Your name/business, the client's name, a unique invoice number, the date, itemized lines (description × quantity × rate), the total, and payment terms. Add your payment details (bank, Wise, PayPal) and, where required, your tax ID and any VAT/GST line. The ready check in this generator verifies the essentials before you send — the tax ID and payment details go in the Notes field or your own template.

Sequentially, with a year prefix: INV-2026-001, INV-2026-002, … Never reuse or skip numbers — gaps look unprofessional and complicate your books and tax return. If you invoice multiple clients, one shared sequence is fine (the number identifies the invoice, not the client).

Deliverables wherever the contract allows. "Homepage design — $1,200" gets paid faster than "12 hours × $100" because there is nothing to audit or argue. Itemize hours only when the contract is hourly — and then keep a time log, because "trust me" is not an invoicing strategy.

Net 15 is the freelancer sweet spot; Net 30 is the corporate default; "due on receipt" suits small fixed jobs. Shorter terms get paid faster — every extra 15 days is an interest-free loan to the client. For projects over ~$2,000, use 50% upfront (the generator has that option). Put the terms on the invoice itself: agreed terms are enforceable, verbal understandings are not.

The day the work is delivered — or the day the contract says to. Invoices sent same-day get paid measurably faster than batched month-end invoices, because they arrive while the value is fresh in the client's mind. Set a personal rule: no deliverable goes out without its invoice within 24 hours.

It depends on your country, your registration status, and the client's location. EU/UK VAT-registered freelancers generally charge VAT (with reverse-charge rules for B2B cross-border); US freelancers rarely charge sales tax on services; other countries vary. The generator's tax % line is there when you need it — but whether you need it is a tax question for your jurisdiction, modeled in the VAT/GST calculator.

Follow a cadence: friendly reminder at 7 days overdue, firm reminder at 14, final notice with consequences at 30. Your leverage comes from the terms printed on the invoice — which is why they matter. Templates for each stage are in the late-payment reminder templates tool. For chronic late payers, the fix is structural: deposits, milestone billing, or firing the client.

Yes — invoice in whatever currency the contract specifies. This generator labels amounts in dollars; for other currencies, note the currency code in the description or notes (e.g. "€2,400"). Watch the FX: if you invoice in USD but live on pesos or rupees, the exchange rate on payment day — not invoice day — decides your real revenue. The FX markup comparator shows what the conversion costs you.

Rarely — 2/10 net 30 gives away 2% for cash you probably do not desperately need. The math: 2% for 20 days early is ~36% annualized — a terrible rate to pay for your own money. Discounts make sense only when cash flow is the binding constraint. A better lever is charging late fees (where legal) rather than discounting promptness.

Send a separate deposit invoice before work starts: one line, "Project deposit (50%)", due on receipt. The balance invoice goes out on delivery with its own number. Two invoices, clean books, and you never finance a client's project from your own cash flow. The milestone splitter builds the full payment schedule behind multi-stage projects.

Yes — clients care about clarity, not graphic design. A clean PDF with all required fields, sent promptly, beats a beautiful invoice sent three weeks late. Big corporate clients may require their vendor portal or a specific format; ask at onboarding, not at payment-chasing time.

Nowhere — everything stays in your browser. This generator has no account, no server storage, and no tracking. The invoice exists only on your screen until you hit Print results and save the PDF yourself. Your client list never touches our servers, because it never leaves your device.