Invoice Templates for Freelancers
What You Need to Put on a Freelance Invoice
Most businesses use the same sorts of information on invoices: contact information, sequential invoice numbers, etc. Because of the unique nature of freelance work compared to other businesses, freelance invoices should be adapted to reflect these differences. Here are the two sections on the standard invoice format that may need to change to meet the specific freelance needs:- Itemized charges
- Payments terms
Billing Charges
A freelance invoice is often different from the standard time-and-materials invoice format because of how charges are itemized. Freelancers such as artists or programmers who charge by the project can use any general service invoice or template but for others, the service invoice format falls short. That’s because freelancers often bill in unique ways. Here are some examples:- A freelance writer either charges by the article or by the word.
- A professional calligrapher will often charge by the envelope for invitations but by time for hand-lettered certificates or diplomas. Materials like envelopes and vellum are usually provided or paid for by the client.
- A video editor or programmer doing software development may charge either by the project or by time.
- A photographer may charge hourly, by lump sum, by time plus cost, or by services plus expenses and licensing. Because photography charges can be so specialized, we’ve put together a web page with invoice templates just for photography work.
- For the relatively new field of virtual assistant, the freelancer can end up charging by time, by project, by task, by percentage sales commission, or any combination of those.
Payment Terms
Back in the days before e-commerce, every job was billed using paper invoices, everyone was paid with paper checks, and all those paper records were delivered in person or sent in the mail. Back then it was easy to put together the information needed for an invoice. For the self-employed freelancer in the 21st century, things are no longer that simple and it affects what you put on your personalized invoices. You may still be mailing paper invoices or you may be doing all your billing and payments over the internet, either using a website that accepts charge cards or an online payment system that uses email like PayPal. As a freelancer, this affects the part of your invoice that lists how you want to get paid. You may even offer your client a variety of payment options, and all of those should be mentioned on your invoice. Here’s what you should include at the bottom of the invoice in the payment terms section:- A physical address if you take checks
- A phone number or website where your client can pay by charge card or debit card
- Your payment email address if you take payments through an online system like PayPal
- Any additional fees required for using certain payment methods
Free Resume Templates
Like bookkeeping and data entry, invoicing is a sought-after skill in many industries, from fashion to transportation to small businesses. You could start a new career, change your current one, or change industries. Before you start, work on your resume. Hloom also offers free resume templates with expert advice.
How to use a resume template?
Hloom’s resume templates are easy to use. Visit our Resume Builder:
- Answer a few prompts regarding your career and work experience.
- Customize a free resume template.
- If you already have a resume template, upload it and the builder will format it.
- Edit, add or remove sections to better suit your needs.
- Use the career expert recommendations as a guide throughout the process.
Freelance Invoice Templates
You need a well-drafted invoice that clearly presents your itemized charges. Our invoice design for our templates was done with freelancers and their individual needs in mind. You’ll find examples in the section below that include MS Word invoice templates and Excel invoice templates that are ready to use or can be quickly adapted for your business. Whether you need a freelance writer invoice template, a service invoice template for your software business, or a simple invoice template you can customize for your virtual assistant business, our templates use pleasing graphic design and include all the necessary sections required in a professional invoice.Colorful free invoice hourly
This simple billing invoice template is designed for freelancers who bill hourly. Customize by entering company info, description, price, hours, rate and payment info. |
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Service Invoice for article writers
We created this invoice specifically for content writers. It includes all the important elements of a standard invoice, but it’s also made in a way to make the invoicing easy. You can enter names of articles, specify what type of work had been done (this is useful if you charge different rate for different writing or provide additional services such as proofreading or translation), and price per word. Total due is then calculated automatically. |
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Service Invoice Template for Freelancers
Simple and easy-to-use service invoice template for freelancers. Describe your project, enter payment terms, due date, and lead time. Break down project into smaller projects and list each service along with description, number of hours, and rate per hour. Enter tax rate into provided field. Each line's total, subtotal and total due is calculated automatically from the data entered. |
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Sample Service Invoice spreadsheet
Enter description, hours billed, and rater per hour. The freelance invoice sample in excel calculates each line's total, subtotal before tax, total tax and total due. You can add additional misc charges into "other" field. Simple and elegant, this template is a great billing tool for any self-employed person. |
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Basic service invoice template
This template is a very basic service invoice format where all you need to enter is a description of work and amount billed. You have to manually add lines and tax to calculate total. |
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Basic format with optional tax and marketing banner
Another sample invoice where all you need to enter is a description of work and amount billed. You have to manually add lines and tax to calculate total. Marketing banner in the footer of this invoice allows you to advertise other services your company provides. |
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Basic format for billing hourly with banner
This freelancer invoice template comes with a table for outlining line item number, description of work provided, hours, rate, amount, subtotal, tax, and total due. Marketing banner on the bottom of the page can be used to advertise products and services. |
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Invoice for hourly rate
Perfect errorless calculations within seconds with this invoice template Excel. Enter the hours worked on project, the rate charged per hour, and the tax rate to be applied. The sub total and total due will be calculated automatically. |
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Colorful free invoice
This is a very simple invoice wit two columns: description and amount. This invoice is great for freelancers who needs a simple service invoice. |
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Service Invoice Hourly with Minutes
Line-item invoice for freelancers who are paid on hourly basis (transcription, proofreading, video editing). Enter your hourly rate, and the minutes worked on a project. |
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