Freelance Invoice Templates

Being a freelancer has its perks - you can set your own hours, and work with the clients you choose. However, it also means that you’re solely in charge of your business’s invoicing and accounting.

Whether you’re a freelance writer or graphic designer, you’ll need to issue invoices for your services. Invoices are an official request for payment that need to include certain information to be valid. 

This article explains how to invoice as a freelancer, and what needs to be included on your invoices. A sample freelance invoice and free invoice templates are also available. 

How to invoice as a freelancer

Invoices are required for business-to-business (B2B) transactions. Although they aren’t mandatory for business-to-consumer (B2C) sales, the majority of freelancers prefer to issue them. 

This is because invoices serve as proof of a sale and help you to keep track of your payments. They help you gather the data needed to submit your income tax return to the IRS, and can also help you manage your cash flow so you'll always have a steady income.

You can invoice in a variety of different ways. You can use Word or Excel invoice templates, invoicing software, or create your own template. 

What needs to be on my freelancer invoice?

As a freelancer, you’ll likely issue invoices excluding sales tax. Before you start invoicing, you should double-check the nexus threshold in your state to see if you should be applying sales tax to your transactions. 

For non-tax registered freelancers, you’ll need to include the following information on your invoices:

• The title “Invoice”

• Your name/business name and address

• Your customer’s name/business name and address

• A unique invoice number

• The invoice issue date

• The due date for payment

• A description of the products and/or services provided

• The quantity and price of each product and/or service

• The date the products and/or services were delivered (if this is different from the invoice issue date)

• The total amount due

If your business is registered for sales tax in the state you’re invoicing to, or your business imports or exports goods, you’ll need to include additional invoice fields.

Although not a mandatory invoice field, we recommend including clear payment terms on each invoice to explain how your customer should issue the payment. 

Freelance invoice example

Below, you’ll find a sample freelance invoice created using SumUp Invoices. All of the required information is included and it is also customized with a logo, contact information, and an online payment link. 

Freelance invoice template for Microsoft Word

Newly established freelancers often opt to create their own invoices using Microsoft Word or Google Docs. While these are simple programs, they require lots of manual entry which can lead to errors and missing information. 

Since these programs don’t update with new tax rates or invoicing requirements, you’ll need to keep track of these changes yourself. 

You can create your own template with Word, or download our premade freelance template below. All of the mandatory fields are included, and you can upload your own logo. 

Freelance invoice template for Excel

Compared to Word, Excel offers several advantages. Using formulas, you can have your totals add up automatically, and the dates reflect the current date. You can even set up your template to automatically enter the next invoice number in your sequence. 

Again, you’ll need to double-check the information before sending it to your customer to make sure there are no mistakes. If there are any mistakes after issuing the invoice, you’ll need to cancel the invoice with a credit memo and create a new one from scratch. 

Below, you can download our free Excel invoice templates. There are two tabs in the file, one for non-tax invoices, and one for tax invoices if your freelance business is registered for sales tax. 

You can customize the template with your business details, logo, and bank account information. 

Invoicing software for freelancers

SumUp Invoices is online invoicing software that makes invoicing as simple and intuitive as possible. With our premade template, you just need to enter the customer and product information and the system will do the rest.

You can create a compliant invoice in less than one minute and send it directly to your customer’s email. You can also choose to include a payment link directly on the invoice so your customer can pay instantly with a credit card - no more waiting for checks in the mail!