Bankers Factoring today, allowing your company’s financial health to blossom even further. With Bankers Factoring, you bridge cash flow gaps, access working capital instantly, protect your company from bad debt, and get financial assistance from an experienced factoring company.