Tutorial · Checklist
What to include on an invoice
You're about to send your first real invoice and you're worried you'll forget something. Fair. A sloppy invoice is the fastest way to look amateur and get paid late. Here's exactly what belongs on it — and what happens when you leave stuff out.
Your business info
At the top, put your legal or trading name, address, email, and phone. If you're registered with a tax ID — EIN in the US, VAT number in the EU, ABN in Australia — include it.
Why it matters: Your client's accountant needs to file this. If your name on the invoice doesn't match the name on the contract or on your bank account, payments get held up or bounced.
What breaks: Freelancers get paid weeks late because the invoice said "Alex Design" but the wire needed to go to "Alexander Petrov." The bank rejects it, and nobody tells them for over a week.
Your client's info
Full legal name of the company (or person) paying you. Their address. A contact name and email if you have one — usually the person in accounts payable, not the person who hired you.
Why it matters: The person who briefed you is rarely the person who pays you. If the invoice lands in the wrong inbox, it sits.
What breaks: You send the invoice to your project manager. She's on vacation. Nobody in AP knows the invoice exists. You email three weeks later asking where the money is.
Always cc accounts payable. Always.
A unique invoice number
Every invoice gets a unique, sequential number. 001, 002, 003. Or INV-0001, INV-0002. Or 2026-001. Pick a system and stick to it.
Why it matters: It's how both sides track payment. It's also how tax authorities verify you're not double-counting or hiding revenue. In many jurisdictions — especially the EU and UK — sequential numbering is a legal requirement. Check your local rules.
What breaks: You send two invoices with the same number by accident. Your client pays one, thinks they paid both, and you spend a month proving otherwise.
If you use an invoicing app like eddies, invoice numbers auto-increment so you can't repeat one. If you're doing it in a spreadsheet, keep a running log.
Issue date and due date
Two separate dates. The issue date is when you sent it. The due date is when you expect to be paid.
Why it matters: "Due upon receipt" is not a due date. It's a suggestion. Clients ignore suggestions.
What breaks: We've seen freelancers send $10,000 invoices with no due date and wonder why they didn't get paid for 90 days. If you don't tell people when to pay, they'll pay when it's convenient — which is never.
Pick a specific date. Net 14 is fine for small clients and repeat work; Net 30 is the standard corporate default. Whichever you pick, write out the actual date on the invoice: "Due: March 15, 2026." Not just "Net 30." Some clients don't know what Net 30 means, and the ones who do will still stall.
For the full send-and-follow-up workflow, see how to send an invoice as a freelancer.
Line items
Each thing you're charging for gets its own line. Description, quantity, rate, and line total.
Bad line item:
Design work — $5,000
Good line item:
Landing page design — 2 rounds, 5 sections — 40 hrs @ $125/hr — $5,000
Why it matters: Vague line items get flagged by AP for clarification. Clarification takes days. Meanwhile you're not getting paid.
What breaks: Your client's finance team can't match your invoice to a purchase order or scope of work. It sits in a "pending review" pile. You had no idea that pile existed.
If your project was a flat fee, still break it down. "Brand identity project — logo, guidelines, 3 lockup variations — $4,500" beats "Branding — $4,500" every time.
Subtotal, tax, discount, total
Show the math. In this order:
- Subtotal — sum of all line items before anything else
- Discount (if any) — as a line, with the reason: "Early bird — 10%"
- Tax — VAT, GST, sales tax, whatever applies. Show the rate and the amount.
- Total — the final number, in a clear currency
Why it matters: If a client can't see how you got to the total, they'll question it. Every question is a delay.
What breaks: You wrote the total in the wrong currency. You're a UK freelancer, you invoiced a US client in "$" without specifying, and now everyone's arguing whether that's USD, CAD, or AUD.
Always spell out the currency: USD, EUR, GBP. Not just the symbol.
This is where full-blown accounting suites like QuickBooks Self-Employed add most of their complexity, but for a solo freelancer this list is enough. If you're weighing tools, here's a fuller comparison.
Payment terms
State them explicitly. Even if you emailed them earlier.
- Due date (again, repeated near the total)
- Late fee policy, if any ("1.5% per month on overdue balances")
- Accepted payment methods
Why it matters: If you didn't put late fees on the invoice, you can't enforce them. If you didn't say which payment methods you accept, expect a check in the mail.
What breaks: You accept bank transfer only. Client sends a check. Check takes 10 days to clear. You never told them not to.
Bank / payment details
The part everyone forgets. If you want to be paid, tell them how.
- For US bank transfer: account holder name, routing number, account number.
- For international wire: IBAN, SWIFT/BIC, bank name and address.
- For PayPal, Wise, or Stripe: the exact email or link.
Why it matters: An invoice without payment instructions is a bill you're hoping someone will figure out. Nobody figures it out.
What breaks: Client goes to pay, realizes there are no bank details, emails you asking, you're asleep in a different timezone, another 24 hours pass. Compound this over 12 invoices a year and you've lost weeks of cashflow.
Notes
Optional. Use this space for a short thank-you, project reference number, or PO number if the client requires one.
Do not use this space for passive-aggressive reminders about your last invoice. That's what a separate follow-up email is for — and we've written about how to write a professional invoice email too.
Signature
Not legally required in most jurisdictions for freelance invoices. It's a leftover convention from paper-era accounting. Skip it unless a specific client explicitly requires it.
If you want the extra touch, a typed name at the bottom is fine. You do not need a scanned handwritten squiggle.
FAQ
Do I need an invoice number if I'm a freelancer?
Yes. Every invoice needs a unique number, even if you only send one a month. Many countries (especially in the EU and UK) require sequential numbering by law. Your client's accountant needs it to reconcile payments. Start at 001 or INV-0001 and keep going.
Is a signature legally required?
In almost every jurisdiction, no. An invoice is a demand for payment based on an agreement that already exists (your contract or SOW). Handwritten signatures don't add legal weight. Some clients ask for them out of habit — give them a typed name and move on.
Do I need to add tax?
Depends on where you're registered and where your client is. VAT-registered freelancers in the EU generally do — and often need to note the reverse charge for cross-border B2B invoices, though rules on place of supply vary by service type. In the US, freelance services are often not sales-taxable, but some states (Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, others) do tax services broadly. This isn't tax advice — check with an accountant once. It's a one-time question that saves years of guessing.
What if my client pays late?
If your invoice states a late fee policy, you can enforce it. If it doesn't, you can't. Add it to future invoices. For the current overdue one, send a firm but polite follow-up email referencing the invoice number and the days overdue. Escalate through the AP contact, not the person who hired you.
Can I edit an invoice after I've sent it?
Technically yes, but don't. If you made a mistake, issue a credit note to cancel the wrong invoice, then send a new invoice with a new number. Editing in place breaks your numbering trail and confuses everyone's books.
If you'd rather have this checklist built into an app instead of a Google Doc template, eddies is our free iPhone invoicing app for freelancers. Free forever, no account required.