What freelance invoices usually bill for
- Hourly work, billed at an agreed rate with the period covered
- Fixed-price project or milestone, described by deliverable
- Day rate for on-site or workshop days
- Revisions or scope beyond the original brief, itemised separately
- Expenses passed through at cost, such as stock imagery or travel
Payment terms in freelance work
Net 14 and Net 30 are both common in freelance work, with Net 14 more usual for smaller clients and Net 30 for larger companies whose payment runs are monthly. A deposit of 25–50% before starting is normal for new clients and for projects longer than a few weeks. State late payment terms explicitly: in the UK, the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Act entitles you to statutory interest at 8% above the Bank of England base rate plus a fixed recovery charge, and saying so on the invoice makes it far easier to chase.
Tax notes
If you are not VAT-registered, do not show a VAT line at all — showing VAT at 0% looks like a zero-rated supply and confuses clients. Once you pass the UK registration threshold you must show your VAT number and the VAT amount separately.
What to include on a freelance invoice
Beyond the basics, freelance invoices benefit from a short description of the period or deliverable covered. “Design work” tells a finance team nothing six weeks later; “Landing page design — 12–23 August, 8 hours at £75” answers every question they might ask without a follow-up email.
Getting paid faster
Send the invoice the day the work completes rather than at month end. Include your bank details on the invoice itself rather than in the email body — the invoice is the document that gets forwarded to accounts, and the email usually is not.