{"id":5590,"date":"2025-11-28T09:55:02","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T09:55:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/invoice-example\/"},"modified":"2025-11-28T09:55:02","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T09:55:02","slug":"invoice-example","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/invoice-example\/","title":{"rendered":"Invoice Example"},"content":{"rendered":"

Let me tell you about the time I accidentally billed a client $10,000 for a logo design. (Spoiler: I meant to type $1,000 \u2013 those extra zeros nearly gave us both heart attacks.) Back when I started freelancing from my Atlanta kitchen table, I thought invoices were just "Date + Services + Pay Me"<\/em> slapped into a Word doc. Oh, how wrong I was…<\/p>\n

The Wake-Up Call<\/strong>
\nMy first "professional" invoice looked like a ransom note \u2013 no business address, payment terms buried in Comic Sans footnotes. The client texted: "Is this…real? My accountant needs your tax ID."<\/em> Cue internal panic. I\u2019d been Googling "invoice example" too, but every template felt either corporate robotic or sketchily vague.<\/p>\n

What Actually Works (After 4 Years of Trial\/Error)<\/strong>
\nHere\u2019s what I\u2019ve learned from 237 invoices (and one awkward Venmo request to my dentist cousin):<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n

    The 5 Non-Negotiables<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    • Your LLC\/EIN (makes you look legit come tax season)<\/li>\n
    • Client\u2019s PO number (game-changer for corporate folks)<\/li>\n
    • Itemized hours<\/strong> \u2013 not just "Design work: $500" (My friend\u2019s client once disputed a charge because it didn\u2019t specify "Website copy edits: 2hrs @ $75\/hr")<\/li>\n
    • Due date in bold red<\/strong> (Learned this after 60% of clients "forgot" my net-30 terms)<\/li>\n
    • Payment options (I include Zelle, check, and a PayPal link \u2013 millennials love clickable buttons)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
    • \n

      The Coffee Shop Trick<\/strong>
      \nI template my invoices during Saturday morning Starbucks runs. Open a new doc, blast Lizzo, and batch-create invoices for the week. Pro tip: Save drafts as "INVOICE_DONT_SEND_YET" after that time I accidentally emailed a half-finished one with "Insert client rage here<\/em>" in the notes.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      My Go-To Format (Stolen\/Modified from Etsy Sellers)<\/strong><\/p>\n

      [Your Logo]  \n[Your Name] LLC \u2022 Philadelphia, PA  \nTax ID: 12-3456789  \n\nInvoice #: 2023-087  \nDate: August 14, 2023  \nDue: September 1, 2023  \u26a0\ufe0f LATE FEE: 1.5%\/month  \n\nClient:  \nJane Smith  \nXYZ Corp  \nPO #: 4567  \n\nServices:  \n8\/1 \u2013 Homepage wireframe review \u2013 1.5hrs @ $110\/hr = $165  \n8\/5 \u2013 Logo revisions (3 rounds) \u2013 4hrs @ $130\/hr = $520  \n\nTotal Due: $685  \n\nPay via:  \n\u2705 Zelle: yourname@bank.com  \n\u2705 Check (Mail to...)  \n\u2705 PayPal (3% fee): [link]  \n<\/code><\/pre>\n
      The Surprising Thing That Works<\/strong>
      \nAdding a "Thank You" GIF \u2013 like a dancing taco or sparkly "PAID" stamp. Clients in Iowa to NYC have mentioned it makes invoicing feel less transactional. One even paid 2 days early to "see the taco dance again."<\/p>\n
      If I Could Start Over<\/strong>
      \nI\u2019d use free templates from FreshBooks instead of reinventing the wheel. Their "Plumber Invoice" example taught me more about clear formatting than 10 YouTube tutorials.<\/p>\n
      Your Turn<\/strong>
      \nGrab a La Croix, open Google Docs, and just start. Your first invoice will suck (mine looked like a middle school bake sale receipt). But in 3 years, you\u2019ll cringe-laugh at how far you\u2019ve come \u2013 and maybe even buy a commemorative coffee mug with "PAID" stamped on it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
      Let me tell you about the time I accidentally billed a client $10,000 for a logo design. (Spoiler: I meant to type $1,000 \u2013 those extra zeros nearly gave us both heart attacks.) Back when I started freelancing from my Atlanta kitchen table, I thought invoices were just "Date + Services + Pay Me" slapped…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1757,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5590","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-content"],"modified_by":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5590","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5590"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5590\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1757"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5590"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5590"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5590"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}