Short answer Paste the prompt below into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Copilot with your own details and you get a quick check of your invoice template against IRD's taxable supply information rules, with a list of what to add or fix. Works on free plans. Time saved: about 30 minutes of reading IRD pages (estimate).
Why it helps
If you're GST registered, your invoices need certain details on them. Since 1 April 2023 IRD calls this "taxable supply information" rather than a tax invoice, and what's needed depends on the value of the sale: $200 or less, $200 to $1,000, or more than $1,000.
Most people set up an invoice template once and never look at it again. AI can read your template against the rules you paste in and tell you, line by line, what's there and what's missing. Ten minutes now beats a customer's accountant sending your invoice back.
The prompt
Copy it, swap the bits in [square brackets], and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Copilot.
I run a small [type of business] in New Zealand and I'm [GST registered / not GST registered]. Check my invoice template against the rules below and tell me what's missing. The rules (from ird.govt.nz): [paste the taxable supply information requirements from IRD's website] My invoice template: [paste the text of your invoice, with made-up customer details] Please give me: 1. A table: each requirement, whether my invoice has it (Yes / No / Unclear), and what to add. 2. Which value band each requirement applies to ($200 or less, $200 to $1,000, over $1,000). 3. Any other things that look confusing to a customer, like a missing due date. Rules for you: only use the IRD rules I've pasted. Don't add requirements from other countries. If you're not sure, say "check with IRD or your accountant". NZ English.
Then keep chatting
Rewrite my invoice template with the missing details added, using made-up example details.
What should I put on invoices for jobs over $1,000 to identify the customer?
I'm not GST registered. What should my invoices say instead?
Step by step
- Find IRD's page on taxable supply information (search "taxable supply information" on ird.govt.nz) and copy the requirements.
- Copy the text from one of your invoices. Swap the real customer's name, address and amounts for made-up ones.
- Paste both into the prompt and read the table.
- Fix your template in Xero, MYOB, your quoting app or Word, then check it against the IRD page yourself.
- If anything is "Unclear", ask your accountant before you change it.
Worked example
| Requirement | On your invoice? | What to add |
|---|---|---|
| Your name or trading name | Yes | |
| Date | Yes | |
| Description of the work | Yes | |
| Total amount | Yes | Say "including GST" |
| Your GST number | No | Add it near your business name |
| Amount of GST, or a statement that the price includes GST | No | Add a GST line ($180.00 if the total includes GST) |
| Buyer's name (over $1,000) | Yes | |
| Buyer identifier (over $1,000) | No | Add one, such as address, email or phone |
Example details are made up. Your results will vary, so always read and check before you use them.
Watch out for
- Accuracy: the rules come from IRD, not the AI. Paste IRD's current wording into the prompt and check the result against ird.govt.nz. If the rules change, your template needs to change too.
- Privacy: don't paste real customer names, addresses or bank account numbers. Made-up details work just as well for checking a template.
- Check the GST maths yourself. For a GST-inclusive price, the GST is the total times 3, divided by 23. AI can slip on numbers.
- Not GST registered? Don't show a GST number or charge GST. Your accountant or IRD can confirm what your invoices should say.
Go further
Once your template is right, keep the paperwork tidy on the other side with the sort receipts for GST use case. If an invoice goes unpaid, the chase unpaid invoice use case writes the follow-up.
