Free Freelance Invoice Generator
Bill hours, projects and retainers. Adjust for payments received, review the balance, then print or save as PDF.
Required fields are marked *. This tool does not send invoices or process payments.
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Create a clear client invoice with this free freelance invoice generator. Add your business and client details, enter hourly work or fixed project fees, and account for tax, discounts and payments already received. Review the live preview, then print your invoice or save it as a PDF through your browser. No account is required.
Direct answer: To create a freelance invoice, include your name or business, the client’s details, a unique invoice number, issue and due dates, itemized work, the agreed currency and payment instructions. Calculate the total, subtract payments already received, and clearly show the remaining balance. Review the invoice before sending it to your client.
How to create your freelance invoice
1. Set the invoice number, currency and dates
Choose an invoice number that is unique in your own records, such as INV-2026-014. The generator starts with an editable example number; it does not maintain a business-wide invoice register or automatically prevent duplicate numbers.
Select the currency agreed with your client before entering prices. The tool supports USD, GBP, EUR, CAD, AUD, PKR, INR, AED, SAR, NZD, SGD and JPY. Changing the currency changes the denomination and formatting—it does not convert prices at an exchange rate.
Enter the issue date and choose the agreed payment terms. Net 14 sets a due date 14 calendar days after the issue date in this tool. Net 7, Net 15, Net 30, due on receipt and a custom due date are also available. Add a service date and a project or purchase-order reference when relevant.
2. Identify yourself and the client
Enter your business or professional name and the client’s correct billing name. Use the additional detail fields for addresses, contact information and tax identifiers where needed. If the client has a finance department, confirm its billing details before sending the invoice.
You can add a PNG, JPEG or WebP logo up to 1 MB. A logo helps the document look consistent with your business, but it does not replace accurate billing information.
3. Describe the work and enter your rates
Add a separate line for each meaningful deliverable, work period or agreed charge. “Homepage design and mobile layout” is easier to review than “website work.” For hourly work, include the task or service period in the description so the client can connect the charge to the work completed.
Choose Fixed / quantity for deliverables. For a single project fee, enter quantity 1 and the agreed price. Choose Hours for hourly work. Both billing types can appear on the same invoice, so you can include a fixed design milestone and separately approved hourly revisions.
If the price has not been agreed yet, use the Freelance Project Rate Calculator to plan your quote before preparing the invoice. An invoice should reflect the agreed scope and price.
4. Apply adjustments and payments received
Choose a percentage or fixed discount if applicable. The generator subtracts the discount before applying one user-entered tax rate to the remaining subtotal. It does not decide whether a service is taxable or which rate applies.
Enter any deposit or partial payment you have already received. This reduces the outstanding balance. Do not enter a deposit that you have merely requested: an unpaid request is not money received.
Add payment instructions that tell your client how to pay and which invoice reference to use. Include agreed terms or a short project note if needed.
5. Review and create your PDF
Check the client’s name, invoice number, dates, descriptions, amounts and payment details in the preview. Select Print / Save as PDF, then choose your browser’s Save as PDF destination. Use A4 or Letter paper and turn off browser headers and footers for a cleaner result.
The export contains the client invoice, without the editor controls or private fee estimate. You can also copy the invoice as text or download a standalone HTML copy. Email or share the finished document yourself; the generator does not send it for you.
Freelance invoice example: fixed work plus hourly revisions
Suppose you completed a website milestone for $500 and 1 hour 30 minutes of additional revisions at $80 per hour. You agreed to a 10% discount, received a $200 deposit, and—for this example only—apply an 8% invoice tax.
| Invoice component | Calculation | Amount |
| Website milestone | 1 × $500 | $500.00 |
| Additional revisions | 1.5 hours × $80 | $120.00 |
| Subtotal | $500 + $120 | $620.00 |
| Discount | 10% × $620 | −$62.00 |
| Amount before tax | $620 − $62 | $558.00 |
| Invoice tax | 8% × $558 | $44.64 |
| Invoice total | $558 + $44.64 | $602.64 |
| Deposit already received | Previous payment | −$200.00 |
| Balance due | $602.64 − $200 | $402.64 |
The example tax rate is illustrative, not a recommended rate. The Load worked example button fills the generator with these fictional amounts so you can inspect the calculation. Replace the example details before sending an invoice.
How hourly invoicing handles hours and minutes
Minutes must be converted to a fraction of an hour before multiplying by an hourly rate. One hour 30 minutes is 1.5 hours, not 1.30 hours.
In an hourly line, enter either 1:30 or 1.5. Both represent the same time. An entry of 1.30 is a decimal value of 1.3 hours, which equals 1 hour 18 minutes. The line summary displays the converted hours so you can check your entry.
The H:MM format requires a minute value from 00 to 59. For example, 2:45 is valid, while 2:75 must be corrected. For fixed-price lines, use a normal numeric quantity instead of a time entry.
For a freelance writer, a line might read “Two approved articles — September,” with quantity 2 and the per-article fee. For a consultant, it might read “Strategy consultation — September 25,” with the actual hours and agreed hourly rate.
Deposits, partial payments and the balance due
The invoice total describes the charges on this document. The balance due describes what remains after payments already received. Keeping them separate helps your client understand why the amount to pay differs from the value of the work.
For example, a $1,000 invoice with $300 already paid has a $700 balance. The $300 payment does not reduce the invoice’s service subtotal or replace the agreed discount. It is recorded after the total is calculated.
If received payments exceed the invoice total, the generator shows a zero balance and a separate overpayment or credit amount. Check your records and arrange the appropriate treatment with your client; the tool does not issue refunds or credit notes.
This workflow is designed to credit an existing payment. It does not automatically calculate a requested deposit percentage or split a full contract into multiple deposit and final invoices. When billing a milestone or retainer, enter only the amount covered by this invoice and describe the billing period clearly. You can plan an ongoing package with the Freelance Retainer Pricing Calculator before billing it.
Estimate what the next payment leaves after processing fees
The separate fee panel helps you estimate the cash received from one future payment of the current balance. Enter your own percentage fee and fixed fee for the payment method you expect to use.
For the $402.64 balance above, an illustrative 2.9% fee plus $0.30 produces an estimated fee of $11.98 and an estimated net receipt of $390.66.
Those percentages are example assumptions, not a verified processor quote. Check your current provider pricing for the relevant country, account and transaction type. The PayPal Fee Calculator can support a separate fee-planning comparison.
The private estimate never adds a surcharge to the client invoice. It also does not represent profit or after-tax income: the net receipt includes any invoice tax collected and does not subtract your business expenses or income taxes. Fees on earlier deposits are excluded because the panel estimates only the remaining payment.
What the generator calculates—and what you should check
Each line amount is rounded to the selected currency’s precision before the subtotal is added. The discount and tax are also rounded. JPY uses whole yen; the other listed currencies use two decimal places. This makes the displayed invoice arithmetic reviewable, though another invoicing system with a different rounding policy can differ slightly.
The tool uses one tax-exclusive rate after discount across all line items. It does not support mixed per-item tax rates, tax-inclusive prices, compound taxes, automatic exemptions or jurisdiction-specific electronic invoice submission.
Invoice requirements depend on where you operate and the type of transaction. For example, GOV.UK’s invoice guidance specifies identification, parties, dates, descriptions and amounts, with additional requirements in relevant situations. That guidance is UK-specific; choosing GBP, PKR or another currency does not make a document compliant with that country’s rules. Check the requirements that apply to your business before sending.
Saving your draft and protecting client details
The generator does not automatically save your entries. Save draft locally stores the current form and logo in your browser on the current device. Later changes require another save. Load saved draft restores that copy, and Delete saved draft removes it. Reset clears the current editor but leaves a saved draft intact.
Avoid saving sensitive client details on a shared device. Local drafts are not encrypted backups and may be lost if browser storage is cleared. Keep your finished invoices in your own organized records.
The generator code makes no network requests. Other parts of the hosting website, including analytics or third-party scripts, operate separately. The tool does not provide cloud synchronization, invoice delivery, recurring billing or payment-status tracking.
Frequently asked questions: Freelance Invoice Generator
Is this freelance invoice generator free?
Yes. You can create, preview, copy and print invoices without creating an account. Saving as PDF uses your browser’s print dialog. The generated client invoice does not include a GigTaxGuidePro watermark.
Can I combine hourly work and a fixed project fee?
Yes. Choose the billing unit for each line. For a fixed project fee, use quantity 1. For hourly work, enter decimal hours or H:MM and the hourly rate.
How do I show a deposit already paid?
Enter it in Deposit / payments already received. The generator subtracts that amount from the invoice total to calculate the balance. Do not use this field for a payment you are still waiting to receive.
Can I create invoices in different currencies?
Yes, using the currency selector. Each invoice uses one currency. The generator does not convert existing amounts when you change the currency, so confirm the agreed prices yourself.
Does the tool automatically calculate my taxes?
It calculates an invoice tax amount from the rate you enter and the discounted subtotal. It does not determine tax liability, choose a legally applicable rate or calculate self-employment and income taxes.
Can I send the invoice directly to my client?
No. Save the PDF, download the HTML or copy the text, then send it using your own email or preferred delivery method. No payment request is sent automatically.
Is an invoice the same as a receipt?
An invoice requests payment; a receipt acknowledges payment received. Recording a paid amount on this invoice does not turn the tool into a separate receipt generator. The distinction is also explained in GOV.UK’s invoicing overview.
Will my fee estimate appear on the client’s invoice?
No. The processing-fee estimate stays in the private planning panel. It does not appear in the printable invoice, downloaded HTML or copied invoice text.