Why this invoice works
Consultants who work on a monthly retainer need an invoice that clearly separates the recurring advisory fee from one-off, billed-at-cost expenses — otherwise a client can't tell which part of the total is the agreed retainer and which part is reimbursement for money already spent on their behalf. This worked example bills a monthly advisory retainer alongside two expense lines, an on-site workshop's travel cost and printed materials with couriered samples, all taxed at the UK's standard 20% VAT rate.
The Statement template is built for exactly this kind of itemized, statement-style invoice: a full-width strip under the header lays out the invoice number, issue date, due date, and reference in labeled cells, and the totals sit in a boxed summary rather than a plain list, which makes a multi-line invoice with mixed fee types easier to scan at a glance. The notes field spells out what the retainer actually covers — up to 20 advisory hours this month, with unused hours not rolling over — a clarification worth including whenever a retainer has a cap. Expenses are noted as invoiced at cost, with receipts available on request, which keeps the arrangement transparent. Open this example in the builder to see the full Statement layout, then replace the retainer amount, expense lines, and VAT rate with your own.