How designers and freelancers should invoice: a practical guide

50% on acceptance, balance on delivery of the final files. Rights transfer on payment, not on delivery — put that in the terms and the last invoice stops being awkward. Itemise labour and materials separately, put a real due date on it rather than "on receipt", and send it as a PDF the client can forward to whoever actually pays. For designers and freelancers, the detail that matters most: revision rounds must be numbered in the quote or scope creep becomes unbillable.

How to price the work

Project-based with a defined scope beats hourly for anything creative, because hourly punishes you for being fast and rewards you for being slow.

What the lines should look like

For a project with revisions, a line that reads well is:

Brand identity, logo and guidelines, two revision rounds

Specific enough that the person approving payment — often not the person who hired you — can see what they are paying for. Here is the same job as a finished invoice line:

Brand identity — logo, colour, type and guidelines
Includes two rounds of revisions; further rounds billable at £320 each — £2,400.00

Deposits

50% up front is the industry norm and worth holding to. A client unwilling to pay half up front is telling you something.

Materials and markup

Stock images, fonts and third-party licences are pass-through costs. Bill them at cost as a separate line and keep the receipts — they are the easiest thing in the world to absorb accidentally.

The mistake designers and freelancers make most

Revision rounds must be numbered in the quote or scope creep becomes unbillable.

Revision rounds. "Two rounds of revisions, further rounds at £X per round" in the quote is what stands between you and an infinite project. Without a number in writing, "one more small change" continues until the client is satisfied, which may be never.

Revision rounds need a number in writing

This is the defining failure of the trade. "Two rounds included, further rounds at £320 each" in the accepted quote is the sentence standing between a profitable project and an indefinite one. Without a number, "one more small tweak" continues until the client is satisfied, and satisfaction has no deadline. When round three arrives, quote for it the same day — absorbing it once teaches the client that rounds are free.

Getting paid, in this trade specifically

Agencies and larger clients pay on 30 to 60 day terms through a portal, and the invoice must match the purchase order exactly or it is rejected silently. Small direct clients pay fast but need chasing on the second half, because the work is already in use by then.

The rest is the same for everyone: what has to be on the document, how to number it, how to chase it and how long to keep it. If you are registered for tax, the rate and the label depend on your country.

EstimateBill tracks what is unpaid, reminds you on the due date, and writes the follow-up message for you in three tones. See how the reminders work.