Getting paid
How to invoice a client (step by step)
Sending your first invoice can feel intimidating, but it comes down to a short checklist. Do these steps once and every invoice after that takes about a minute.
1. Add your details and the client's
Every invoice starts with who is billing whom. Put your business name, address, and email at the top, then the client's name and address underneath. If you have a logo, add it. It makes the invoice look established and trustworthy.
2. Give it a unique invoice number
Number your invoices in a sequence like INV-0001, INV-0002, and so on. This isn't just for looks: a unique number makes each invoice easy to reference when a client asks about a payment, and it keeps your own records clean at tax time.
3. List each product or service as its own line
Break the work into clear line items, each with a description, quantity, and price. "Website design, 10 hours, $75/hr" tells the client exactly what they're paying for. Itemizing also makes disputes rare, because there's nothing hidden or bundled.
4. Add tax and the total
If you're registered to charge sales tax, VAT, or GST, add it as a percentage and show it as its own line. Then show the subtotal, any discount, the tax, and the final total due. Making the total obvious helps you get paid faster.
5. State your payment terms
Tell the client when and how to pay. "Payment due within 14 days by bank transfer" removes ambiguity. For larger jobs, ask for a deposit up front. Adding a small late fee (for example, 2% per month) gently encourages on-time payment.
6. Send it as a PDF
Email the invoice as a PDF so it looks the same on every device and can't be accidentally edited. You can create and download one for free with our invoice generator, with no signup and no watermark.
How to get paid on time
Invoice promptly (the sooner you send it, the sooner you're paid), keep your terms short, and send a friendly reminder a day or two before the due date. Most late payments are simply forgotten, not refused, and a polite nudge fixes the majority of them.
Set up an invoice numbering system before you need one
Most people invent an invoice number for the first invoice and then improvise from there. That works until you have forty of them and a client queries one from four months ago. Pick a scheme now and stay with it. Sequential numbering (INV-0001, INV-0002) is the simplest and it is what accountants expect. If you work with several regular clients, prefixing helps: ACME-0007 tells you the client and the sequence at a glance.
Two rules matter more than the format you choose. Never reuse a number, and never leave gaps you cannot explain. In many countries the tax authority expects invoice numbers to run in an unbroken sequence, and unexplained gaps look like deleted invoices. If you cancel an invoice, issue a credit note against it rather than deleting it and reusing the number.
How to actually send the invoice
Email is fine for almost every small business. Attach the PDF, and put the essential details in the body of the email too, because some clients forward the message to a finance inbox that never opens attachments. A short covering email works better than a long one:
Subject: Invoice INV-0012 from [Your Business] due 3 August
Hi [Name], please find attached invoice INV-0012 for [brief description of work], totalling [amount], due on [date]. Bank details are on the invoice. Any questions, just reply to this email. Thanks!
Send it to the right person. On larger jobs, ask early who handles payments, because an invoice sitting in your day-to-day contact's inbox is an invoice that is not being processed. If the client uses a purchase order system, get the PO number before you invoice and put it on the document. Without it, many finance departments will simply reject the invoice.
Common invoicing mistakes that delay payment
- Sending it late. The clock starts when the invoice arrives, not when the work finished. A week of delay on your side is a week added to when you get paid.
- Vague descriptions. "Consulting services" invites questions. "Website audit and recommendations report, delivered 14 July" does not.
- Missing payment details. If the client has to email you asking how to pay, you have added days to the process for no reason.
- No due date. "Payment on receipt" is vague. An actual date removes the ambiguity entirely.
- Wrong recipient. Invoices sent to the person who hired you rather than the person who pays are a very common cause of silence.
What to do when an invoice is not paid
Assume it was forgotten, because it usually was. A short, friendly reminder a few days after the due date resolves the majority of late payments without any awkwardness. Reattach the invoice, since asking someone to search their inbox adds friction.
If a second reminder passes without response, change the channel. Phone the client or email a different contact in the business. Silence over email is very often a filtering problem rather than a refusal to pay. Escalate slowly and keep every message polite and factual, because you will almost certainly want to work with this client again, and an aggressive message is remembered long after the payment clears.
For persistent non-payment, a formal written demand referencing the invoice number, the amount, the original due date, and any late fees in your terms is the usual next step before considering small claims proceedings. Keep copies of everything: the agreed scope, the invoice, and every reminder you sent.
Keep records for tax time
Save a copy of every invoice you issue, paid or not, in one folder organized by year. Most tax authorities require you to retain business records for several years, and the exact period varies by country, so check your local rule. Doing this as you go turns tax season from an archaeology project into an afternoon of admin. A PDF copy in a dated folder is enough for most sole traders and small businesses.