Free freelance invoice template
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INVOICE
| Description | Qty | Price | Amount |
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What belongs on a freelance invoice
The aim is an invoice a client can approve and pay without emailing you a question. Every question costs you a week.
- Your name, trading name if any, and an address
- The client’s name and billing address — the entity that pays, which is not always the person who briefed you
- A unique invoice number and issue date
- An explicit due date, not just “30 days”
- Itemised work with quantities, hours or a fixed fee
- Your bank details, in full
- A purchase order or reference number if the client uses them
Payment terms that actually work
Two changes make more difference than anything else. First, state a calendar due date rather than a period — “due 12 September” gets paid noticeably faster than “30 days”, because it needs no arithmetic and creates a deadline. Second, send the invoice the day the work is delivered, not at the end of the month. Most late payment is late invoicing.
Deposits
For new clients or projects over a couple of thousand pounds, invoicing 30–50% up front is standard and rarely questioned. It also filters out the clients who were never going to pay — someone who objects to a deposit is telling you something useful.
When they do not pay
Between businesses, you have an automatic statutory right to charge interest at 8% above the Bank of England base rate, plus fixed compensation of £40, £70 or £100 depending on the size of the debt. This applies whether or not it is in your contract.
Most freelancers never use it. The value is in stating it on the invoice from the outset — the line changes behaviour long before you would ever have to act on it.
Keep every invoice. From April 2027, freelancers with gross income over £30,000 must file quarterly under Making Tax Digital, and the threshold counts turnover before expenses.
Common questions
What should a freelance invoice include?
Your details, the client's billing entity, a unique number, issue and due dates, itemised work, the total, and your payment details. A purchase order number too, if the client uses them.
How long should freelance payment terms be?
14 to 30 days is normal. State an actual calendar date rather than a number of days — it gets paid faster.
Can I charge a late fee as a freelancer?
Yes, between businesses. You can charge 8% above the Bank of England base rate plus £40 to £100 fixed compensation, automatically, without it being in your contract.
Should I ask for a deposit?
For new clients or larger projects, 30–50% up front is standard practice and rarely objected to by clients who intend to pay.