Invoicing at first can seem a little intimidating, though without receiving payment, it’s very difficult to keep the lights on. Read on to see what needs to be included in a typical virtual assistant invoice
Depending on how you approach a project (or more specifically get paid for one) your invoice will be sent at different times in the process. If you’re to be paid on retainer or by the project, you’ll be sending one before any of the work actually begins. If you get paid by the hour, you’ll likely send one at the end of every month.
No matter how you choose to receive payment, as a professional freelancer you’ll need to send an invoice (or invoices). There’s a standard of information that gets included on all invoices, most commonly:
The name of both entities or companies
- Include the name of the company you are working with and the name of your company. If you are a sole proprietor without an LLC you should list your name.
Both entities’ or companies’ addresses
- You should also include contact information of the agreed-upon method of contact, i.e. email address, phone number, etc.
The contact person for the company you’re invoicing
- Establishing a single contact at a company is just good practice, and will save you headaches down the road
A description of the services rendered or product provided
- You can go into extensive detail and delineate it point by point, although a reasonable summary will usually do
Unit of measurement
- I.e. hours of service, quantity of products, 50% of total project fee if it’s an up-front deposit, etc.
Your signature, electronic or otherwise
That’s it. It’s important to get the info correct, but you don’t need to overthink an invoice. Clarity is paramount, and simplicity is a good way to ensure that. See our invoicing guide post on actually building out an invoice and get ready to start receiving payment from happy clients!
Matthew Ogden is a Minneapolis-based copywriter and content writer and editor. He’s written for national retailers and lobster roll companies alike. When not writing he can be found nose deep in a book, writing and performing music, or nerding out about guitar tone.