The freelancer invoicing guide

Invoice the moment you deliver

Payment terms run from the invoice date, so batching invoices to month-end costs you up to a month of cash flow for no benefit. Send it the day the work lands.

Hours or project fee?

Bill the way you priced. If you agreed an hourly rate, put the hours in the quantity field with the unit set to hrs — decimal hours work, so 7.5 bills correctly. If you agreed a project fee, one line with a clear description of the deliverable is better than an invented hour breakdown, which only invites scrutiny of how long things took.

Deposits and staged payments

For anything substantial, invoice a deposit before starting — commonly 30–50%. Bill it as its own line describing what it covers. On the final invoice, add the deposit back as a negative line so the balance due is unambiguous.

Terms that actually get honoured

Net 14 is a reasonable default for freelance work and is rarely challenged. Put a specific due date on the invoice as well as the terms in words, and include your payment details on the document itself rather than in the covering email — emails get forwarded without attachments, and invoices get filed without emails.

Keep your details ready

Your business details, logo and payment information persist in your browser here, so each new invoice starts mostly filled in. That removes the main reason freelancers delay invoicing — the friction of starting the document.