In simple terms, yes. Although you most likely provided the customer with a price proposal before you began work on their project, there are several distinctions between the price proposal and the invoice. The first and most apparent is the delivery period. You communicate the cost offer before the start of the job and send an invoice after completion.

Moreover, the offer is based on a preliminary evaluation, while the invoice indicates the final sum to be paid. Let’s assume that you are involved in a project lasting four months and have come to an agreement with the client on monthly payments. It means the offer will be for one amount, and you must send four invoices, one for each payment.

In such a situation, each commercial document contains only data on the job performed at the moment, and the whole sum will be divided into four parts. It simplifies the invoicing procedure and makes it more understandable.

If you operate as an independent employee, you can enter into hourly agreements with contractors when you obtain remuneration for your time on a project and fixed-price contracts when you receive a fixed reward for the whole project.

Some Rules to Make Invoices Like Freelancer

You should be ready to invoice a freelance job at the moment you complete your first freelance assignment in the USA. Regardless of which method of drawing up payment documents, they must contain all the data necessary for accurate and timely payment. Below, we will discuss the main elements that should be presented in your bill and how to invoice as a freelancer.

Contact data

Adding your details to the payment document is essential so customers can contact you quickly and easily. If you are an independent worker, add your name (utilize the full or short form), firm name (if necessary), location, telephone number, and email. Adding a firm name is required to promote the service.

• Your location should inform contractors where you really operate, whether it’s the house or a rented room. It is an essential element of professionally designed invoices.
• Phone and email are the main methods of interacting with customers, so be sure to write them in payment papers.
• Adding an image and logo makes the invoice non-standard and assists in exciting customers. Although a photo is not required, a logo is worth using.

Don’t forget that the presence of contact data strengthens customer confidence and makes it simpler to consult you if issues arise.

Invoice number

You should track the invoice numbers, whether you compose bills manually or utilize a particular program. As an independent worker, you may have to answer customer issues about your activity or manage overdue payments. Transparent organization of commercial documents makes it simpler to solve any problem. The invoice number ensures the customer and you are referring to the same operation.

You may implement a creative structure, e.g., utilizing the first numeral to define the customer, the second for the account index, and the third to describe the current year. Let’s imagine you have several customers, John and Jack. Then, the first bill for John looks like 010123, where 01 is the customer’s designation, 01 is the bill’s index, and 23 is the year. The next commercial document looks like 010223, etc. The same is true if we speak about Jack: the first bill looks like 020123, where 02 is its serial number since Jack is the second customer, 01 is the account number, 23 is the year, and the next bill looks like 020223, etc.

Line item description

A transparent line item description on the invoice is critical to compensate you adequately for your working hours and effort. If you are an author, list the texts composed and the job’s completion date. The designers can talk about certain projects they operated on and when they were completed. It is also vital to clarify the prices of various tasks.

Implement itemized billing and list all tariffs if you set up various rates for separate objectives. When choosing an hourly remuneration, indicate the time spent on the job and multiply by the negotiated rate. It ensures that you obtain the proper sum.

Issue and due moments

The invoice date corresponds to the beginning of the payment period, so it is critical to indicate this moment in your commercial documents. If you made mistakes when giving bill numbers, having an issue date also lets you differentiate one record from another.

Also, indicate the payment date, computing the period the funds should arrive in your account. It depends on the conditions you have set out in the freelance contract. Please carefully check the issue and due dates to avoid misunderstandings with your counterparty.

Payment systems

Including available payment methods in bills can be valuable for your customers and make the financial procedure more suitable. We recommend adding different payment options, including bank transfers, credit cards, and other advanced systems. After analyzing the customer’s preferences and requirements, you decide which variants to append to the bills.