Free Remittance Advice Template
An editable Word template, a self-calculating Excel version, and a filled-in example. For the payments Xero's fixed remittance advice cannot cover, and for sending to your own customers as the format you would like to receive.
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The remittance advice template pack
An Excel template that calculates its own totals (with a filled-in example tab), a letterhead-style Word version, and the completed example shown here as a PDF. For the payments Xero's fixed format cannot cover, or to send to your customers as the format you would like to receive.
When you need a template instead of Xero's built-in advice
Xero can email a remittance advice when you record a payment against a bill, and for most supplier payments that is all you need. See our step-by-step guide on how to send a remittance advice in Xero for that workflow. A separate template earns its place in three situations Xero's built-in advice does not handle.
- Payments made outside Xero. A bank payment run or a wire has no Xero payment record to generate an advice from, so you need a document you can produce independently.
- Information Xero's fixed fields cannot show. Deduction explanations, purchase order references, or a covering note that a supplier's portal requires.
- A document you fully control. When you want to set out the payment your way, or keep a consistent house format across every payment run.
The rules that make a remittance reconcile first time
A remittance advice only helps if the person receiving it can match it to their invoices without guesswork. The template is built around five rules, and they are worth following whether you use it or not.
- One row per invoice. Never combine invoices into a single line.
- Exact invoice numbers. Include any prefix (for example INV-, RC-) exactly as the supplier issued it.
- Deductions in their own column. Show short payments and rebates separately, never silently netted off the invoice amount.
- A matching payment reference. Use the reference exactly as it will appear on the bank statement, so the deposit and the advice can be tied together.
- Totals that add up. The amount-paid column must equal the total paid. If it does not, the advice creates work instead of removing it.
How to fill in each version
Excel version (recommended)
Enter the payment details at the top, then one invoice per row. The amount-paid column, the totals, and a check cell all calculate themselves, so a mismatch is flagged before you send. A second tab shows a filled-in worked example, including how to explain a deduction. When you are done, print or save as PDF (the page setup already fits one page) and send the PDF.
Word version
A letterhead-style layout for when you want your logo and branding on the advice, or when a payment covers only one or two invoices and reads more like a letter than a table. Fill in the fields, then export to PDF before sending.
Send it as a PDF
Whichever version you use, send the finished advice as a PDF. Suppliers should receive a fixed document they cannot accidentally alter, and a PDF renders the same on every device. Keep the editable file for your own records and reuse it next time.
On the receiving end of messy remittances?
If you are the one being paid, share this template with customers who send hard-to-read advices, as the format you would like to receive. The same rules that make an advice easy for a person to reconcile also make it easier to match automatically.
At volume, even clean remittances are a lot of manual matching. RemitClear reads every incoming remittance, in any format, and matches each line to your open invoices in Xero or QuickBooks Online. See Xero remittance matching for how that works, or the step-by-step of doing it by hand in how to reconcile a remittance advice in Xero.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free remittance advice template for Xero?
Yes. This page has a free remittance advice template pack: an editable Word version, an Excel version whose totals and a mismatch check calculate themselves, and a filled-in PDF example. Xero can generate a remittance advice from a recorded payment, but it cannot be redesigned and it only exists once the payment is entered in Xero. The template covers the cases Xero's built-in advice cannot, such as payments made outside Xero, and gives you a document you fully control.
Can I customise the remittance advice Xero produces?
Only partly. Xero prints the advice on your standard invoice branding theme (logo, name, address, colours) and lets you save a reusable covering message, but the body fields (payment date, amount, bills covered, references, total) are fixed and the advanced DOCX invoice templates do not apply to remittances. When you need a different layout or extra information such as deduction explanations or PO references, an editable template like this one is the practical route.
What should a remittance advice include?
The payer and payee, the payment date, the payment method, the total amount paid, and a payment reference that matches how the transfer will appear on the bank statement. Then one row per invoice showing the invoice number, invoice amount, any deduction, and the amount paid, with the rows totalling to the amount paid. Any deduction or short payment should be explained in a notes line against the invoice it applies to.
How do I fill in the Excel remittance template?
Enter the payment details at the top, then one invoice per row. The amount-paid column, the totals, and a check cell all calculate themselves, so a mismatch between your line totals and the amount paid is flagged before you send. A second tab shows a filled-in worked example, including how to explain a deduction. When you are done, print or save as PDF (the page setup is preconfigured to fit one page) and send the PDF, not the editable file.
Should I send the remittance advice as a Word, Excel, or PDF file?
Fill it in using the Word or Excel template, then send it as a PDF. Suppliers should receive a fixed document they cannot accidentally alter, and a PDF renders the same on every device. Keep the editable file for your own records so you can reuse it for the next payment run.
Can I ask my customers to use this template when they pay me?
Yes, and it is one of the best uses of it. If your customers send you messy remittances, share this template as the format you would like to receive. One row per invoice, exact invoice numbers, deductions in their own column, and a reference that ties to the bank transfer: every rule that makes an advice easy for a person to reconcile also makes it easier to match automatically.
Receiving remittances at volume?
See it on your own remittances
If remittance advices land in your AR inbox faster than you can reconcile them, book a demo and we'll run RemitClear against your real remittances.