Car Sales Invoicing for UK Dealers

Haswent's car sales invoicing is the part of its dealer management system that raises sales, purchase and finance company invoices from your deals, with margin scheme and standard VAT worked out for each car. When you are ready, push them to Xero.

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Every invoice a car sale needs

Haswent raises sales, purchase, finance company and commission invoices from the same records as the rest of your dealership: the car from your stock management, the customer from your contacts and the figures from the deal. Nothing is typed twice, and the invoice matches what you agreed with your customer.

When a deal is completed, commission for the salesperson is worked out from their sales commission policy, which can pay on the vehicle, finance, accessories and each type of product you sell.

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Sales Invoices

Complete a deal and the sales invoice is raised for you from the deal: the car with its registration, VIN, mileage and colour, any add-ons and fees, the part exchange, and every payment taken, with the balance due worked out. You can also create a sales invoice by hand for anything that is not a deal.

Purchase Invoices

Record what you paid for a car, and who you bought it from, on a purchase invoice. Every part exchange gets its own purchase invoice when the deal is completed, and supplier invoices can be uploaded as PDFs, checked and accepted into the DMS.

Finance Company Invoices

When a customer buys on finance, the sales invoice is made out to the finance company, with your customer as the delivery address. If you have recorded your commission, a separate commission invoice to the lender is raised too, ready to mark as paid when their payment arrives.

Add-ons and Value-add Products

Set up the products you sell alongside a car, such as warranties, GAP, paint protection, service plans and accessories, each with its own price, VAT rate and cost. Add them to a deal or an invoice in a click, along with your own fees and one-off lines. You can also choose which vehicles each product or warranty suits, by make, model, fuel type and age, so only the ones that fit the car are offered when you add products to a deal.

VAT margin scheme and standard VAT

The right VAT on every car, without the sums

Set each car in stock to No VAT/Margin, Inc VAT or Ex VAT once, and every invoice follows it. A margin scheme car goes on the invoice at its selling price with no VAT added. For a VAT qualifying car, VAT is taken out of an Inc VAT price or added to an Ex VAT price at the standard rate.

Add-ons, fees and extra lines keep their own VAT rate, so a margin car sold with a standard-rated add-on is invoiced correctly. The VAT margin report under Insights shows the VAT due on the margin of each car you sell. If you are new to the rules, read our VAT margin scheme guide, or work out the VAT on a single sale with our free VAT margin calculator.

How each car is invoiced

  • No VAT/Margin: selling price with no VAT added
  • Inc VAT: VAT taken out of your price and shown on the line
  • Ex VAT: VAT added on top of your price

Deposits and payments

Record the deposit and every other payment against the deal or the invoice, and the total due updates as you go. Print a deposit receipt from the deal, and send the order form, deposit receipt or invoice for your customer to sign with electronic signatures.

Part exchanges

Add the part exchange with its allowance and any outstanding finance to settle. The allowance comes off the customer’s invoice and the settlement is added back. When you complete the deal, the part exchange goes into your stock with its own purchase invoice, so its cost is recorded from day one.

Invoices that look and work like yours

You choose the design, numbering and terms of your invoices, and each one is linked to its customer and car.

Your Branding

Choose a Simple or Modern invoice design with your logo, and add your payment details and your own terms for sales and purchase invoices.

Send by Email or Text

Notify your customer with a link to their invoice by email or text message, or print it for the handover.

Numbering and Status

Set a prefix and suffix for each invoice type, and move invoices from draft to issued, paid or void. Every change is kept in the invoice history.

Linked Everywhere

Each invoice shows on the customer’s record and the vehicle’s stock record, so you can find it from wherever you start.

Dealer accounting software

Invoice in your DMS, keep your books in Xero

Haswent does not replace your accounts package. It sends your sales to it. Connect your Xero organisation, tell Haswent which accounts and VAT codes to use, and push paid invoices across when you are ready. You see every line, account and VAT treatment first, and nothing goes to Xero until you confirm.

  • Sales invoices, purchase bills for part exchanges, deposits and payments, and finance commission invoices
  • Margin scheme sales split into the cost and the margin, so VAT is only posted on your margin
  • Different accounts by VAT treatment (margin scheme or qualifying), fee, product category or individual product, and by payment type
  • Push as draft if you would rather approve in Xero
More about the Xero sync

Need a one-off invoice? Use our free car sales invoice generator

Our free car sales invoice generator makes a used car invoice in your browser with part exchanges, payments and margin scheme, standard VAT or no VAT, then you print it or save it as a PDF. There is no sign-up, so you can use it before you are on the DMS.

Create a free invoice

Selling on finance, or tidying up your paperwork?

See how car finance in Haswent takes an application from proposal to a completed deal and a commission invoice, or read our guide to dealer invoice management.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should a car sales invoice include in the UK?

If you are VAT registered, a full VAT invoice needs a unique invoice number, your business name and address, your VAT registration number, the invoice date (and the time of supply if it is different), your customer’s name and address, and a description of what you sold. For each line it needs the price without VAT, the VAT rate and the VAT charged, followed by the totals. For a car, most dealers also show the registration, VIN, mileage, any part exchange, the deposit and the balance due. This is general guidance rather than tax advice, so check HMRC’s rules or ask your accountant.

How is VAT shown on a margin scheme invoice?

It is not shown. Under the margin scheme the invoice must not show VAT as a separate amount, your customer cannot reclaim VAT on it, and HMRC expects the invoice to say the sale is made under the second-hand margin scheme. In Haswent, a car set to No VAT/Margin goes on the invoice at its selling price with no VAT added, but the margin scheme wording is not added for you: put "Margin Scheme – second-hand goods" in the terms on your sales invoices before you issue them.

Does it handle standard VAT on qualifying cars?

Yes. Each car in stock is set to No VAT/Margin, Inc VAT or Ex VAT. For an Inc VAT car the VAT is taken out of your price, for an Ex VAT car it is added on top, and for a margin car none is added. Add-ons, fees and lines carry their own VAT rate, so one invoice can mix margin and standard-rated items.

Can I invoice a finance company instead of the customer?

Yes. When a deal has finance on it, completing the deal makes the sales invoice out to the finance company, with your customer as the delivery address. If you have recorded a commission, a separate commission invoice to the lender is raised as well.

What happens to a part exchange?

Add the part exchange to the deal with its allowance and any outstanding finance to settle. The allowance comes off the customer’s invoice and the settlement is added back. When you complete the deal, the part exchange goes into your stock with its own purchase invoice, so it needs a registration or VIN.

Does it work with Xero?

Yes. An admin on your account can connect your Xero organisation, choose the accounts and VAT codes to use, and push paid invoices and payments across. You see every line before it is sent and nothing goes to Xero until you confirm. Margin scheme sales are split into the cost and the margin, so VAT is only posted on your margin. Xero is the only accounting package we connect to.

Is there a free car sales invoice template?

Yes. Our free car sales invoice generator makes a one-off invoice in your browser, with part exchanges, payments and margin scheme, standard VAT or no VAT, which you can print or save as a PDF. There is no sign-up. When you want invoices raised from your stock and deals, that is what the DMS is for.