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How to write an invoice as a freelancer
A good invoice answers three questions without a follow-up e-mail: who is asking, for what, and by when. Here is what to include, in the order a client reads it.
What an invoice must include
- Your details: your name or business name, address, and your VAT number if you have one.
- The client's details: the legal name and address of the company you worked for, and their VAT number for a business in another EU country.
- A unique number and a date: numbers run in sequence with no gaps.
- Line items: what you did, the quantity, the unit price and the amount.
- Totals: the amount before VAT, the VAT rate and amount, and the total to pay.
- Payment terms: the due date and how to pay.
Describe the work so it gets approved
Write each line so that someone in accounts, who never met you, can approve it: "Brand identity, phase 1" beats "Design work". Mention the purchase order number if the client gave you one.
Choose a due date, not just "30 days"
Print the actual date. "Payable by 14 March" is paid sooner than "net 30", because nobody has to count. Short terms are normal for freelancers, and a client can always pay earlier.
VAT in a few lines
If you charge VAT, show the rate and the amount. If you do not, say why in one sentence, as your local rules require. We are not tax advisers: check the wording with your accountant once and reuse it.
Send it and make it easy to pay
Send the invoice the day the work is delivered, as a PDF with a payment link. In Lumio that is the Pay now button; the free Starter plan is enough to try it. If the due date passes, see our late payment guide.