Simply emailing a client a price for your services isn’t enough, it’s better to send an invoice. Learn how to write an invoice for freelance work here.
The number of Americans who do freelance work is growing, and it’s no wonder. Freelancing allows complete control over your schedule, work timetables and the way you complete work. Forbes estimates that over half a billion Americans now do some kind of freelance work, either full-time or as a side job.
If you’re a freelancer, you know there is a fine line between laid back and unprofessional. There are certain places where it’s okay to function less rigidly than a company would. Invoicing your clients isn’t one of them.
Because invoices play such a key role in tax and revenue bookkeeping, you’ll want to make sure you’re invoicing your clients for work done – both for their benefit and yours.
No worries, though. We have your complete guide on how to write an invoice for freelance work below!
The Elements Every Invoice Needs
While there’s no one size fits all invoice for every business, there are a few elements every invoice should include. If you’re afraid you’ll miss something, you can always use invoice templates, which will make sure you have all the information you need.
- Contact info, for both you and your client. If possible, your name or business name, address and telephone number should be listed on the invoice. You’ll also want to include the same information for your client. It makes it easy for the person reviewing invoices at both ends to get ahold of the pertinent people quickly if there are questions.
- An invoice number. This is mainly for your own records. If you keep track of invoices by number, you can quickly look it up when needed. Of course, this also means you need a good system for organizing them. You can use a straightforward number code, or combine letters and numbers to create a unique system based on your individual clients.
- Issue date and due date. Include both the date the work took place or the date the invoice was created and sent to the client, and the date the client is to pay by. This date should be based on the terms you have with that client.
- Line descriptions, price breakdowns, and total. Use line by line descriptors, with individual breakdowns of the total price, to record work done. Finish with the final total owed.
Optional Add-Ons to Take It Up a Notch
If you’d like to add a little pizzaz, consider adding customer niceties. You can include how and where clients can pay, specific requests made by customers, and other points that you want to clarify. This includes payment terms, late payment fees or payment options.
Adding your logo and other design elements is a nice touch as well and helps you look more professional.
How to Write an Invoice for Freelance Work
If you’ve been wondering how to write an invoice for freelance work, don’t despair. It doesn’t have to be an in-depth process – a simple and easy invoice will do.
And if you’re interested in articles regarding managing your finances, check out the other articles on our blog!
No Comments yet!