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What Information Should Be on an Invoice?

  • February 26, 2023

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An invoice is a document that allows businesses (and freelancers) to request payments for their goods and services. An invoice is used for breaking down all your work into an itemized list and telling the client how and when to pay you. 

Despite its importance, many freelancers struggle with creating and sending invoices. Unlike a regular job in which you get paid a fixed monthly salary, freelance work includes payments in a more informal setting–this is where the help of free invoice software comes in!

Information to Put on an Invoice

Header and Contact Information

If you don’t want your payment ending up with the wrong person, it’s important to make sure to display your contact information clearly and boldly on top. Chances are that your client will receive several invoices, and clearly stating your contact information in the header helps avoid any dreaded payment mixups. 

Alongside your company name and contact details, be sure to include other important information like your mailing address, email, and company name and logo. Of course, you’ve spent time and money on getting that logo designed, so you might as well make use of it whenever you can! This will also help your small business come across as professional and reliable.

Numbers and Dates 

You should include three main dates and numbers on your invoice–the date you are sending the invoice, the date your payment is due, and a unique invoice number. Explicitly stating these dates is the best way to avoid any awkward misunderstandings and confusions later on. 

When generating numbers for your invoices, we recommend using a unique combination. You don’t want to mix them up, so use a four or five-digit unique invoice number for each series of invoices. For instance, use the first digit to identify which company it is to and the last digit to identify the invoice number. This may seem like a lot of work, but we promise it’s worth it–especially if your business is booming and you have many clients! A correctly numbered, uniquely-coded invoice will be your saving grace on a busy day. 

Breakdown of Your Work 

This is likely the largest and the most important part of an invoice. It details everything you’ve done for the client, clarifies the charges for each product/service, and determines how much you’ll be paid at the end. 

Ideally, you should present this information in a table, with clear divisions for the name, date, nature, and payment for each task done. 

Total Payments Due and Payment Methods Requested

Below the itemized breakdown, make sure to mention the total payment due. Be sure to  double-check your calculations and make sure the total amount is clearly visible. Of course, you won’t have to do this if you use an automated invoicing platform like Invoice Ninja.

You should also specify any payment terms and the best payment method to pay you, alongside the due date, step-by-step instructions (in case it’s a new client,) and any links to your payment method, if needed. 

To make the entire invoicing process as simple and stress-free as possible, Invoice Ninja has you covered. Check out our easy-to-use invoicing software today!

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Additional Users Activity Notification Settings

Enterprise Ninja

As part of the Invoice Ninja Enterprise plan you can create additional account users, set permissions of what additional account users can view/create/edit, and receive notifications for actions taken by users!

​Free Invoicing Software for Small Business.
Focus on doing what you love.​ We’ll help with the invoicing​:)

Create a Free Account!

Client-Portal & Vendor Document Upload

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Allow your clients & vendors to upload documents in their client/vendor-side portal to keep all agreements organized and accessible!​

Free Invoicing Software for Small Business.
Focus on doing what you love.​ We’ll help with the invoicing​:)

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Additional Users & Set Permissions

Enterprise Ninja

As part of the Invoice Ninja Enterprise plan you can create additional account users, set permissions of what additional account users can view/create/edit, and receive notifications for actions taken by users!

Free Invoicing Software for Small Business.
Focus on doing what you love. We’ll help with the invoicing:)

Create a Free Account!

Banking Integration

Enterprise Ninja

We understands that automating transaction imports are a huge asset when it comes to getting paid and staying organized.

Invoice Ninja has partnered with Yodlee, a specialist provider of secure bank data connections, to offer bank, credit cards, and PayPal transaction data syncing.

  • Import Bank & Card Transactions
  • Match Deposits to [Multiple] Invoices
  • Match Withdrawals/Expenses to Vendors
  • Enable “Autosync” download transactions

 

​Free Invoicing Software for Small Business.
Focus on doing what you love.​ We’ll help with the invoicing​:)

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Looking for a fully branded experience?

The Invoice Ninja Enterprise Plan allows you to create a custom URL “Invoicing.YourCompany.com” for your clients portal to view & pay invoices online!

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Focus on doing what you love.​ We’ll help with the invoicing​:)

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Attach 3rd Party Files to Invoices & Expenses

Enterprise Ninja

The Invoice Ninja Enterprise Plan allows you to attach proposal files, agreements, design work files, all types of documents to your invoices & client-side portal!

Upload & attach .doc, .ppt, xls, .jpg, .png, .pdf files, and more, all together with your client’s invoices & client-side portal!

Files can be attached to your company for all clients to see, attached individually per client, or attached individually per invoice &/or expense!

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Focus on doing what you love. We’ll help with the invoicing:)

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Custom Client-Portal Subdomain

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Customize your client portal URL to match your branding YourBrand.Invoicing.co

Build trust by showing your branding when clients click to view their invoices & client-side portal online!​

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Focus on doing what you love.​ We’ll help with the invoicing​:)

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Storefront Functionality

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Enable third-party apps to create invoices within your account.

Free Invoicing Software for Small Business.
Focus on doing what you love.​ We’ll help with the invoicing​:)

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Automated Workflow

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Use the power of Zapier, Make, Pabbly, Integrately to integrate with Invoice Ninja with hundreds of apps to automate workflow!

With Zapier you can integrate your Invoice Ninja with thousands of other apps. and streamline your cross-app workflow with smooth automated functions.

With Make you can connect Invoice Ninja to your favorite apps & services. Just create a scenario that will watch for new data being created in a specified app and it will automatically trigger actions in Invoice Ninja, or vice-versa!

See all automations here!

Free Invoicing Software for Small Business.
Focus on doing what you love.​ We’ll help with the invoicing​:)

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Custom Reminder Emails

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The Invoice Ninja Pro Plan allows you to create custom email reminders based on the invoice date or invoice due date. Define date parameters to remind your clients before or after invoices are due to ensure you GET PAID!

Set “First, Second, Third” or “Endless” reminders to ensure invoices are not overlooked and you get paid faster!

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Custom Invoice Email Design

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