How to create a self-employed invoice template

If you’re looking for a simple way to create an invoice for your self-employed business, it may be a good idea to download a basic self-employed invoice template. Whether you’re a freelance architect looking for an easy solution for client billing or a self-employed writer who’d prefer to spend time drumming up new clients, it’s always beneficial for small businesses and self-employed workers to avoid getting tied up in mundane, administrative tasks like invoicing. Want to know how to write an invoice for self-employed work? Find out everything you need to know about creating a self-employed invoice and check out our self-employed invoice template for further guidance.

What should be included on a self-employed invoice?

All self-employed invoices will show similar information, including contact details for the client, a list of the services performed and their associated prices, and your payment terms. As well as your business’s name, contact details, and any company branding you want to include, your invoice should provide the following information:

• Name of the client and contact information

• A unique invoice number

• An issue date

• A due date

• An itemized list of the services you provided/tasks you completed

• Itemized cost of these services/tasks

• Total cost of services

• Payment terms and instructions

This will give your client everything they need to make a payment. It’s always beneficial to be as detailed as possible on your self-employed invoice to reduce chances of a dispute, particularly if you’re invoicing a customer for the very first time.

Why use a self-employed invoice template?

Even if you’re operating a small, self-employed business, it’s critical to use a professional self-employed invoice template when billing customers. Not only does this make sure that the bill is clear for your client, but it’s an important financial record for tax purposes. Furthermore, an invoice is part of your brand. If your self-employed invoice is attractive, well-designed, and provides an appropriate level of detail for your client’s accounting team, it’s a great way to instill credibility and confidence in your skill and professionalism, and will only serve to make clients want to work with you again.

Basic self-employed invoice template

At this point, you’re probably wondering what a self-employed invoice actually looks like. Well, we’ve put together a basic self-employed invoice template that you can use for invoicing clients:

Self-employed company name

Company mailing address

Email address and website

Phone number

BILLED TO

Customer name

Customer address

Invoice

PAYMENT TERMS

e.g. net 30 payment terms, follow link for payment                    

It really is that simple. Of course, you don’t have to use our self-employed invoice template if you don’t want to. There are many basic self-employed invoice templates for Microsoft Excel and Word available to download online. However, to take your self-employed invoices to the next level, consider investing in invoicing software to automate the invoicing process and further reduce the amount of time you’re spending on administrative tasks.

Once you’ve got your invoicing system set up, it’s time to think about how to collect payment. That’s where GoCardless comes in. GoCardless can be used to collect both recurring and one-off invoice payments directly from customers’ bank accounts. Quick and easy to set up, GoCardless can help to eliminate late payments through the use of ACH debit, saving you time and money, improving your cash flow, and reducing the stress of chasing unpaid invoices. In short, it’s an ideal way for small and self-employed businesses to get paid.

We can help

GoCardless is a global payments solution that helps you automate payment collection, cutting down on the amount of financial admin your team needs to deal with. Find out how GoCardless can help you with one-off or recurring payments.