Invoice Examples for Every Kind of Business

Getting paid on time is crucial to keeping your cash flow healthy. Read this article to get examples and tips for creating a number of different invoice types.

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No matter what type of business you have, getting paid on time is important for keeping your cash flow healthy and revenue reporting accurate. Whether you own a small business or are a freelancer or sole proprietor, having an invoicing process in place that’s streamlined and timely can help you get paid faster and keep your accounting organized. Providing a clean and detailed invoice to your clients is the first step in establishing a professional tone in the payment process. However, without a quality invoice example, you may not know which invoice template is best for your business.

In this article, we’ll take a look at some recommendations for what you should include on your invoices and some invoice examples that will work for every kind of business.

Recommendations for what to include on every invoice

Depending on what type of service you provide, your invoice should contain key pieces of data to allow you and the client to track records of project timelines, payment deadlines, and profits. It is recommended that every invoice include:

1. Date: This is the date that the invoice is being sent to the client or receipt.
2. Logo: Carrying over your branding to each part of the project is an important factor in appearing professional to your clients. Make sure the logo is high resolution and in a place on the invoice that quickly lets the client know who the invoice is coming from.
3. Business name and address: Along with the logo, providing your business name and address reminds the client from whom the invoice is coming. It also gives them an easy way to know where they can contact you or send their physical form of payment. This also allows them to send you a tax form at the end of the year, if applicable.
4. Customer’s billing information: This will primarily be for your records, both for billing and looking back at which project was completed and recorded in the client file.
5. Invoice number: Having a number associated with each invoice is necessary for accounting and tracking purposes, especially when tax season arrives.
6. Itemized list of what’s being sold: The invoice should lay out in detail the product or service you provided the client. This not only can help with inventory and quarterly or end-of-year reporting, but it can give you a look back into the preferences of that particular client as you continue to work with them.
7. Payment terms/due date: Your payment terms should be clearly outlined on the invoice, along with the due date. You’ll want to make sure you include any necessary taxes so there is no confusion on the final total. If you have applied discounts or have discount options if the client pays early or in full, be sure to include that information on the invoice as well.

Example invoice for freelancers

If you’re a freelancer, you’ll want to focus on the hours you billed for or the projects you completed. In this example of an invoice, you’ll see that details about the project and notes are included. Break out specifics about the project you worked on, including billed-for dates and what the project will be or when it was completed.

In addition to the basic invoice requirements, some details you’ll want to add to your invoice may be:

1. Itemized work by project, hour, or both
2. Itemized software or licensing fees that you’ve incurred specifically for their project (for example, you may include font licensing if you’re a designer)
3. A tip line if appropriate for your line of work
4. A note of when the final project will be delivered and when the final payment is expected