Magician
invoice template

Magicians invoice clients and agencies for close-up magic, stage shows and children's parties. Below is a ready-made magician 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 magician invoice

Show the event, date, performance times and length, travel and any agency reference.

Line by line: Close-up magic, wedding reception, 2 hours, 1 × £450.00 = £450.00; Travel, 50 miles × £0.45 = £22.50. The subtotal is £472.50. The example assumes you are not VAT registered, so there is no VAT and the total due is £472.50. 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 magicians; 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 magicians price their work

Fees depend on the performance: close-up or walkaround magic by the hour, stage or cabaret shows as a set fee, and children's parties as packages. Travel beyond a set distance and extra time on the night are charged separately, and agency bookings are priced net of the agency's commission.

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 set times, the space, audience, travel, and cancellation terms.

When to send a magician invoice

Deposit at booking, balance before the event.

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 magician invoices

Standard-rated for a VAT-registered performer.

Once you are VAT registered, charge 20% on your fee and on everything you recharge with it, from travel to hire equipment. Below the £90,000 threshold, you do not register and your invoices should not show 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 magicians invoice

Private bookings are consumer contracts: be clear up front about deposits, cancellation charges and what is included, and keep the invoice consistent with those terms. When a venue or company books you, get their purchase order and invoicing address first.

Agencies may take commission and invoice the client themselves; check whether you invoice the agency or the client.

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.

Contracts, dates and cancellations

Before any wedding or party booking, put the essentials in writing: the date, the timings, the services included, the deposit and whether it is refundable, the balance date and your cancellation charges. Charges must reflect your real loss, not a penalty. Then invoice in line with the contract, always showing what has already been paid.

Deposits, stages and cancellations

Deposits secure the date.

Take a deposit to hold the date and invoice the balance well before the day, so payment is never chased at the event itself. The final invoice should show the full price, the deposit received and the amount still due.

Payment terms for magicians

The balance is due before the event; corporate clients often pay on 30-day terms after the event, against their purchase order.

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 magician invoicing mistakes

• Invoicing an agency booking twice. When an agency booked you, confirm whether you invoice the agency or the client, so the client is not billed by both.
• Leaving set times unclear. State when each set starts and ends; over-running because a speech was late is extra time you can charge only if the times were agreed.
• Absorbing travel. Long drives to venues cost time and fuel; charge travel beyond a set distance.
• 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 magician 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 magician 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 magician tax guide. A TapTax account, free to start, keeps your invoices and records together and files your quarterly updates to HMRC.