Freelance writer invoice template
An invoice for writing work: an article at a price per word, a flat-fee piece, hourly research and editing, and an expense. Fill in your own and save it as a PDF.
Opens in the free invoice generator. No account, and nothing you type is sent anywhere.
What to put on it
- The title of each piece
- Editors handle many invoices. The working title and the word count tell them which assignment this is without opening another file.
- Word count and rate
- For per-word work, show both: 1,400 words at $0.30. The count is the published or agreed count, whichever your contract says.
- Publication or delivery date
- Some publications pay on publication, not delivery. Putting the date on the line makes it clear when the terms started.
- Extra work on its own lines
- Interviews, research and additional rounds of edits beyond the assignment go on hourly lines, apart from the per-piece fee.
Per word, per piece or per hour
Writers bill all three ways, sometimes on the same invoice. Per-word and per-piece fees are a quantity at a price. Hourly lines suit work whose size nobody could predict, like research, interviews and heavy edits.
Kill fees and rights
If a commissioned piece is cancelled, a kill fee in your agreement entitles you to part of the fee. Bill it as a flat-fee line that names the piece. If the rights you are selling are limited, for example first publication only, note that on the invoice.
Questions
More on writing invoices in the guides.
How do I invoice for an article paid per word?
Use one line with the title of the piece, the word count as the quantity and your per-word rate as the price. 1,400 words at $0.30 comes to $420.
Can I put hourly editing and a flat-fee article on one invoice?
Yes. Put the article on a line with its price, and the editing on dated hourly lines. Each kind of line shows its own quantity and price.
When should a freelance writer send an invoice?
When you file the piece, unless your contract says payment is on publication. Either way, send it promptly: payment terms count from the invoice date.
Related templates
Beyond a template
Have the lines written from your notes.
A template still leaves the writing to you. With a free Sandglass account you paste the notes you kept, a time-tracker export or a git log, enter your hours and rate, and it drafts the dated lines. Then it emails the invoice and tracks whether it was paid.