Document templates - what has to appear on each one
"Invoice template download" is one of the most common searches in Israel, and it usually comes from a real question: what actually has to be written on the document. This page answers that for each document type, and explains where the line between design and legal requirement sits.
- Required fieldsWhat the law demands, identical in every system and every design
- Technical validitySequential numbering and a digital signature, which design cannot fake
- DesignLogo, colours, field order. Entirely up to you
Fields that appear on every document
Before the per-type detail, there is a shared base that repeats on every fiscal document:
The business or company name as registered with the Tax Authority. The business or company number. The business address. The document heading, in its exact name. A serial number from that document type's own sequence. The issue date. Customer details, name and identifying number where the customer is a business. And an itemization of what was sold or provided.
On a computerized document, sequential numbering and a digital signature join these. They are not printed fields, they are properties of the document.
Tax invoice
The document that gives the customer an input VAT deduction, and therefore the one most closely examined.
| Field | Note |
|---|---|
| The heading "tax invoice" | In its exact name, not just "invoice" |
| Issuing business name and number | |
| Customer details | Name, and for a business the business number too |
| Serial number | From the tax invoice sequence |
| Date | The issue date |
| Itemized goods or services | Description, quantity, unit price |
| Amount before VAT | |
| VAT rate and amount | On its own line |
| Total payable | |
| Allocation number | Above the threshold, 5,000 shekels before VAT as of June 2026 |
Transaction invoice
The same fields, with two differences: the heading is "transaction invoice", and there is no allocation number requirement at any amount. For an osek patur a single amount is shown with no VAT line, and the document should state that the issuer is an osek patur.
When to use it is explained in the transaction invoice guide.
Receipt
It records a payment, which makes it the only document that must state how payment was made.
| Field | Note |
|---|---|
| The heading "receipt" | |
| Issuing business name and number | |
| Payer details | |
| Serial number | From the receipt sequence |
| Date payment was received | Not the transaction date |
| Amount received | |
| Payment method and its details | Cash, cheque with number and bank, card with last four digits, or bank transfer |
| Reference to the document being paid | Where one exists |
A receipt without payment method details is not a valid receipt. It is the field most often forgotten.
Tax invoice receipt
A merger of the two: every tax invoice field, plus the payment method. The heading is "tax invoice receipt", and the numbering is separate from both other sequences. When it may be issued is explained in the tax invoice receipt guide.
Credit note
| Field | Note |
|---|---|
| The heading "credit note" | |
| Serial number | Its own sequence |
| Reference to the original document | The number of the invoice being cancelled, a critical field |
| Reason for the credit | Cancellation, return, error, discount |
| Amount credited | Full or partial, never above what is left on the original |
| VAT credited |
The full detail, including credits for bad debts, is in the credit note guide.
Quote
Worth stating plainly: a quote is not a fiscal document. It carries no sequential numbering requirement, no reporting, and it can be edited or deleted freely.
What is worth including: the quote's validity period, payment terms, what is and is not covered, and an explicit statement of whether prices are before or including VAT. Most commercial arguments start with that last field.
Delivery note
Also not a document reported for VAT, but required in activity involving physical supply.
What appears: sender and recipient details, delivery date, itemized goods and quantities, and space for the recipient's signature. Prices are not required, and are often better left off.
Anyone still unsure which document fits which situation will find the distinction itself in the tax invoice, transaction invoice and receipt guide.
Why a Word template is not enough
You can design a document that looks exactly like a tax invoice. The problem is not the design.
Numbering. The sequence has to be gapless, separately for each document type. A manually saved file relies on somebody remembering the last number. In practice duplicates and jumps appear, and both are a problem in an audit.
Digital signature. A computerized fiscal document has to be signed so it can be verified as unchanged since issue. A Word file or an ordinary PDF can be edited without leaving a trace, so it does not meet the requirement.
No changes after issue. An issued document is neither edited nor deleted. A local template allows exactly that, which is exactly what is prohibited.
Reporting. Documents have to roll into the VAT report and the Open Format file your accountant asks for. A folder of files does not produce either.
A template is useful for one thing: understanding what belongs on the document. After that it stops helping.
A paper book versus a computerized document
Not every business in Israel issues from a system. Some still work from a printed book with counterfoils, and that is legal, provided the book meets the requirements: pre-printed numbering, copies, and retention of the counterfoils for the full retention period.
The practical difference shows up in three places. Reporting: documents from a paper book have to be captured afterwards for the reports, which is double work. Allocation numbers: there is no way to request one from a paper book, so a business issuing invoices above the threshold on paper is stuck. Open Format: the accountant will ask for a file, and a file does not come from counterfoils.
Anyone still on paper is usually operating at very small scale. The moment invoices cross the threshold, moving to a computerized system stops being a preference and becomes a requirement.
What must never be left to design
Three things look like design decisions and are not.
The heading. "Invoice" on its own is not a heading. The document has to say explicitly which type it is, because the heading is what decides how it is read in both sides' books.
Currency. An amount with no currency stated is an argument waiting to happen with an overseas client. The code, not just the symbol.
The date. A document's date is not a field you move to "close a month". It has to reflect when the document was actually issued, and moving it backwards on a fiscal document is a problem in its own right.
What is actually worth keeping
Not a template but a checklist. Before issuing a first document, and above all before approving one received from a supplier:
The heading is exact and matches the document type. The business number appears and is valid, which you can confirm with the business number check. VAT is on its own line and calculated correctly. Above the threshold an allocation number appears. And on a receipt, the payment method is itemized.
How Slate builds each document type
In Slate each document type is built with its required fields, and its numbering sequence is managed on the server rather than by hand. The document is digitally signed the moment it is issued and closed to editing, and the logo and design are the only layer that stays in your hands. You can issue a first document with no charge; see how to issue an invoice for free.
This is general information, not tax advice. For a specific situation, talk to an accountant or tax adviser.
Common questions
Which fields must appear on a tax invoice?
The words tax invoice, the business name and number, the customer's details, the document number and date, a description of the sale, the amount before VAT, the VAT rate and amount, and the total. Above the threshold, an allocation number too.
Can invoices be issued from a Word template?
It is not prohibited, but a Word template provides no digital signature, no locked sequential numbering and no Open Format export, so it creates problems with your accountant and in an audit.
What is the difference between a manual book and a computerized document?
A pre-numbered printed book still exists and is permitted under conditions, but it requires managing the sequence by hand and storing paper. A computerized document has to be digitally signed and produced by a system.
Are the logo and design part of the requirements?
No. Design is a commercial matter. What is required is the fields themselves and their legibility, and design must never hide or crowd out a mandatory detail.
What must appear on a receipt?
The amount received, the date, and the payment instrument in detail: cheque number and bank, the last four digits of a card, or bank transfer details.
Do documents need to say original or copy?
Yes, whenever more than one copy is issued. Distinguishing the original from a copy is part of a proper document and prevents double counting on the customer's side.