How to invoice as a freelancer: a practical workflow
Getting paid on time is less about chasing and more about setting the project up correctly. Here is a simple workflow that works for most freelancers, from first contact to money in the bank.
1. Start with a quote, not a handshake
Before any work starts, send a written quote: scope, line items, price, tax treatment and a validity date. A quote accepted in writing (a signature or even a clear "approved" by email) fixes the price and the scope — most payment disputes are really scope disputes that a quote would have prevented.
2. Agree payment terms before starting
- Due date: 30 days is the default in much of Europe; nothing stops you from agreeing 14 or even 7 days for small projects.
- Deposit: for new clients or projects longer than a couple of weeks, ask for 30–50% up front. Serious clients don't blink at this.
- Milestones: on long projects, invoice per milestone rather than everything at the end — it caps your exposure.
3. Invoice immediately on delivery
The single best predictor of getting paid fast is invoicing fast. Send the invoice the day you deliver (or the last day of the month for retainers), referencing the quote. Keep the numbering sequential — one continuous series per year, e.g. INV-2026-001, INV-2026-002 — with quotes in their own series.
4. Make the invoice impossible to reject
Exact legal entity name, precise line items, correct tax treatment, explicit due date, current bank details. The full list is in our checklist: what to include on an invoice. Every missing element is an excuse for the payment cycle to restart.
5. When the due date passes
- Day 1–3 late: a friendly reminder with the invoice attached again. Most late payments are simple oversights.
- Week 2: a firmer email stating the late-payment interest your terms (or the law of your country) provide for, with a new payment deadline.
- Beyond: a formal demand letter, then depending on the amount and country: small-claims court, a payment order procedure, or a collection service. In the EU, late-payment interest and a fixed recovery fee are owed by law on B2B invoices even if the contract is silent.
Keep every reminder in writing — the paper trail is what wins if it escalates.
6. Keep your records
Store every quote and invoice (most countries require keeping them for 6–10 years) and track which are paid. A simple habit: reconcile your bank account against open invoices once a week.
Tooling
You don't need a subscription for any of this. The Facturio generator is free and unlimited: quotes that convert to invoices in one click, sequential numbering suggestions, per-line VAT and multi-currency — with the PDF generated entirely in your browser.