What to Put on a Freelance Invoice: A Simple Checklist
The nine things every freelance invoice needs, plus the small details that help clients pay on time.
An invoice has one job: make it easy for your client to pay you the right amount, on time. Most late payments come down to a missing detail, such as a purchase order number or unclear terms. This checklist covers what to include every time.
The nine things every invoice needs
1. Your name and contact details. Your studio name, address, email and phone, exactly as your client has them on file.
2. Your client's details. The legal name of the company and the person or department that handles payment.
3. An invoice number. A unique number in sequence. It makes every invoice easy to find for both of you.
4. The issue date and the due date. Write the due date out as a date. "Due November 6" is clearer than "net 30".
5. A clear description of the work. One line per deliverable, in the same words you used in the proposal.
6. Quantities and rates. Hours, days or units, with the rate beside each.
7. Subtotal, tax and total. Show any discount and any sales tax on their own lines, and include your tax number if you charge tax. Rules vary by region, so check what applies where you work.
8. How to pay. Your e transfer email or bank details, and the currency.
9. Your terms. When payment is due and anything you agreed about deposits or late payments.
Details that help you get paid sooner
Send it the day the work is delivered. The value of the work is freshest then, and the approval is easy to give.
Match the proposal. When line items use the same names as the signed proposal, nobody has to ask what a charge is for.
Add the client's reference. If their accounts team uses purchase order numbers, put it near the top.
Make it look like you. A designed invoice with your logo and colours tells the client the same care went into the paperwork as the project.
A quick check before you press send
Is the client's email right? Does every line have a price? Is the due date after the issue date? Is the total what you both agreed? Thirty seconds here saves a week of back and forth.
Alkovey invoicing runs that check for you before an invoice goes out, numbers each invoice automatically and prints your e transfer details on the page. You choose the design and palette once, and every invoice follows.