Invoicing clients as a freelancer — simple checklist

Your first invoices set the tone for how clients treat your payments. A clear, complete invoice reduces finance-team back-and-forth and helps you stay organised for your own records. This is general business guidance, not legal or tax advice. If you are VAT registered or deal with cross-border clients, confirm invoice fields with a practitioner or SARS.

What to put on every invoice

Most clients expect:

• Your business name and contact details
• Client name and billing contact
• Unique invoice number and invoice date
• Description of work — scope, dates, or deliverables
• Amount — line items if the project had phases
• Payment instructions — bank details or payment link
• Payment terms — e.g. due on receipt, 7 days, 30 days

If you are a VAT vendor, additional tax-invoice fields may be required above certain amounts (VAT numbers, VAT breakdown, etc.). Check current SARS guidance rather than guessing.

Quoting before you invoice

Agree scope and price in writing (email is fine). For corporate clients, state whether a quote is VAT inclusive or exclusive — ambiguity causes rejected invoices. The free VAT calculator helps when you need to split amounts quickly.

Payment habits

• Invoice when work is complete (or per milestone if agreed upfront).
• Send to the accounts payable address when you have it.
• Follow up politely before terms expire — many delays are process, not malice.
• Match bank deposits to invoice numbers in a simple register.

Records to keep

Store a copy of every invoice and proof of payment. Many advisers suggest keeping tax-related records for several years — confirm the current retention period with SARS or your accountant. Organising by tax year (March–February for individuals) saves time later.

Make it repeatable

Templates beat reinventing Word each month. InvoiceFast gives you a live builder, PDF export, history, and ZAR-friendly defaults — with a free tier after trial if you want to try before subscribing.

Professional invoicing is mostly consistency: complete fields, clear terms, and sending on time. This checklist gets you started; your practitioner fills in the tax-specific details for your registration status.