Free pro forma invoice template for the US

A pro forma invoice is a quote laid out like an invoice. The International Trade Administration at trade.gov (updated 8 April 2026) describes it as "a quote in an invoice format". You send it before the work or the goods, so the customer can see the price, agree to it and, if you ask, pay a deposit.

What goes on a pro forma invoice

The same things as an ordinary invoice: your details, the customer's details, each item with a quantity and a price, and the total. Two things are specific to a pro forma. A valid-until date says how long the price stands, and an optional deposit request says how much you would like paid up front. Papertern prints both, and works the deposit out to the cent from either a percentage or a fixed amount.

How it differs from an invoice

An invoice asks for payment for something you have supplied. A pro forma is an offer: it shows what the customer would pay if they go ahead. That is why it carries a heading that says so, and why it stays a separate document from the invoice you send once the work is done or the goods have shipped.

Is any special wording required?

We looked. On 29 September 2026 we searched the whole Code of Federal Regulations on eCFR for "pro forma invoice" and found 22 results, every one in Title 19, the customs rules. None sets wording for a pro forma between two businesses. The trade.gov page gives a suggested list of contents, not a rule. So Papertern claims no legal requirement on the US pro forma and prints no legal wording on it. State sales tax rules differ, so check yours.

Not for customs entry

In US customs law, "pro forma invoice" also names a different document: the importer's statement of value filed when the commercial invoice is not available at entry (19 CFR 141.85 and 141.91). The pro forma made here is not that document and should not be used for customs entry.

Fill it in, download it, then turn it into the invoice

Open the invoice maker, choose Pro forma invoice, and enter the customer, the items, the valid-until date and any deposit. Download the PDF and send it. When the customer says yes, press "Turn this into an invoice": the same parties, lines and totals carry across, the pro forma heading, valid-until date and deposit request drop away, and the invoice date becomes today. Nothing is retyped.

Other free templates

Plenty of sites offer a free pro forma template you fill in by hand. What we add is the arithmetic, the deposit worked out for you, and the one-click step to the real invoice.