Last editedMay 20232 min read
Educators put a lot of time and hard work into helping shape the next generation of learners, leaving little time for financial admin. To get paid for your work, you’ll need to generate and send invoices to customers. Whether you work as a regular tutor at a private school or freelance as a guitar teacher, this piece will explain how to prepare a tutoring invoice.
What should be included on a tutoring invoice?
No matter your field or specialty, there are a few key elements to include on any tutoring invoice. This includes:
Your name and address
Your customer’s name and address
Payment due date
Date of invoice issue
Teaching rates
Itemised list of expenses
Billable hours
Total amount due
Payment terms and methods
Tutoring invoice sample and structure
While your tutoring invoice should include the elements mentioned above, there are options when it comes to its structure. However, in most cases a tutoring invoice will show the date and contact details at the top of the document, followed by a breakdown of billable hours and rates below. At the bottom, there should be the total amount owed to the tutor alongside any payment terms and accepted methods.
Here's a simple invoice sample to show what this structure might look like:
How to use a free tutoring invoice template
In addition to copying the sample above or using a standard template from your word processing software, there’s also a wealth of free templates available online. We have a standard invoice template available – just download here and fill in the blanks. There are a few tips to keep in mind as you start to fill in your template:
Be sure to include a unique invoice number for each invoice submitted. This helps you and your clients stay organised and compliant with all HMRC regulations.
Include your name and preferred contact details where customers can reach you with any queries about charges.
You can keep the design simple or customise it with your own unique font and colour scheme to stand out from the crowd.
Provide clear details of any tutoring services provided, making sure that it’s clear which period the invoice is covering.
Only include VAT if you are VAT registered.
Make it easier to get paid with clear payment terms, conditions, and an outline of payment methods.
One option is to embed a GoCardless payment request link in your invoices. With this you can do two things:
Take an instantly confirmed payment
Set up easy-to-manage recurring payments
By collecting your invoice payments via a pull-based method like GoCardless bank payments, you can eliminate the delays experienced with manual bank transfers and save on the costs associated with cards. Pull-based methods like Direct Debit put you in control of recurring invoice payments, while Instant Bank Pay is ideal for one-off amounts.
GoCardless also integrates with over 350 partners, including top tutoring invoice apps like EdAid and Learning Tree. Or just link us up to your preferred accounting system, like Xero, Zuora, Chargebee, and more, to automate your payments and reconciliation too.
How to collect payments with GoCardless
1.
Create your free GoCardless account, access your user-friendly payments dashboard & connect your accounting software (if you use one).
2.
Easily set up & schedule one-off or recurring payments via payment pages on your website checkout or secure payment links.
3.
From now on you'll get paid on time, every time, as GoCardless automatically collects payment on the scheduled date. Simple.
The benefits of using tutoring invoice software
If you only do the occasional spot of tutoring work on the side, you can rely on manually filling out templates as needed. However, full-time tutors might prefer a more organised invoicing solution. This is where tutoring invoice software comes into play, automating your invoice generation and collecting customer payment.
Accounting software like Xero and QuickBooks are useful for tracking your income and expenses, generating financial reports, and making it easier to file your taxes on time. There are also tutoring invoice apps that assist with recurring invoices. For example, many teachers work with the same students over long periods of time using a set schedule. In these cases, automatically issuing recurring invoices for payment saves a bundle of time and helps reduce the chance of delayed payment.
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.
