Invoice Guides
Practical, plain-English guides to invoicing for freelancers, contractors and small businesses — how to create an invoice, what to put on it, and how to get paid on time. Every guide pairs with our free invoice generator.
Invoicing basics
How to Create an Invoice
A step-by-step walkthrough of every part of a professional invoice — from your business details to the total due.
What Is an Invoice?
The definition in plain terms: what invoices are used for, what they contain, and how they differ from quotes, receipts and bills.
What Should an Invoice Include?
The complete checklist: essential fields, the details that speed up payment, and a 30-second pre-send check.
Getting paid
Invoice Payment Terms
Net 30, Net 15, due on receipt and deposits — what each term means and how to choose terms that get you paid faster.
Invoice Numbers
How to number invoices: the three systems that work, what your first number should be, and how to handle mistakes.
Invoice Email Templates
Copy-paste emails for sending invoices, friendly reminders and overdue follow-ups — with subject lines that work.
Invoice Late Fees
How late fees typically work, the agree-first rule, wording examples, and the alternatives that often work better.
Invoice types & comparisons
Invoice vs Receipt
One requests payment, the other proves it happened — a side-by-side comparison and when your business needs each.
Invoice vs Bill
Usually the same document seen from two sides of the table. Where the words drift apart, and what to send clients.
Invoice vs Estimate (and Quote)
Estimates propose, invoices collect. How the three documents fit together — and how one becomes the other.
For professionals
More guides coming soon
Next up: invoice generators for contractors and consultants. In the meantime, the fastest way to get an invoice done is the generator itself.