Vocabulary · Free lesson
TOEIC invoice reading: total, amount paid, and balance due
A printing company sends this simplified invoice. Read the label next to each amount before answering a question about the remaining payment. The largest number is not automatically the answer.
Professor Scott MendozaThe short answer
On an invoice, total is the full charge, amount paid records money already received, and balance due is the amount still to be paid. If the total is $180 and $60 has been paid, the remaining balance is $120, assuming no other adjustments.
Match the question to the amount’s label.
The $180 total describes the whole order. The $60 amount paid is a recorded payment, so it is not still owed. Subtracting it leaves $120. In this example the invoice has no added fees, refunds, or credits; do not invent extra adjustments.
Original printing invoice
Order total: $180
Amount paid: $60
Balance due: $120
Due does not automatically mean overdue. Balance due identifies money owed; overdue means a payment deadline has already passed. This invoice gives no date from which to infer lateness.
Find what has already been paid
Read the total
Order total: $180
Remove the recorded payment
$180 − $60 = $120 remaining
Try it now
Choose the right amount
Read all answers and explanations
What was the full charge for the printing order?
$180Order total is $180. The other amounts are the payment received and the remaining balance.
How much has the company already received?
$60Amount paid records $60 already received. It should not be treated as still unpaid.
How much remains to be paid on this invoice?
$120The balance due is $120: the $180 total minus the $60 recorded payment.
Put it into practice
Apply the labels to a new invoice
A second invoice shows Total: $240 and Amount paid: $90, with no other adjustments. Repair the summary of what remains.
The remaining balance is $240.
See a model answer
The remaining balance is $150.
Changing the figures does not change the label meanings. Always distinguish the original charge from what remains unpaid.
A little more clarity
Common questions
A few useful details before you move on.
Does balance always mean money owed?
No. On a bank statement it can refer to funds in an account. Here balance due on an invoice means the amount still owed. Read the document and full label.
Account balance: $500. / Invoice balance due: $120.
Can I tell that the payment is late?
Not from these amounts alone. You would need a due date and relevant timing information. Do not turn due into overdue without that evidence.
Balance due: $120. — This label alone does not establish a missed deadline.
Take it into your day
Read the label first: total is not the same as the balance remaining.
Your next step · Available on Udemy
Build the English foundations behind this skill.
The English Grammar and English Speaking Master Course develops broader grammar, sentence-building, and communication foundations. Broader sentence and vocabulary foundations help you interpret labels, payment status, and questions about documents. The dedicated exam course is coming soon; the available main course is not a complete exam-preparation program.
Explore the course English Master Course: English Grammar and English Speaking