Freelance invoice template
Freelance invoice template
The person who approves your invoice usually wasn't in the project. They're matching it against a purchase order, a budget line and a contract, and anything ambiguous goes back in the queue.
So write for them: name the deliverable, show the days or the pages, state the date you expect the money. The template below does that, and you can fill it in without an account.
No signup · Free PDF download.
What goes on a freelance invoice
- Your name or trading name, address, email, and your tax number if you have one.
- The client’s legal name and address, and the person who approves your work.
- A unique invoice number, the issue date, and a due date written as a date, not just “Net 30”.
- One line per deliverable or period: description, quantity, unit price, amount.
- Subtotal, any discount, tax with its label and rate, and the total in one currency.
- How to pay you: bank details, a UPI ID or a payment link, and your payment terms.
How you bill, and how to write it
Day rates. “Design, 4 days at 600” is easier to approve than one lump sum, because the approver can check it against the days you were there. Days go in quantity, your rate in unit price.
Retainers. “Monthly retainer, September 2026, 20 hours included”. Put the month in the description, or next month's invoice looks like a duplicate of this one.
Fixed deliverables. Name the thing and the stage: “Brand guidelines, final delivery”. If the project was quoted in stages, invoice one stage per invoice — never two stages on one document.
Expenses. Their own line, at cost, with the receipt attached to the email. Don't bury them in the rate; a rate that moves every month invites questions you don't want.
What the client's finance team will ask for
The PO reference, if they raised one — it prints under the dates, where the person matching invoices to orders looks. Terms written as a date. The currency stated on the document. Your tax number if you charge tax, and the tax on its own row with its rate rather than folded into your prices.
And a file they can find again in November: Invoira names the PDF after the invoice number and the client.
Using the generator
Open the template, add your details and the client’s, and add a line per deliverable. Turn on tax only if you charge it; the label is yours (VAT, GST, Sales tax) and the rate applies to every line unless you change one. Under notes, add payment terms and payment instructions as “Label: value” lines so they print as a table. Download the PDF and send it from your own email. The draft stays in your browser until you clear it.
With a free account, saved clients and services turn a repeat invoice into three clicks, numbers are handed out in sequence when you issue, and “Bill again” copies last month’s retainer with new dates.
A worked example
- From
- Tom Okafor, copy and content
- To
- Brightline Ventures
- Number
- INV-0031
- PO reference
- BV-2026-118
- Issued
- 10 Sep 2026
- Due
- 24 Sep 2026 (Net 14)
| Description | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website copy, 5 pages | 5 | £180.00 | £900.00 |
| Content strategy workshop, 1 day | 1 | £650.00 | £650.00 |
| Revisions, round 3 | 1 | £120.00 | £120.00 |
- Subtotal
- £1,670.00
- VAT (20%)
- £334.00
- Total
- £2,004.00
The PO prints under the dates on every template, where accounts payable looks for it.
Questions
Do I need to register anything to send a freelance invoice?
Invoira does not require it, but whether you must register for a tax number depends on where you live and what you earn. Ask an accountant; the generator only formats what you enter.
What is a good numbering scheme?
A prefix and a sequence: INV-0001, INV-0002. Keep it consecutive and never reuse a number. As a guest you type it; an account hands numbers out in order when you issue.
What payment terms should I use?
Whatever you agreed, written as a due date on the invoice. Net 14 is common for freelancers; larger companies often push for Net 30. The dashboard in an account separates overdue from outstanding by that date.
Can I put a late fee on the invoice?
Yes, in the notes field, as a sentence. Invoira does not add or calculate late fees automatically.
Can I invoice in a different currency from my bank account?
Yes. Choose the currency in the preview; amounts are formatted with that currency’s rules. How the money is converted is between you, your bank and your client.
Related
- Online invoice makerAn online invoice maker that does not ask you to sign up
- Google Sheets invoice templateAn invoice template for Google Sheets, and the faster way
- GST invoice formatGST invoice format: what goes on it, and how to make one
- Open the generatorStart typing your invoice. No account, free PDF.
- Invoira homeThe three layouts, and what an account adds.
Your turn
Turn this example into your invoice.
The line items are already there. Change the client, work, rates and dates, then download the PDF.
Updated 2026-09-10. Invoira formats what you enter; it does not give tax or legal advice.