Some invoices need columns for quantity, unit price, discount and tax. Most freelance invoices do not. You did a piece of work, it had a price, and both of you already agreed what that price was.
This template is built for that: a wide description column, an amount column, and nothing in between to fill in for the sake of it.
The result is simple and readable. A big INVOICE at the top, your name under it, the client's details on the right, the project named in bold across the middle, and then the work.

Get a working Excel file

Answer the questions, generate, and you download a real .xlsx with live formulas, or a .pdf if you want the raw numbers. Change an amount later and the subtotal, tax and total all follow.

What is on the invoice

A masthead with your business name and contact details
The invoice date, number and bill-to block on the right
A project title in large type across the page, so the invoice announces what it is for
A description and amount table with room for twelve lines
A totals block: subtotal, tax rate, sales tax, an "other" line, and the total
Two note areas beside the totals, for payment instructions and a contact line
A thank you at the foot

How to describe your lines

The description column is very wide, you should be specific when writing the description. For example, instead of writing just "Design work" write "Logo design, three routes plus two revision rounds". It reminds the client of what they agreed to and what they received.

Breaking a project into its parts also protects you. If a client later disputes one deliverable, you want it priced separately on the invoice rather than buried in a single number.

The tax rate is a plain number

Enter 20 for 20 percent, not 0.2. The cell shows 20.00% and the sales tax line divides by a hundred behind the scenes. Many freelancers are not registered for sales tax or VAT at all, in which case leave it at zero and the line shows nothing.

The "other" line

Use it for anything that is not one of your work items: expenses you are passing on, a rush surcharge, or a deposit the client already paid, entered as a negative number so it comes off the total. It is added after tax, so it suits items you are not charging tax on.

Getting paid, not just invoiced

The two note areas beside the totals are the most useful part of this template and the most often wasted. Put your actual bank details in the first one. Put a named person, a phone number and an email in the second, along with your payment terms.

An invoice that makes someone hunt for how to pay it is not optimal.

How to create your invoice

Open the template and click Generate.
Enter your business details and the invoice date and number.
Add the client's details in the bill-to block.
Name the project.
Add one line per piece of work, with its amount.
Set your tax rate, or leave it at zero.
Write your payment instructions and contact line, then generate and download.

One limit worth knowing

The items table holds twelve rows. The totals sit directly beneath it, so a thirteenth line would land on top of them. If a project genuinely needs more, group related deliverables onto one line or download the excel sheet and edit as you want.

Who is this for

Freelancers and independent contractors billing by the project rather than the hour. Designers, writers, developers, photographers, consultants. Small studios sending a handful of invoices a month who want them to look considered without buying invoicing software.

Note: This template is provided for convenience and general information only and is not legal, tax or accounting advice. What an invoice must show, which tax you must charge and how long you must keep records depend on where you and your client are based. Check your local rules or ask your accountant. An invoice must reflect work that was genuinely done.

#small business invoice excel templates

Classic Freelancer Invoice Template