Freelance Invoice Template to Copy, With the Card Fee on Every Invoice
Copy the sample invoice below, fill in your scope and dates, and use the calculator to see what a card payment fee takes and what to quote so you still receive your amount.
Sample invoice
A freelance invoice you can copy
Paste it into your own document and replace the bracketed parts.
INVOICE 2026-014
From: [Your name], [your email]
To: [Client name], [billing contact]
Issued: [date] Due: [date]
| Description | Rate | Qty | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Article, 1,500 words, 2 revisions | $300 | 1 | $300.00 |
| Extra revision round | $40 | 1 | $40.00 |
| Deposit received | -$150.00 | ||
| Balance due | $190.00 | ||
Pay by card or bank transfer at [payment link]. Late invoices accrue [your late term].
Required fields
Eight fields a freelance invoice needs
Your name and contact email
Use the name you trade under. A client or their bookkeeper needs to know who was paid.
Client name and billing contact
The business or person who approved the work, so accounts payable routes it correctly.
Invoice number
Number invoices in sequence, for example 2026-014. It is the reference in every later message.
Issue date and due date
Two dates. Net 14 or net 30 is a common term; write the exact due date, not only the term.
Line items with scope
Describe the deliverable, not the hour: "1,500 word article, 2 revisions" beats "writing".
Rate, quantity and line total
Per project, per word or per hour, each with its own total so the sum can be checked.
Deposit received and balance due
If you took a deposit, show it as a credit so the balance is the only amount owed.
Payment methods and late terms
One line naming how to pay and what happens after the due date.
Tax rules differ by state and country, so check what applies to your work before you add a tax line. If you bill artwork specifically, the art commission invoice builder splits a deposit and balance across the same payment methods.
Getting paid
How to collect the invoice without chasing it
An invoice that includes a payment link gets paid faster than one that asks the client to find your details. Stripe charges 2.9% plus $0.30 on a card payment, Square 3.3% plus $0.30, and a PayPal invoice paid with PayPal 3.49% plus $0.49. The fixed part matters most on small invoices, and a deposit and a balance pay it twice.
The more reliable fix is to fix the scope before the invoice exists. A gig page with Basic, Standard and Premium tiers makes the line item, the revision limit and the price part of the order, so the invoice only repeats what the client chose. Read how each processor works for freelancers in Stripe for freelancers and PayPal for freelancers.
Questions
Freelance invoice questions answered
What should a freelance invoice include?
Your name and email, the client name, a sequential invoice number, the issue and due dates, line items that describe the deliverable with their rates and totals, any deposit already paid, the balance due, and how the client can pay.
How do I write a freelance invoice with no company?
Use your own name or the name you trade under, a contact email, and the same fields a company would use. A sole proprietor does not need a company header, but the client still needs a number, dates, line items and a total.
When should I send a freelance invoice?
Send the deposit invoice before work starts and the balance invoice when you deliver. For retainers, invoice on the same day each month so the client can plan for it.
What payment terms should a freelancer use?
Net 14 suits small projects and net 30 is common with larger clients. Ask for a deposit on new clients, and state the due date on the invoice itself so nobody has to calculate it.
Who pays the card fee on a freelance invoice?
By default the person receiving the money does. On a $500 Stripe card payment the fee is $14.80, so you receive $485.20. If you want to receive the full amount, add the fee to the price before you quote, and the calculator on this page shows the figure.
Do I need invoicing software?
Not for a few clients. A copied template and a payment link work. Software starts to matter when you send many invoices a month, because reminders and numbering are easy to miss by hand.
Let the order page set the scope before you invoice
Publish your tiers, share one link, and take the order with the brief and the price attached.