Freelance writer
invoice template

Freelance writers and journalists invoice publications, websites and businesses for commissioned articles, features and content. Below is a ready-made freelance writer invoice template, with worked example lines, the VAT and payment rules that apply, and the mistakes that most often delay payment.

What goes on a freelance writer invoice

Give the commission: the headline or topic, word count, the editor who commissioned it, the publication and date, and the rights sold (first British serial rights, online only, all rights).

Line by line: Feature, 1,500 words, commissioned by the features editor, 1 × £450.00 = £450.00; Online syndication rights, 1 × £100.00 = £100.00. The subtotal is £550.00. The example assumes you are not VAT registered, so there is no VAT and the total due is £550.00. The figures are illustrative, not a price guide, so use your own rates.

The legal minimum is the same for every trade. GOV.UK says an invoice needs a unique number, your business name and address, the customer's name and address, a description of the work, the supply date and invoice date, the amount charged, VAT if you charge it, and the total due. This template lays each of those out for freelance writers; for the detail, read what a UK invoice must include.

Give each invoice the next number in a single sequence and never reuse one. A cancelled invoice keeps its number and is cancelled with a credit note. If you want a format that stays tidy for years, try the invoice number generator.

How freelance writers price their work

Publications pay by the word or per piece at their own rates; businesses usually pay a project fee. Extra rights, such as syndication, are charged separately.

Keep the pricing visible. Each line should show the quantity, the unit and the rate, so the customer can match it to the quote. To set rates that cover your costs and your tax, try the day rate calculator; for materials and stock you resell, the profit margin calculator shows the margin you really make.

Agree this before you start

Agree the fee, word count, deadline, rights, the kill fee if the piece is not used, and expenses. Get the commission in writing, even an email from the editor.

When to send a freelance writer invoice

On delivery, or on publication if the publication insists; chase a kill fee as soon as a piece is dropped.

An invoice sent on the day tends to be paid on time; one sent weeks later tends to be paid weeks later. Email it as a PDF and keep a copy. The invoice due date calculator shows exactly when payment falls due under your terms.

VAT on freelance writer invoices

Writing and the sale of rights are standard-rated for a registered writer; few freelance writers reach the threshold.

Once registered, freelance writers charge 20% on fees, usage licences and recharged expenses alike. Work for a business overseas is usually outside the scope of UK VAT, because the service is supplied where the business customer belongs; write that on the invoice instead of charging VAT.

Registration is compulsory once taxable turnover in the last 12 months passes £90,000, or when you expect to pass it within the next 30 days. Check your position with the VAT registration checker; until then, see invoicing without a VAT number.

Who freelance writers invoice

Put your rights on the invoice. A creative fee usually includes a licence for a defined use, and clients who later want more (another territory, a longer period, paid advertising) should expect to pay for it. Agencies and brands also need their PO number on the invoice; without it many accounts teams will not pay.

Many publications pay freelancers through their own self-billing or contributor systems; send them your details once and check each payment against your record of commissions.

Recharging costs and expenses

When you agreed to pass on costs, list them separately: mileage at an agreed rate, parking, materials or anything bought for the customer. The recharge is income and the cost is an expense, both in full. Registered businesses charge VAT on the recharge as part of their service; a true disbursement, paid as the customer's agent, is the narrow exception. Use the mileage calculator to value your business miles.

Usage, rights and kill fees

Rights are part of the price. Record the licence on the invoice or in terms it refers to: where the work can be used, for how long, and whether it is exclusive. Copyright stays with you unless you assign it in writing, and a transfer of full rights deserves a higher fee. Agree a kill fee for cancelled commissions and the number of revisions included, so any extra round is a new line rather than a dispute.

Deposits, stages and cancellations

Not usual for publications; businesses may pay a deposit.

Take a booking fee or deposit to hold dates, and invoice the balance on delivery. Longer commissions work best with stage invoices at each milestone, and a kill fee agreed in advance protects you if the client pulls the project.

Payment terms for freelance writers

Publications often pay at the end of the month after publication; businesses on 30 days.

Between businesses, the default when nothing is agreed is 30 days from receipt of the invoice or the work, whichever comes later, and agreed terms should not normally exceed 60 days. Late business payers owe statutory interest at 8% above Bank Rate plus fixed compensation per invoice; the late payment interest calculator does the sums. Private individuals are not covered by that Act, so agree your terms with them in writing before the work starts.

Getting paid faster

Put everything the customer needs to pay on the invoice: your bank name, account name, sort code and account number, and the reference to use, normally the invoice number. Give a due date, not just "on receipt". Then follow a routine: a reminder the day after the due date, another a week later, and a firmer letter after two weeks. Most late payment is disorganisation, not refusal, and a routine fixes it. Invoice payment terms compares the common options, and the due date calculator turns them into a date.

If a customer disputes the invoice

When a customer queries an invoice, reply quickly and in writing, quote the quote or agreement, and ask them to pay the part they accept while you resolve the rest. A credit note can settle a partial dispute cleanly. Unpaid after reminders? Send a letter before action with a final date; in England and Wales, claims up to £10,000 can then go to the small claims track. Invoice disputes and small claims for an unpaid invoice have the detail.

Common freelance writer invoicing mistakes

• Selling all rights by default. Say which rights the fee covers; all rights are worth more than first rights.
• No kill fee agreed. Agree it when commissioned, so a dropped piece still pays.
• Commissions without a written record. Keep the editor's commissioning email with the invoice.
• Leaving out the due date. "Payment due within 14 days" or a date on the invoice gives you something to chase against. Without one, business customers default to 30 days.
• Losing track of what is unpaid. Chase on the day after the due date, not a month later; the guide to chasing an unpaid invoice has the wording.

Checklist before you send it

A quick check before sending saves a chase later:

• The invoice number is the next in your sequence and has never been used.
• The customer's name and address are right, with their purchase order or reference if they use one.
• Each line shows what was done, the quantity, the unit and the rate.
• The subtotal and total add up, and VAT appears only if you are VAT registered.
• The invoice date, a due date and your bank details are on it.
• A copy is saved with your records before you press send.

Keep a copy of every invoice

Your invoices are the evidence behind the income on your tax return, so keep a copy of every one. Making Tax Digital for Income Tax makes that digital: from 6 April 2026 for qualifying income over £50,000, from April 2027 over £30,000, and from April 2028 over £20,000, with quarterly updates to HMRC. Check your start date with the MTD requirement checker.

Download the freelance writer invoice template

Download it as a Word document for Word or Google Docs, as an Excel workbook whose totals are live formulas, or as a print-ready PDF. Prefer to fill it in on screen? The free invoice generator opens pre-filled with the example freelance writer lines, lets you choose a template and colour, and makes a finished PDF in a minute, with nothing stored.

For the tax side of the trade, from allowable expenses to Making Tax Digital, read the self-employed freelance writer tax guide. A TapTax account, free to start, keeps your invoices and records together and files your quarterly updates to HMRC.