The proforma invoice template is a way to show a prospective customer a preview of the charges for a service to be provided in the future. This is customary with construction, utilities, repairs, or any other type of work that involves labor and materials in order to complete. The proforma should be sent to the customer and after review, if approved, the project or service will usually start.

If a proforma is agreed to, there should be language in any agreement that if the budget is over that there is a cap or some protection for the contractor so they do get on the hook for any extra costs that weren’t calculated.

How to Write in Adobe PDF & Microsoft Word

Download: Adobe PDF or Microsoft Word

1 – Open The Proforma Template Then Produce The Information It Requests

Select the “Adobe PDF” button above, save it to your machine, then open it with your PDF editor. It is generally considered wise to save this template to your machine since it is always a good idea to back-up of your work. This is a re-usable template; thus, you may use it whenever a situation calls for it.

2 – The Potential Vendor’s Business Information Must Be Easily Identifiable

The Potential Vendor must have its Legal Business Name displayed in the first field on this form. Replace the words “Company Name” at the top of the page with the Vendor’s Business Name.    The “Name” of the individual the Customer will work with should be placed on the first labeled blank line. Continue recording this Contact Information by furnishing the Vendor’s Full Address on the three blank lines that follow (“Street Address,” “City, State, Country,” and “Zip Code”). The Vendor issuing this paperwork should make sure its potential Customer has the ability to initiate contact whenever desired. To this end, produce the Daytime Telephone Number and the Email Address maintained by the Vendor on the next two blank lines.

3 – The Invoice Number Should Be Presented With The Customer And The Proposed Work

The Invoice Number and the work associated with this Proforma are required items. Let us begin with this document’s reference number in the Vendor’s filing system. Provide this number to the “Invoice #” line then furnish the Invoice Date on the adjacent line. Now, we will have to attend the “Bill To” and “Ship To” sections. In this area, the Name and Address of the potential Customer should be displayed.

The Mailing Address where the potential Customer receives its correspondence, invoices, and other mail should be supplied to the blank spaces under “Ship To.” Similarly, if the potential Customer has a different Shipping Address then produce the Recipient Name and Address where it receives its freight in the “Ship To” column. The Proforma will seek an organized way to present the proposed work or products the Vendor wishes to supply for the potential Customer. Two tables have been presented for this purpose. You may fill out one or both tables depending upon the current proposal.

If the potential Customer will be receiving any merchandise or goods that must be paid for, you can use the “Products” table to document this. Define the goods, row by row, in the “Description” column.  Three numbers must be reported with the merchandise you entered in the first column: the “Quantity” of every piece of item that must be paid for, its “Unit Cost,” and the “Amount” the potential Customer will pay. Note: The “Amount” column requires you multiply the “Quantity” of the merchandise named on a row with the “Unit Cost” of that item.

Add each value in the “Amount” column to one total and report it in “Total Products.” The “Labor” table will function in a similar fashion. Here, the type of work being billed and the amount of time required should be listed in “Description” and “Hours” (respectively). Also, the “Hourly Rate” the Customer must pay for each Hour of reported work should be documented in the third column. The numbers in each row under “Hours” and “Hourly Rate” need to be multiplied with each other with each result displayed in the “Amount” column.  Total the “Amount” reported for each row, then fill in this sum in “Total Labor.”

4 – The Potential Vendor Must Produce An Estimated Total And Report Applicable Terms

Once all the information regarding the merchandise or services covered on this Proforma has been reviewed for accuracy, we need to make sure the potential Customer can quickly identify the total costs being reported. This will be addressed in the last table (consisting of the fields “Subtotal,” “Tax,” “Shipping,” and “Total”) on this page. Begin by entering the sum of “Total Products” and “Total Labor” to the “Subtotal” cell (H33). Now we will need to report all “Tax” and “Shipping” costs that must be added to the “Subtotal” in the appropriately labeled fields of this table. The field labeled “Total” should present the sum of “Subtotal” plus “Tax” plus “Shipping.” Finally, locate the blank line in the statement starting with the words “Payment Is Due…” Use this space to tell the potential Customer how many days after receiving the Invoice are given to submit a payment on time. If you have not presented any pieces of information that should be documented on the Proforma, make sure to include them on the blank lines labeled “Comments Or Special Instructions.” 

How to Write in Microsoft Excel (.xlsx)

Download: Microsoft Excel (.xlsx)

1 – The Excel Document On This Page Will Act As A Proforma For Potential Customers

You may use the Excel Spreadsheet on this page to issue a Proforma to a potential Customer or Client. The “MS Excel” button will grant access to this document. Open it, view it, then download it so that you may use it as needed.

2 – Report The Vendor Information In The First Column

The top of this page has been reserved so the Vendor issuing this Proforma can adequately display its information. The first cell will have a generic logo acting as a placeholder. Replace this logo with the Vendor’s logo then in cell A2, fill in the Legal Business Name the Vendor operates under and is known by. The next few cells contain the placeholders “Name,” “Street Address,” “City, State, Country,” and “Zip Code” and are reserved for the Name and Mailing Address the Vendor will use when corresponding with this Customer. Customarily, the Vendor should make sure the potential Client can make contact immediately if desired. To deliver this ability, enter the Vendor’s Email Address and Business Telephone Number to cells A7 (“E-Mail”) and A8 (“Phone”).

3 – You Must Furnish The Proforma Or Invoice Number Defining The Potential Order

The Invoice Number assigned to this Proforma will need to be included with the information you present. Declare the Invoice Number in cell F4. Additionally, produce the Invoice Date to cell H4

4 – Record The Address Information Used By The Potential Customer

This Proforma must show the potential Client’s Billing and Shipping Address. If the Client does not have a Shipping Address that differs from its Billing Address, then only the first column will require information. The first column, “Bill To,” consists of four cells (A11, A12, A13, and A14) reserved for the full Mailing Address of the Vendor. Supply the labeled areas with information accordingly. If the Vendor has a different Address where Freight is received, then produce its Shipping Address using the labeled spaces under the heading “Ship To.”

5 – The Tables On This Spreadsheet Will Act As A Ledger For The Vendor’s Goods And Services

All goods and merchandise that will be purchased by a potential Client should be well documented in the “Description” column. Additionally, the “Quantity” and the “Unit Cost” for each billable item must be furnished to the second and third columns. The numbers you enter in these columns will be fed to a formula in the last column “Amount.” Do not enter any numbers in the final column as this will delete the formulas contained. If this Proforma must also cover billable Hours, then some documentation will need to be produced. Use the “Labor” table to report on each Client Job where a payment for each Hour the Vendor works must be paid for.

Place a “Description” of each Job in the first column. Then, in the second and third columns, produce the estimated number of “Hours” and the “$/Hour” that will apply for each Client Job displayed in the first column. The rest of the table will generate the figures necessary to summarize Labor Cost(s) to the Client.

6 – A Reliable Summary Of These Goods And Services Cost Will Be Produced

The last table present in this paperwork will require only two pieces of information: the Client obligation for “Tax” and that of “Shipping.” Cell H34 has been received for the “Tax” amount the Client will have to pay while Cell H35 must have the dollar amount the Client must pay for “Shipping.” The final amount due will be automatically calculated in “Total” Now, in cell A36 fill in how many days the  Client may consider a grace period. The first day in this countdown is the day the Client physically receives this Invoice. If there are any other issues or information that have not been covered thus far, you should record them in cell A37 after the phrase “Comments Or Special Instructions.”