Freelance architects: overhaul your invoicing

As with all freelance work, being a self-employed architect has its ups and downs. While going freelance gives you the freedom to choose your own hours, pick your projects and build your own brand, it also gives you additional responsibilities that you wouldn’t have within a large firm or agency.

One of these responsibilities is invoicing. Invoicing is key to getting paid, but can be a repetitive and time-consuming task. Fortunately, invoicing can be made quicker, easier and more professional with invoicing software. 

This article explores four ways that invoicing software can overhaul your invoicing process.

Professional invoice templates

Because invoices are official documents, it’s important to check that each and every invoice you send meets all the necessary requirements. Whenever you send an invoice, it should include:

  • Your company name and address (and VAT number, if applicable)

  • Your customer’s name and contact details

  • A unique invoice number

  • The word ‘invoice’

  • The date the invoice is issued

  • Details of the service you’ve provided, including quantity (i.e. hours worked) and price

  • The total amount due

Each invoice you create with SumUp Invoices will meet these legal requirements, giving you peace of mind that your invoices are professional and above board.

Invoicing with attachments

As a freelance architect, your clients will often ask for preliminary plans, blueprints, photos or contacts before they’ll sign off on a project.

With invoicing software, you can attach documents to quotes and invoices. By sending pictures, files and documents along with your quotes and invoices, you reduce the number of back-and-forth questions and make your offer more appealing.

To send attachments in SumUp Invoices, simply create an invoice, scroll to the bottom of your invoice template, then select the files to upload and attach to your invoice or quotation.

Proforma invoices & Quotes

While not all businesses use them, proforma invoices and quotes can be a helpful addition to your invoicing process.

A quotation is issued to a potential customer who is enquiring about your services and prices.

A proforma invoice is essentially a non-official invoice. They’re most commonly sent after the customer has committed to the purchase, but before the final details of the sale are confirmed.

Unlike true invoices, proforma invoices are not legal documents, so can be updated and changed at a later date. Most architectural projects go through several stages of development before a final price is agreed upon. If you expect changes, proforma invoices and quotes can be a valuable addition to your invoicing process.

With SumUp Invoices, you can create a quotation in less than 1 minute. If the customer confirms the sale, you can then convert the quote into an invoice in just a few clicks.

Accepting payments

While large firms are often paid at the end of a project, as a freelance architect, you’ll need reassurance that you’ll be getting a regular income and get paid on time.

Invoicing software not only helps you create professional sales documents, but it can also help you get paid faster. 

With SumUp Invoices, you can include an online payment link directly on your invoice. When you issue the invoice to your customer, the email will include a “Pay Now” button. The customer simply needs to enter their credit card details and the payment will be automatically recorded and your invoice will be marked as paid.