11 Free Invoice Templates For Freelance Writers

Are you a freelance writer looking for effective and free invoice templates? This post goes through the top 10 invoice templates and answers some frequently asked questions.

The best part about being a freelance writer is getting paid. It makes the long hours of research, writer’s block, and editing worth it. Fortunately, you don’t need expensive invoicing software. You can create and track multiple invoices for free using simple templates. 

So in this post, I’ll cover the 11 best freelance writing invoice templates. I’ll go over how to use them and the benefits of each. I’ll also answer some questions you might have if you’re new to invoicing.

Matt Nish founded Hello Bonsai in 2015 in San Francisco. His goal is to make invoicing super straightforward for freelancers and small business owners.

Hello Bonsai markets its software as an all-in-one invoicing solution for freelancers. A feature that stood out to me is Bonsai Proposals. With this, you can customize proposals with images, a business logo and even create packages to upsell products.

With the Bonsai timer, it’s easy to track how long a specific project took. This is helpful when clients pay you per hour. You won’t have to manually calculate your time since the Bonsai time tracker integrates with the invoicing tool.

Hello Bonsai also has a detailed contracts feature that creates freelance contracts for you. Under your dashboard, you’ll find pre-vetted legal templates, so you won’t have to hire a lawyer.

FreshBooks offers free customizable templates that you can use to create professional invoices.

It allows you to track several invoices and set automatic reminders. FreshBooks even sends a thank you email to your clients after an invoice is settled. With FreshBooks, you can access:

• Unlimited customized invoices
• Time tracking
• Expense entries
• Automated bank imports

To use the FreshBooks template, head over to their website and click “Create My Invoice.” From here, enter the necessary information such as the total cost, number of items, and billing address. Lastly, download your invoice as PDF, Word Doc, or Excel.

FreshBooks also integrates with hundreds of apps like Gmail, Slack, MailChimp, Stripe, and Fundbox.

But what sets FreshBooks apart from other invoice templates is its time tracking feature. This is helpful if you charge per hour. Say goodbye to using separate timing tools and logging hours manually. Simply use FreshBooks invoicing templates.

Wave offers special templates for content writers, editors, copywriters, agency clients, and bloggers. So you can customize your invoicing around your business. Wave allows you to download invoices as:

• Word Doc
• Excel
• PDF
• Google Docs
• Google Sheets

It’s super easy to add essential information like your business name, client name, invoice number, business logo, and more!

Wave is perfect for new freelance writers because accounting services, receipts, and invoicing are 100% free. There’s no setup or hidden fees. Although there is a paid option, the free version contains everything you need for professional invoicing.

It offers advanced features like vendor logging, payment tracking, and account receivables and payables. The fees are 2.9% plus 30 cents per transaction for Visa and Masterclass. While American Express is 3.4% plus 30 cents per transaction.

You can create invoices for a variety of businesses with Invoice Generator. Simply fill in all the necessary information like articles written and total costs, and download it. There’s also an option to send it via email directly from the website.

Although Invoice Generator is a simple tool, it offers helpful features like adjustable currencies and upselling.

When visiting their website, the first thing you’ll notice is how simple the dashboard is. Unlike other invoice templates like Wave and FreshBooks, there isn’t an array of options and web pages.

This makes it practical for freelance writers because you don’t need to download a desktop or mobile app. Simply bookmark Invoice-Generator.com, and whenever you need to send an invoice, go to their website. Since Invoice Generator is a web app, you can use it on your tablet or mobile phone when you’re on the go.

Created by Fiverr, And.co offers a clean design that allows you to export professional invoice templates to Word Doc, PDF, and Excel.

It offers additional features like:

• Task management
• Custom proposals
• Recurring payments
• Expense tracking
• Advanced reports

The software automatically adds your totals and taxes, saving you an extra step with its built-in calculator. 

The design of this free template is simple yet elegant. You’ll notice a lot of white space and easy-to-read lettering, which shows professionalism. The total amount is also written in a big, bold font making it stand out. Below the total, there’s a call-to-action where your client can pay.

You’ll find different types of online invoicing templates like:

• Contract labor invoice template
• Rent invoice template
• Self-employed invoice template
• Web design invoice template

This allows you to tailor your template around your industry.

Indy is more than an invoice generator. It’s an all-in-one bookkeeping software that helps you manage your finances.

If you want to create an invoice, go to their website, fill in your invoice, and download it as PDF, Word Doc, or Excel. 

Indy Invoice Generator also offers a handy contract creation feature that you can use for free alongside the invoicing tool. If you’re employing freelancers to write content for you, you can create contracts within minutes.

So it’s easy to button up formalities and lock in your rate. It’s also customizable, so you can add clauses and agreements. Once everything is sorted, monitor your contracts on one page.

You won’t have to sign up for two separate tools to create invoices and contracts. With Indy, you can integrate the two and streamline your work process.

Creating invoices with Skynova is simple. You can customize it with a business logo, P.O box number, and upselling packages.

Like Indy Invoice Generator, the Skynova dashboard is clean and easy to use. Here you’ll find useful features like:

• Advanced analytics
• Debit and credit card integration
• Payment and customer record
• Notifications when customers open your invoice
• Unlimited storage and client contacts

To create an invoice with Skynova, go to Skynova.com, and click the “Invoice Template” heading. From here, type in your name, address, invoice number, payment terms, due date, and total amount.

Last, click the “Send” button and enter your client’s email. Feel free to edit the subject line and message, but don’t touch your invoice link.

If you use Google Docs to write blog posts and other forms of content, then why not use it to create invoices?

Go to your web browser and type in “www.docs.Google.com/templates.” Here you’ll find an array of templates. Look for one titled “Invoice.”

Fill in all the required fields like company name, invoice number, phone number, and the total. Once you’re happy with it, click the “File” heading on top, and you’ll notice a download option. Hover over this and select how you’d like to download your invoice. For example, PDF, Microsoft Word Doc, plain text, or rich text format.

You can even customize your Google Doc template with a company logo and unique footers and headers. 

The only con to using Google Docs is that you can’t track and manage invoices. Google Docs also won’t notify you when clients open your invoice.

Square isn’t just a tool that allows you to send invoices. You can use it to file taxes for free.

Once you’ve visited their website, sign up for a free account. Go to the dashboard, and you’ll find several options like:

• Reports
• Deposits
• Orders
• Clients
• Transactions

On the left-hand sidebar, you’ll see an invoice icon. Click on it, and it’ll take you to a page where you’ll find all your invoices. It’ll also show the status and total. But if you’re just starting out, click “Create New Invoice.”

Next, type in your client’s details. You can also invoice several receipts at once, which saves a lot of time.

When everything is finished, send your invoice manually or via Square. I like sending it with Square, but sending it manually is better if you’re using various communication channels.

Founded in 1996, Zoho is close to the hearts of thousands of freelance writers. It’s compatible with Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android, so you can sync devices. This way, if you’re out of the office, you can still manage and send invoices.

You’ll also find live webinars, videos, and blog posts that teach you about invoicing on their website. If you’re a new freelance writer, this is a valuable tool because the advice streamlines your invoicing process.

Zoho offers features like:

• Activity tracking
• Expense tracking
• Recurring subscription billing
• Sales tax management
• Project accounting

For a free tool, it’s advanced and flexible. Zoho specializes in multiple invoicing. So if all your writing clients require you to send an invoice at the end of the month, Zoho makes it easy.

However, I’d like to see Zoho improve its customer support since it’s a bit slow.

Creating and sending invoices for writing clients is easy with Sage and it only takes a few minutes.

The dashboard is one of the best on the market. You can do almost anything on just one screen. This includes:

• Sending invoices
• Checking for overdue payments
• Creating automated reminders
• Track your monthly income across several months
• Create business expenses 

The templates are also simple and easy to read. You can customize each with a few clicks. This way, you can create copywriting invoices for copywriting clients and edit invoices for editing clients. You won’t have to use the same template for all your services.

How Do You Write An Invoice For Content Writing?

Creating invoices for your content writing business is straightforward. First, download an invoice template online. Feel free to choose between any of the above templates.

Next, you want to fill in your name, the client’s name, and the total amount. Once everything is complete, download your invoice. All templates listed above give you the option to download as PDF, Word Doc, or Excel. Some clients might prefer a specific format over another, so it’s best to ask.

If you deliver invoices by hand, print them out. But if you work online, send it via email. It also helps to keep all your invoices in a folder for tax purposes.

What Should I Include In These Invoice Templates?

When creating invoices for content writing clients, include the following:

• Your contact information
• Your client’s contact information
• An invoice number
• Your hourly rate
• Invoice date
• Payment methods
• Amount due

This might not be relevant to all freelancers, but it’s a good starting point. For example, if you and your client are working together for a while and they always pay via PayPal, you shouldn’t add payment options.

A general rule to remember when writing invoices is to keep them as short as possible while including all the relevant information.

When Should I Submit An Invoice?

The best time to send an invoice to your writing client is after you’ve completed the project and made the necessary revisions.

This way, there’s no risk to your client. Invoicing before you’ve completed an assignment isn’t professional, especially if you haven’t built a solid working relationship with a client yet.

However, many clients will prefer you to invoice them once or twice a month. Usually, this is during the middle or end of the month. In this case, you complete the freelance work you receive and bill everything at once.

Final Word On Free Invoice Templates

Effective invoicing allows you to get paid for all your hard work. But there are countless things to take care of when running a freelance writing business. So you want your invoicing system to run as smoothly as possible.

With these free invoice templates, all you have to do is fill in the invoice and send it to your client. Some free tools even allow you to track invoices, so you get notified when clients open and pay your invoice.