Create Professional Invoice Templates in Google Docs (Step-by-Step)

Running a business means sending invoices—lots of them. Whether you're a freelancer billing clients or a small business tracking payments, manually creating each invoice is a time sink that adds up fast.

The solution? A reusable Google Docs invoice template with dynamic variables that auto-fill client details, dates, amounts, and more.

Why Use Google Docs for Invoices?

• Free and accessible — No expensive invoicing software needed
• Collaborative — Share templates with your team instantly
• Cloud-based — Access from anywhere, on any device
• Exportable — Download as PDF for professional delivery

What You'll Build

By the end of this tutorial, you'll have an invoice template that:

• Auto-fills client name, address, and contact info
• Calculates due dates automatically
• Includes line items with quantities and totals
• Generates a unique invoice number
• Exports as a clean PDF ready to send

Step 1: Install Doc Variables

First, grab the Doc Variables add-on from the Google Workspace Marketplace. It's free to try and takes about 30 seconds to install.

Step 2: Create Your Invoice Structure

Open a new Google Doc and set up your basic invoice layout with fields for invoice number, date, client info, line items, and totals.

Step 3: Add Doc Variables Syntax

Make fields dynamic using Doc Variables syntax: {{variable_name}}. Replace placeholders like [invoice_number] with {{invoice_number}}.

Step 4: Set Up Calculated Fields

Doc Variables can calculate totals automatically:

{{amount_1=qty_1*rate_1}}
{{subtotal=amount_1+amount_2+amount_3}}
{{total=subtotal+tax}}

Time Saved: The Numbers

Manual invoice creation takes 10-15 minutes each. With Doc Variables, it takes 1-2 minutes. If you send 20 invoices per month, that's 3+ hours saved monthly.

Ready to Stop Manual Invoicing?

Creating a Google Docs invoice template with Doc Variables is a one-time setup that pays dividends forever. Install Doc Variables and build your first invoice template today.