Send proper PDF invoices on WhatsApp — with the details UK law asks for, a way to get paid and a plan for the ones that pay late.
15 July 2026 · 13 min read · Updated 13/10/2026
Getting paid starts with getting the invoice out — and that is exactly the job that slips when you’re busy on the tools. Your customers already message you on WhatsApp, so it’s the obvious place to send the invoice too. This guide covers whether that’s allowed, the ways to do it, what has to be on the invoice, how the money actually reaches you, the WhatsApp rules that trip people up, CIS and VAT, and what to do when someone doesn’t pay.
Yes. Nothing in UK law says an invoice has to arrive by post or email. What matters is what’s on it — a PDF invoice sent on WhatsApp with the right details is just as valid as one sent by email. (More on the safety side in is it safe to invoice over WhatsApp.)
Send a PDF, not a photo or a typed message. A text that says “that’s £249 please” isn’t an invoice — it has no number, no date and no details for your records. A photo of a handwritten invoice is better but blurs, can’t be searched and looks rushed. A PDF is what customers expect: it stays sharp, they can save it or forward it to whoever pays the bills, and it matches the copy in your own records. In WhatsApp you send it with the paperclip → Document, not Photo, so it isn’t compressed.
There are three, and they suit different people.
1. Make the PDF somewhere else and forward it. Use accounting software, a Word or Excel template, or a free tool like our WhatsApp invoice generator, then send the PDF in the chat. Good: free or already paid for, full control. Not so good: it usually means a laptop, which is why invoices wait until Sunday night.
2. The WhatsApp Business app’s own tools. The free WhatsApp Business app has a catalogue — a “mobile storefront” of up to 500 items — plus quick replies and labels. Good: handy if you sell set-price items. Not so good: a catalogue isn’t an invoice, there’s no invoice numbering, and WhatsApp’s built-in payments don’t work in the UK (see below), so you still need a proper invoice and a way to be paid.
3. A WhatsApp invoice bot. You message a WhatsApp number with the job in plain words — or a voice note — and a numbered PDF invoice comes back to forward on. Good: done from the van in under a minute, with numbering, VAT and bank details handled. Not so good: it’s a monthly subscription, and you still forward the PDF yourself (that’s deliberate — more under the 24-hour rule). This is what GraftG does. Here’s a real-format example:
Example: invoicing a radiator job on WhatsApp (hourly rate £50, payment terms 14 days).
Invoices can come from three places, and none means typing it all again: a quick job (“Invoice Mrs Jones, replaced tap, £80”), a quote the customer said yes to (reply ACCEPT and the quote number), or a tracked job (END JOB then INVOICE). The quoting half is covered in how to send a quote on WhatsApp.
GOV.UK lists what every invoice needs, wherever you send it:
Sole traders also show their own name alongside any business name, plus an address where legal documents can be sent if they trade under a business name. Limited companies show the full company name as it appears on the certificate of incorporation — and if they name any directors, they must name all of them.
If you’re VAT registered, a full VAT invoice also needs your VAT registration number, the time of supply (tax point), the unit price and VAT rate for each line, the total excluding VAT and the total VAT. For sales of £250 or less including VAT you can use a simplified VAT invoice. If you work under CIS, split labour and materials and show the deduction on labour only (more below). Invoice numbers should run on without gaps — see invoice numbering rules — and there are free invoice templates with every field laid out. The full list is in what must an invoice include in the UK.
Not inside WhatsApp itself. WhatsApp’s help centre says paying businesses in WhatsApp is available in India, Brazil, Mexico and Indonesia only (checked 13/10/2026). In the UK, the invoice you send on WhatsApp tells the customer how to pay, and the money moves another way:
Bank transfer — free, and what most customers use. Print the details clearly and labelled, so nobody mixes them up:
| Account name | Exactly as your bank has it — UK banks check the name when someone pays a new payee |
|---|---|
| Sort code | 12-34-56 |
| Account number | Eight digits |
| Account type | Business or Personal — helps the name check match |
| Reference | Your invoice number, so you can match the payment |
A card payment link — a link on the invoice that opens a secure card page, from a payment provider such as Stripe. Customers can pay standing in their hallway, instead of “when I’m next at the computer”. On GraftG’s Pro plan, connect Stripe once and invoices carry a pay-online link; the money settles to your own bank account, and a 0.8% platform fee applies only to invoices paid that way. Bank transfer stays free.
Deposits — for bigger jobs, invoice a deposit before you start. On GraftG Pro, reply ACCEPT 42 DEPOSIT 50 for a 50% deposit, then ACCEPT 42 again when the job’s done to invoice the balance. When the money lands, reply PAID and the number (or tell GraftG “Smith paid”) and it’s marked settled. More in can you accept payments on WhatsApp in the UK.
It applies to businesses using the WhatsApp Business Platform (the API that bots run on), not to you messaging customers from your own phone. Meta’s rule: when someone messages a business, a 24-hour “customer service window” opens. Inside it, the business can reply with ordinary messages. Once it closes, the business can only send pre-approved template messages. Every new message from the customer resets the 24 hours.
For a tradie that means two things. First, a bot that messages you is fine — you text GraftG, and it replies inside your own window. Second, a bot shouldn’t be cold-messaging your customers: it would need approved templates, and the invoice would arrive from a number they don’t know. That’s why GraftG sends the PDF to you and you forward it from your own WhatsApp — it arrives from the person who did the job. The full explanation is in the 24-hour rule, explained for tradies.
Yes. Chats between you and your customer on WhatsApp are end-to-end encrypted, the PDF is a normal document, and payment goes by bank transfer or a regulated card provider — WhatsApp never holds the money. The GDPR point is simple: an invoice holds your customer’s name and address, so treat it like any customer record — send it only to the right person, keep your copies somewhere safe, and keep them as long as the tax rules need (at least 5 years after the 31 January filing deadline for self-assessment records, 6 years for VAT records). Keep your invoice records outside the chat too, so a lost phone doesn’t mean lost books. More in is it safe to invoice over WhatsApp.
Yes — the rules don’t change because of how the invoice travels. VAT: if you’re registered, show your VAT number and the VAT on each line (above). CIS: if you subcontract in construction, the contractor takes tax off the labour — 20% if you’re registered for CIS, 30% if not, nothing with gross payment status — never off materials. So split labour and materials, and show the deduction and the amount payable. On £800 labour and £300 materials at 20%, £160 comes off and you’re paid £940.
Reverse charge: if you’re VAT registered and the work falls under the construction reverse charge, you don’t add the VAT to the amount you charge — the contractor accounts for it. The invoice must say the reverse charge applies (HMRC’s examples include “Customer to pay the VAT to HMRC”) and state how much VAT is due under it, or the rate if the amount can’t be shown. Check with your accountant whether it applies to your jobs. GraftG’s Pro plan shows CIS deductions on every invoice once you switch it on; the full rules are in the CIS guide.
Start the day after it’s due, and keep it calm and predictable. A good sequence: a friendly nudge (“Hi Mrs Patel, just flagging invoice 0042 for £249.00 was due yesterday — bank details are on the PDF”), a direct follow-up at a week asking for a payment date, a firm reminder at two weeks, and a final notice at three. Keep it in writing — WhatsApp’s delivered and read ticks are useful evidence.
For business customers, the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 lets you claim statutory interest at 8% over the Bank of England base rate — 11.75% a year for invoices overdue in 2026 — plus fixed compensation of £40, £70 or £100 depending on the size of the debt. It doesn’t apply to homeowners. Work out the figure with the late payment interest calculator, copy wording from the free late payment letters, or read how to chase politely. On GraftG Pro, the reminders go out by email automatically at 1, 7, 14 and 21 days overdue, in your name, and stop when you mark the invoice paid.
Six tools work inside WhatsApp itself; others are apps with a share button. In short:
| Tool | Price | Free tier or trial | Voice notes | CIS | Card payments | Payment chasing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GraftG | £14 / £24 / £34 a month incl. VAT | 14-day trial (card taken) | Yes | Yes (Pro) | Stripe pay link (Pro) | Automatic emails at 1, 7, 14, 21 days (Pro) |
| NorthBot | £39.99 a month | 14-day trial, no card | Yes | Yes, incl. reverse charge | Stripe pay link | Not stated |
| WOPA | £9.99 a month founder price (first 200), then £14.99 | Free: 3 invoices a month | Not stated | Yes, incl. reverse charge | Not stated (bank details on the invoice) | Automatic at 7, 14 and 28 days |
| Manano | €24 a month | Free: 3 quotes, invoices and receipts | Yes, any language | Not stated | Pay link in WhatsApp (~2% fee added to the customer) | Not stated |
| Qenn | £49 / £99 / £149 a month + VAT | First month free | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Yes — you approve each nudge |
| The Foreman | Free | Free | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Drafts a reminder for you to send |
Checked 13/10/2026 on each company’s own website: NorthBot, WOPA, Manano, Qenn, The Foreman. “Not stated” means their site doesn’t say — not that they can’t. Prices are as shown on each site; GraftG’s include VAT. We make GraftG, so read this knowing that.
The full side-by-side, including the app-based tools and where each one is the better choice, is in the best WhatsApp invoicing apps for UK tradies.
Yes. UK law sets what an invoice must contain, not how it is delivered, so a PDF invoice sent on WhatsApp is as valid as one sent by email. Send it as a document (paperclip, then Document) rather than a photo so it stays sharp and searchable.
On the WhatsApp Business Platform, a 24-hour customer service window opens each time a customer messages a business. Inside it the business can send normal replies; after it closes it can only send pre-approved template messages until the customer messages again, which resets the 24 hours.
Not in the UK. WhatsApp says paying businesses inside WhatsApp is available in India, Brazil, Mexico and Indonesia only. UK tradies take payment by bank transfer, using the details on the invoice, or by a card payment link from a provider such as Stripe added to the invoice.
A unique invoice number; your name or business name, address and contact details; the customer’s name and address; a description of what you are charging for; the supply date and the invoice date; the amounts charged; any VAT; and the total owed. VAT-registered businesses also need their VAT number and the VAT details for each line.
Make the invoice as a PDF, open the chat with your customer, tap the paperclip, choose Document and pick the PDF. With GraftG you text the job — or reply ACCEPT to a quote, or END JOB then INVOICE on a tracked job — and the numbered PDF comes back in the chat ready to forward.
A PDF. Photos get compressed, can blur and are hard to search or file; a PDF stays sharp, can be saved or forwarded to whoever pays the bills, and matches the copy in your records.
No. You can send a PDF invoice from ordinary WhatsApp or the WhatsApp Business app. GraftG works with either — you message its number from the phone number you signed up with.
Yes. HMRC cares that the invoice has the right details and that you keep records, not how it was delivered. Keep a copy of every invoice outside the chat — GraftG numbers them sequentially, stores them and lets you export the lot for your accountant.
Chase the day after it is due, then at a week, two weeks and three weeks, in writing. Business customers can be charged statutory interest and fixed compensation under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998. On GraftG Pro, the reminders are emailed automatically at 1, 7, 14 and 21 days overdue until the invoice is marked paid.
Yes. Make the PDF with a free tool such as the GraftG WhatsApp invoice generator (no sign-up, nothing stored) and send it as a document. Some WhatsApp invoicing bots also have free tiers — see the comparison of WhatsApp invoicing apps.
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