Freelance invoice template
Most freelance invoices get paid late for a boring reason: something is missing. No due date, no reference number, no name of the person who signs it off. This one has all of it. Copy it, replace the bracketed parts, send it as the body of an email or as a PDF.
Free to copy and use. Nothing to download, no email required. Replace anything in [SQUARE BRACKETS] with your own details.
What this invoice does differently
It states a due date instead of “payment upon receipt”, which an accounts payable team cannot schedule against. It carries a purchase order field, because at any client above roughly fifty people an invoice without a PO number sits in a queue nobody checks. And it names the late fee before the payment is late, so charging it later is enforcement rather than an awkward new negotiation.
Pick your terms before you send it
Net 14 is the default here. Net 30 is normal for larger clients and you should expect to accept it. Anything beyond Net 30 is a financing decision you are making on the client's behalf, so price it or decline it. On a project big enough that non-payment would hurt, split the money: a deposit invoice before work starts and a balance invoice on delivery. The deposit is not a favour — it is the reason you are not funding a stranger's project out of your own account.
The late fee only works if it was already in the contract
A late fee that first appears on the overdue invoice is a request. A late fee that already appears in the signed agreement is a term. Use the same wording in both places, keep the rate within what your jurisdiction allows (many cap it), and apply it the first time it is earned. A fee you never charge teaches the client that your dates are decorative.
Send it to a person, not to a company
Email it to the approver and copy the accounts payable address, with the invoice number in the subject line. If your client uses a supplier portal, upload it there as well and keep the confirmation. Then diarise the due date plus one day — the follow-up you send the morning after is the one that gets paid, because the invoice is still recent enough for everyone to remember what it is for.
The invoice template
Copy the whole thing, or select the parts you need. The numbers and dates are examples — change them to yours before sending anything.
Freelance invoice template
INVOICE
[YOUR NAME OR STUDIO NAME]
[Street address]
[City, State/Province, Postal code]
[Country]
[you@yourstudio.com] · [+1 555 000 0000]
[Business number / Tax ID / VAT number — delete if not applicable]
BILL TO
[Client legal entity name — the name on their bank account, not their brand]
Attn: [Approver name], [Job title]
[Billing address]
Accounts payable: [ap@clientcompany.com]
Invoice number: [INV-0001]
Purchase order / reference: [PO-0000 or project code]
Issue date: [2026-01-15]
Payment due: [2026-01-29] — Net 14 from issue date
Currency: [USD]
------------------------------------------------------------------
DESCRIPTION QTY RATE AMOUNT
------------------------------------------------------------------
[Deliverable — e.g. Brand identity 1 $[3,000.00] $[3,000.00]
system: primary logo, two lockups,
type scale, colour palette, and a
12-page usage guide. Per the scope
dated [2026-01-02].]
[Additional work — e.g. Revision 2 $[250.00] $[500.00]
round 3 and 4, beyond the two
rounds included in the scope.
Approved by [name] on [date].]
[Reimbursable — e.g. Stock photo 1 $[180.00] $[180.00]
licence, purchased at your request.
Receipt attached.]
------------------------------------------------------------------
Subtotal $[3,680.00]
Deposit received [2026-01-05] -$[1,500.00]
[Sales tax / VAT @ 0%] $[0.00]
------------------------------------------------------------------
AMOUNT DUE $[2,180.00]
------------------------------------------------------------------
HOW TO PAY
Bank transfer (preferred)
Account name: [Your legal name or entity]
Account number: [00000000]
Routing / sort code / IBAN: [000000]
Payment reference: [INV-0001]
Card or online payment: [payment link]
[Other accepted method — e.g. PayPal: you@yourstudio.com]
PAYMENT TERMS
1. Due date. Payment is due in full by [2026-01-29], being 14 days from
the issue date shown above.
2. Late payment. Amounts still outstanding after the due date accrue
interest at [1.5]% per month ([18]% per year) on the unpaid balance,
or the maximum rate permitted by law in [your jurisdiction] if that is
lower. Interest runs from the day after the due date until payment is
received in full.
3. Suspension. If any invoice is more than [14] days overdue, I may pause
work on all current projects for [Client] until the balance is cleared.
Agreed dates move by at least the length of the pause, and I am not
responsible for deadlines missed during it.
4. Ownership. Copyright and the usage rights described in our agreement
transfer to [Client] when payment is received in full. Until then, the
delivered files are licensed for internal review only and may not be
published, printed, or used commercially.
5. Disputes. If you disagree with a line item, tell me in writing within
[7] days of the issue date and I will hold that line while we sort it
out. Every other line stays payable on the original due date.
6. Expenses. Reimbursable costs are billed at cost, with receipts
attached, and were approved in writing before they were incurred.
7. Bank charges. Please send the full invoice amount — any transfer or
intermediary bank fees are the payer's responsibility.
Questions about this invoice: [you@yourstudio.com]
Thank you for the work.
[Your name]This is a practical starting point rather than legal advice. Terms like late fees and payment periods are regulated differently depending on where you and your client are, so check anything you plan to enforce.
Send it from PaloWorks with a Pay button
PaloWorks numbers the invoice for you, works out deposit and balance invoices from the scope price, and totals the line items, tax, and discount in whole cents. Your client gets a link with a Pay button once you connect Stripe, plus a PDF, and reminders go out if it runs late. It does not import this page: you type your line items once, on the project.
Free for one client and three active projects. Pro is $19/mo for unlimited clients and projects.
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