The Article Writer Mailbag, Take 4
Q. I am new at working at freelance, how do I create an invoice?
A. Keep it simple! Well, as simple as you can. If you invoice through Paypal, they have an invoicing tool to help you along. Otherwise, I am a bit more detailed as I provide a little more information:
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Today’s Date
Salutation:
A brief explanation of the services rendered. For example: 3 articles at $40 each.
Total: $120.00
Terms: Net payable upon request.
Please remit payment for $120.00 to:
Your Name
Your Address
City, State, Zip
Phone number
Tax ID or Social Security Number
Best Regards,
Me
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Adjust accordingly to your own payment policies. Come up with something that works best for you and that your clients will accept.
I would include the name of the publication/organization and its address and phone number as well.
Creating an invoice, like you said, can be pretty simple. Just create a version that you like and then save it as a template that you can just fill in for anyone at anytime.
Jesse, I agree with your points. In fact, I now use Quicken to create invoices making it easy to fill in all of the blanks including company contact information.
I then turn the form into a pdf and attach it in an email and send it off. Or, if the client prefers, I print it out and mail it.
Now make this a template and provide it for download… evidently for a fee, payable via paypal.
Mihaela, that sounds like work to me! I’ll pass on it, but you choose to do it, then let me know and I’ll post a link here.
I have been doing freelance for a couple of years now, and I love the PayPal invoice tool! Do try and pack as much of the invoice suggestions as possible from the above list, including detail of work and dates for sure. This provides your customer with a professional looking invoice for their records and you an easy quick books download of activity for the accountant. I also got a PP debit card to make my business related purchases.
Thanks for posting this. I also think keeping it simple is best. I have seen some that are so muddled up with extra info, it took me several minutes to find pertinent info.
You are welcome, Jason. It isn’t difficult to create a decent invoice. A google search will also help you find some templates which you can modify accordingly.