Freelance invoice generator

How to invoice as a freelancer

This page uses the same builder as the invoice generator. It opens with a freelance example: hours, a fixed fee and a reimbursed expense on one invoice. Replace the sample with your own work, or click Start blank.

1. Put your own name at the top if you have no business name. Many freelancers invoice under their own name. Add your address, email and any tax number your clients need, such as an EIN, a UTR or a VAT number.
2. Name the client the way their accounts team knows them. Use the legal company name, add “Attn: Accounts payable” or a contact, and put their purchase order or statement-of-work number in the PO number field. Invoices without the client’s reference are often the ones that sit unpaid.
3. Bill hours as quantity × rate. Write the period in the description, for example “Website development, 1–15 October (hours)”, put the hours in Qty (decimals such as 22.5 are fine) and your hourly rate in Price.
4. Add fixed fees and expenses as their own lines. A fixed-fee item has a quantity of 1. Expenses you pass on at cost, such as a stock photo licence, go on a separate line so the client can see they are not part of your rate.
5. Pick payment terms and say how to pay. Net 15 is a common choice for freelance work. The due date is set for you. Put your bank, ACH or payment-link details under Payment details.
6. Download the PDF and send it. Billpad remembers the number, so New invoice starts the next one with your details and the client already filled in.

Hourly, fixed fee or retainer: how each looks on an invoice

Hourly

One line per task or per period, with the hours as the quantity and your rate as the price. Agree in advance how you round time (for example to the nearest quarter hour) and keep your time log. Attaching a short timesheet answers most questions before they are asked.

Fixed fee

One line per deliverable or milestone, quantity 1, with the agreed price. If the project is paid in stages, say which stage this invoice covers, such as “Milestone 2 of 3: design approved”.

Retainer

A monthly line such as “Retainer, November 2026: up to 20 hours”, usually invoiced at the start of the month. Hours over the allowance go on a separate line at your hourly rate.

Deposit

For new clients, many freelancers ask for part of the fee up front. Send a deposit invoice with one line, such as “30% deposit for website project”. On the final invoice, bill the remaining balance as the line amount and quote the deposit invoice’s number in the notes, so the client can match the two payments. (Billpad does not accept negative line amounts.)

Worked example: the sample freelance invoice

The example is a freelance web developer billing a media company for the first half of October in US dollars, on Net 15 terms with no sales tax.

With Net 15 terms, an invoice dated 20 October 2026 is due on 4 November 2026. The client’s statement-of-work number (SOW-12) sits in the PO number field, and the note says the hours come from an attached time log.

The same work billed by a VAT-registered freelancer in the UK at 20% would look different: VAT on the development hours and the workshop, but not on an expense that is a true disbursement. In Billpad you would add + Tax, rename it VAT, set 20%, and give the expense line its own 0% rate. Whether an expense counts as a disbursement depends on HMRC’s conditions, so check before you leave VAT off.

Tax on freelance invoices

• United States. Many professional services are not subject to sales tax, but some states tax certain services, such as some digital or design work. Only add sales tax where you are required to collect it. Income tax is not shown on an invoice. If a client needs your taxpayer details for a Form 1099, they usually ask for a W-9 separately.
• United Kingdom. Charge VAT only if you are VAT-registered, and then show your VAT number, the rate and the VAT amount. If you are not registered, do not add VAT or describe the invoice as a VAT invoice.
• European Union. For services to a business client in another EU country, the reverse charge often applies: you charge no VAT and add a note such as “Reverse charge”, with both VAT numbers. Rules depend on the country and the service.
• Australia, Canada and others. If you are registered for GST or HST, show your ABN or registration number and the tax. If you are not, leave the tax at 0.

General information, not tax advice. Registration thresholds and rules change. Check your tax authority’s guidance or ask an accountant. The invoice checklist lists what most invoices need.

Getting paid on time

Agree the rate, the payment terms and what happens with extra work before you start, ideally in a short written agreement or statement of work. Send the invoice as soon as the work or the billing period ends. Short terms such as Net 7 or Net 15 suit small clients; large companies often have fixed payment runs, so ask how their accounts payable process works and what they need on the invoice (a PO number, a supplier number, a specific email address).

If an invoice is overdue, a polite reminder that quotes the invoice number, amount and due date usually works. Only charge late fees or interest if your agreement allows it and local law permits it. Before you bill a new client for a large project, an estimate or quote sets expectations, and a receipt confirms payments when a client asks for one.