Video editing invoice template
In video, the money leaks after the edit is approved: eight extra aspect ratios, a music swap, and a request for the project files two years later. This invoice prices the versions, the licence, and the archive up front.
Free to copy and use. Nothing to download, no email required. Replace anything in [SQUARE BRACKETS] with your own details.
A version is a deliverable, not a favour
One 90-second hero cut, a 30-second paid social version, a 15-second bumper, and a vertical crop of each is four deliverables and probably three days of work. Price them as separate lines from the start. When a client asks for “just a square version” in week six, you can point at what a version costs instead of doing it at 11pm for free.
Rounds of notes, defined precisely
A round is one consolidated set of timecoded notes from the client, delivered by an agreed date. It is not three people emailing separately over four days. Say so on the invoice and in the contract, because “we are still on round two” is the most expensive sentence in post-production. Two rounds included is a reasonable default for a short-form brand piece.
Music licences and archive have real costs
Licence music in the client's name where the platform allows it, and pass it through at cost with the receipt otherwise — a track licensed for web that ends up in a paid campaign is an actual legal problem, not a footnote. Then state how long you keep the project: [90] days of live storage is generous, and a named archive retrieval fee turns an unpaid favour into a small invoice.
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.
Video editing invoice template
INVOICE
[YOUR NAME OR STUDIO NAME] — Video and post-production
[Street address] · [City, State/Province, Postal code]
[you@yourstudio.com] · [+1 555 000 0000]
[Business number / Tax ID / VAT number]
BILL TO
[Client legal entity name]
Attn: [Approver name], [Job title]
[Billing address]
Accounts payable: [ap@clientcompany.com]
Invoice number: [INV-0002]
Purchase order / reference: [PO-0000]
Project: [Product launch film]
Scope reference: [Scope dated 2026-04-03, approved by [name]]
Issue date: [2026-05-20]
Payment due: [2026-06-03] — Net 14 from issue date
------------------------------------------------------------------
DESCRIPTION QTY RATE AMOUNT
------------------------------------------------------------------
Offline edit — [4] days, including 4 $[650.00] $[2,600.00]
ingest, sync, transcription, string-
out and assembly from [3.2 TB] of
supplied footage
Motion graphics — [lower thirds, 1 $[1,100.00] $[1,100.00]
animated logo sting, 6 on-screen
stat cards, end card with CTA]
Colour grade — [1] day 1 $[750.00] $[750.00]
Sound — [dialogue clean-up, music 1 $[600.00] $[600.00]
bed, mix to -14 LUFS for web and
-16 LUFS for social]
Deliverable versions 4 $[225.00] $[900.00]
[1) 90s hero, 16:9, 1080p + 4K
2) 30s paid social, 16:9
3) 15s bumper, 1:1
4) 30s vertical, 9:16, burned-in
captions]
Revision rounds 1–2 (included) 2 $[0.00] $[0.00]
Revision round 3 — [additional, 1 $[450.00] $[450.00]
requested [2026-05-14]: replace
VO take and re-time section 2]
Music licence — [track, library], 1 $[199.00] $[199.00]
[web and social, worldwide, 3 years].
Licensed in [Client]'s name.
Receipt attached.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Subtotal $[6,599.00]
Deposit received [2026-04-08] -$[2,500.00]
[Sales tax / VAT @ 0%] $[0.00]
------------------------------------------------------------------
AMOUNT DUE $[4,099.00]
------------------------------------------------------------------
WHAT A ROUND MEANS
A revision round is one consolidated set of timecoded notes from
[Client], sent by an agreed date, covering the whole cut. Notes that
arrive after a round has been actioned, or that contradict an earlier
approved decision, start the next round. Additional rounds are billed at
$[450.00] each, agreed in writing before the work begins.
Changes that go beyond notes — a new script direction, a re-shoot, a
different edit structure after picture lock — are quoted separately as a
change order.
DELIVERY, RIGHTS AND ARCHIVE
· Masters delivered via [delivery platform] in [ProRes 422 HQ] plus
[H.264] web versions, with an [SRT] caption file per version.
· Copyright in the finished films transfers to [Client] on payment in
full. Until then the cut is licensed for internal review only and
carries a watermark.
· Music, stock footage, and licensed fonts remain governed by their own
licences. The music licence above covers [web and social] only —
broadcast or paid out-of-home use needs an upgrade, which I can quote.
· Project files, raw footage, and the edit timeline are kept online for
[90] days after final delivery, then archived. Retrieval after that:
$[150.00] per project, subject to availability. Raw footage is handed
over on request at $[100.00] plus the cost of the drive.
PAYMENT TERMS
1. Payment is due by [2026-06-03]. The deposit is non-refundable and
holds the edit dates in the schedule.
2. Late payment accrues interest at [1.5]% per month, or the maximum
permitted by law in [jurisdiction] if lower.
3. If [Client] cancels after the edit has started, all work completed to
that point plus [25]% of the remaining fee is payable.
4. Idle time. If approved notes are more than [10] business days late,
the schedule moves and re-booking the suite is billed at $[650.00]
per day.
HOW TO PAY
Bank transfer: [Account name] · [Account number] · [Routing/IBAN]
Reference: [INV-0002]
Card or online payment: [payment link]
Thank you — [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.
Use this with
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