Invoice generator for freelancers

Freelance invoices that get paid on time

Hourly or flat-rate, one-off or milestone-based: send a clear invoice with terms the client agreed to up front.

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Freelancers usually juggle a few billing styles at once: an hourly client here, a flat-fee project there, and a bigger engagement split into milestones. The invoice is often the only formal paperwork a client ever sees, so it needs to carry your terms clearly, including when payment is due and what happens if it's late.

Put the project name and the client's PO or reference number on every invoice, since many companies won't route a bill to accounts payable without one. If you're new to terms like Net 30, our guide to invoice payment terms walks through the options.

Maya Chen Writing Co.

1120 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97214

maya@mayachenwriting.example.com

Invoice

No.: MC-0112
Date: Oct 1, 2026
Due date: Oct 31, 2026
PO #: TOS-44871
Project: Fall 2026 catalog and blog

Bill to

Accounts Payable

Trailhead Outdoor Supply

3800 Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80206

ap@trailheadoutdoor.example.com

Terms

Net 30

Line items
Deliverable	Qty	Rate	Amount
Milestone 2: fall catalog product descriptions (40 SKUs), delivered 9/28 1 × $2,400.00	1	$2,400.00	$2,400.00
Blog posts, 1,200 words each, per content calendar 3 × $450.00	3	$450.00	$1,350.00
Additional editing and revisions outside scope (hours) 3.5 × $85.00	3.5	$85.00	$297.50

Subtotal: $4,047.50
Tax: $0.00
Total due: $4,047.50

Notes

Payment due within 30 days. Per our agreement, a 1.5% monthly late fee applies to balances past due. Milestone 3 will be invoiced on final delivery.

A freelance writer billing a completed milestone, per-piece blog posts and a few out-of-scope hours on one invoice.

What freelancers invoice for

Hourly work
Log hours per task or per week and bill them at your rate, with decimals for partial hours so the math is transparent.
Flat-fee projects
Bill a single project fee, or split it into a deposit up front and the balance on delivery.
Milestone billing
For longer engagements, invoice as each milestone is delivered and approved, so you're not floating weeks of unpaid work.

What to put on a freelancer invoice

Fields for a freelancer invoice
Field	Why it matters
Project name	Clients with several vendors need to know at a glance which project the invoice belongs to.
Client PO or reference number	Larger companies often can't pay an invoice without it, and missing it is a common cause of delays.
Billing period or milestone	"Sept 1-30" or "Milestone 2: beta build" makes it clear what work is covered and prevents double billing.
Hours and rate per line	For hourly work, showing hours times rate answers most client questions before they're asked.
Payment terms and late fee	State the due date and any late fee on the invoice itself, matching what's in your agreement.
How to pay	List the payment methods you accept so the client doesn't have to email you to ask.

Billing tips

Put your late fee in the contract first, then repeat it on every invoice. A fee the client never agreed to is hard to collect. Late fee limits vary by state.
Ask for a deposit on new clients or flat-fee projects, especially if the work takes more than a couple of weeks.
Bill out-of-scope work as its own line so the client sees it's extra, not a price increase.
Invoice the day a milestone is approved. Every day you wait is a day added to the client's payment clock.
Use a consistent numbering scheme. Our guide on how to number invoices has simple options.

Ready to bill a job?

The freelance template comes set up with the fields above.

Create a free freelancer invoice

Freelancers: invoicing questions

Should I charge hourly or per project?

Hourly works well when the scope is unclear or keeps changing. Project pricing works when you can define the deliverables, and it rewards you for working efficiently. Many freelancers quote a project fee and bill extra work hourly.

Can I add a late fee to a freelance invoice?

Generally yes, if the client agreed to it in your contract or terms before the work started. State the fee on the invoice too. Some states limit how much you can charge, so check your state's rules.

What payment terms should freelancers use?

Net 15 and Net 30 are the most common. Larger companies often default to Net 30 or longer, so agree on terms before you start. Read more about what Net 30 means.

Do I need a PO number on my invoice?

Only if the client uses them, but many mid-size and larger companies do. Ask for it at the start of the project. An invoice without the PO can sit in accounts payable for weeks.

BePaid: Free Invoice Maker 2Go

Free on the App Store · iPhone

The BePaid app creates the final, clean PDF invoice, and your first invoice is free. It also keeps track of who has paid.

Invoices & quotesCreate both, and turn an accepted quote into an invoice in a tap.
Clients & saved itemsKeep customer details and your usual services ready to reuse.
Payment statusSee what's paid, unpaid and overdue at a glance.
Expenses & receiptsSnap a photo of a receipt and log the expense.
Your brandAdd your logo and signature, and pick from 8 invoice styles.
Send as PDFShare the finished invoice by email or message from your iPhone.