What to Include on a Musician Invoice

Most musicians have sent an invoice at some point. Fewer have sent one that includes everything it should. A missing ABN, a vague description, or no payment details can delay payment, confuse an accounts department, or create problems at tax time. This checklist covers every field that belongs on a professional gig invoice.

Your Business Details

Your name or trading name. This is who the invoice is from — your full name, your band name, or your business name if you have one registered.

Your ABN (Australian Business Number). If you have an ABN, it must appear on every invoice over $82.50 including GST. If you're not registered for GST, you still need the ABN — just without the GST line. Find out whether you need to register for GST as a musician.

Your contact details. Email address and phone number. The client may need to follow up with a remittance, ask a question about the invoice, or confirm payment details — make it easy.

Client Details

The client's name. The person or business that booked you — not the venue contact, but the entity that owes you money. If it's a corporate event, this is often the company name and a specific contact person.

The client's address. Required for a formal tax invoice. For email-only clients, their business address is sufficient.

Invoice Identifiers

The words "Tax Invoice". If you are registered for GST, the document must say "Tax Invoice" at the top. If you're not registered for GST, "Invoice" alone is fine.

An invoice number. Sequential numbering (INV-001, INV-002, etc.) keeps your records organised and makes it easy to reference a specific invoice when following up on payment.

The invoice date. The date you're issuing the invoice, not the date of the gig — though they're often the same or close.

A payment due date. "Payment on receipt", "due within 7 days", or "due within 14 days" are all common. Specify it clearly. Invoices without due dates tend to be paid last.

Service Description

A clear description of the service. "Live music performance — The Grand Ballroom, 14 September 2026" is better than "Gig". Describe what you did, where, and when. This protects you if a payment is ever disputed.

The fee. The agreed amount for the performance. If there are multiple line items — a base fee plus PA hire, for example — list each one separately.

GST (If Applicable)

If you are registered for GST, the invoice must show the total amount excluding GST, the GST amount (10%), and the total including GST. These need to be three separate lines — not just a single total. How to calculate GST on a gig invoice covers the maths in detail.

Payment Details

Your BSB and account number. Or your PayID. The client needs these to pay you — leaving them off means the client has to come back and ask, which delays payment.

Your bank name. Optional but helpful, especially for corporate accounts departments.

That's the complete list. Dashplan's invoice maker includes all of these fields automatically. When you generate an invoice from a logged gig, your ABN, payment details and sequential invoice number are already in the template — you just confirm and send.