Your first invoice as a freelancer, step by step

Your first paid job is done, and now you need to ask for the money. It feels like it should be simple, and it is, once you know the steps. Most of the work happens before you write anything: agreeing the price, getting the right details and knowing whether you need to charge tax. Here is the whole thing in order, whether you write for a magazine in Toronto, design logos in Lisbon or build websites in Bengaluru.

1. Agree the price and the terms before you start

An invoice should never be the first time a client sees a number. Before the work begins, agree in writing (an email is enough):

• The price, and whether it is per hour, per piece or for the whole job. Say whether tax is on top.
• The currency, if the client is in another country. “$1,200” and “$1,200 USD” are not the same thing to a client in Canada.
• When you will invoice: at the end, half up front, or once a month for ongoing work.
• When payment is due: for example 15 days after the invoice.

For a bigger job, ask for a deposit. Sending a quotation first is a clean way to do this, because the client agrees to the same lines that later go on the invoice. Our guide to quotations and proforma invoices explains when to use which.

2. Get your client's details right

A company's accounts team pays what matches their records. If the name is wrong or the order number is missing, the invoice can sit in a queue or come back to you. Ask for these once, when you agree the job:

A tax ID (a VAT number, GSTIN, ABN or similar) only matters if the client has one. When they do, it often has to be on the invoice so they can claim the tax back, and in some cases it changes how you charge tax at all, such as the reverse charge for business clients in another EU country.

3. Check whether you need to charge tax

Many freelancers start below the line where they must register for VAT, GST or sales tax, and so do not charge it. Above that line, you usually must register and add tax to your invoices. The lines differ a lot by country. A few examples, at the time of writing:

• United Kingdom: VAT registration is required once your taxable turnover passes £90,000 in a rolling 12 months.
• India: GST registration is generally required once turnover from services passes ₹20 lakh in a year (₹10 lakh in some states). Some cases need it from the first rupee.
• Australia: GST registration is required once turnover reaches A$75,000.
• United States: there is no national sales tax. Each state decides, and many services are not taxed at all.

These are examples, not advice for your case. Limits change, and some kinds of work or clients bring their own rules. Check with your local tax office or an accountant before your first invoice, and again as your income grows. If you are not registered, do not add tax: charging VAT or GST without a registration is not allowed in most places.

4. Write the invoice

An invoice is a short document, but a few things on it are required. At the very least: your name and address, the client's, a unique invoice number, the date, what you did, the amounts, any tax, the total and the due date. Add how to pay. The full list, with the extra lines VAT and GST invoices need, is in our checklist of what every invoice must show.

Two habits save trouble later. Describe the work so someone who was not in the conversation understands it: “4 blog articles, September” beats “Content”. And number your invoices in one unbroken series, like INV/2026/0001, then 0002, and never reuse a number.

5. Send it, with the amount in the message

Send the invoice the day you finish, as a PDF or a link. In the message itself, say the invoice number, the amount and the due date, so the client knows what it is without opening anything. Send it where your client reads messages: email for most companies, WhatsApp for many clients in India, the Gulf and Latin America. If a company has an accounts address, send it there and copy the person you worked with.

6. Follow up, politely and on time

If the due date passes, a short, friendly note is normal and expected. Most late payments are forgotten, not refused. Mention the number, the amount and the original due date, and include the pay link again. Our ready-to-copy payment reminder messages cover everything from the day before to a final notice.

7. Record the payment

When the money arrives, mark the invoice paid, with the date and how it was paid. If the client paid less than the total, record what came in and leave the rest as still due. Check the amount that actually reached your bank, too: transfers from abroad often arrive with fees taken off or at a different rate.

8. Keep your records for tax time

Keep a copy of every invoice you send, every credit note and a note of each payment. Most countries ask you to keep them for several years (often five to eight). At the end of the year, you or your accountant will need the totals: what you invoiced, what tax you charged and what you were paid. A simple download every quarter is much easier than piecing it together from your sent mail in April.

The short version

• Agree the price, currency and payment date in writing before you start.
• Get the client's legal name, address, tax ID and any order number up front.
• Check whether you need to register for VAT, GST or sales tax. If you are not registered, do not charge it.
• Put the required details on the invoice and number it in one unbroken series.
• Send it the day you finish, with the amount and due date in the message.
• Follow up politely when it is late, and record each payment when it lands.
• Keep every invoice and payment for tax time, and download your totals each quarter.