What should an invoice include?

At minimum: your business name and contact details, the client's name and contact details, a unique invoice number, the issue date and due date, an itemized list of what's being charged, the subtotal, any tax, and the total due. Payment instructions (bank details or a payment link) should be included so the client can actually pay.

When should I send an invoice?

As soon as the work is delivered, or immediately after the agreed milestone — the longer you wait, the longer you wait to get paid. For ongoing work, invoicing on a fixed schedule (weekly, biweekly, or monthly) makes cash flow predictable for both sides.

How do I get paid faster?

Make paying as frictionless as possible: include a direct payment link on the invoice instead of just bank details, state clear payment terms (e.g. due in 7 or 14 days), and send the invoice the moment the work is done rather than batching it later.

Do I need special software to invoice clients?

No — a document with the required fields is a valid invoice. Software just removes the manual work: correct formatting, automatic numbering and totals, and a payment link, instead of building each invoice from scratch.

What's the difference between an invoice and a quote?

A quote is sent before work starts to propose a price; it's not a request for payment. An invoice is sent after work is agreed or delivered and is a formal request for payment, usually with a due date.

How to invoice a client

Whether it's your first invoice or your five-hundredth, the fundamentals don't change: get the right details on the page, send it promptly, and make it easy for the client to pay. Here's the full rundown.

1. What to include on the invoice

A proper invoice needs a few non-negotiable fields — leave one out and you risk payment delays or a client asking you to redo it:

Required fields

Your business name and contact details
The client's name and contact details
A unique invoice number (so both sides can reference it later)
The issue date and a due date
An itemized list of the work or products, with quantity and rate
Subtotal, any tax, and the final total
How you want to be paid — bank details, mobile money, or a payment link

2. When to send it

Send the invoice as soon as the work is delivered or the agreed milestone is hit. Waiting "until it's convenient" is the single most common reason freelancers get paid late — the invoice can't be paid before it's sent. For retainer or ongoing work, pick a fixed cadence (weekly, biweekly, monthly) so the client knows exactly when to expect it.

3. Set clear payment terms

State the due date explicitly — "due in 7 days" or "due in 14 days" rather than leaving it open-ended. Vague terms like "pay when convenient" almost always mean slower payment. If you charge a late fee or require a deposit upfront, say so on the invoice itself, not in a separate conversation.

4. Make it easy to actually pay

A client who has to manually type your bank details into their banking app is a client who pays later than one who can tap a link. Where possible, attach a direct payment link to the invoice instead of relying on the client to initiate a transfer themselves.

ezybills drafts the whole invoice above — line items, totals, tax — from a one-line prompt, a chat screenshot, or a photo, and attaches a one-click payment link automatically.

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5. Follow up on late payments

If a due date passes, send a short, polite reminder referencing the invoice number — most late payments are oversight, not refusal. A second follow-up a week later, and a clear (but professional) note about any late fee if one applies, covers most cases without damaging the relationship.

6. Keep a record

Keep every invoice you send, along with its payment status. This matters for your own bookkeeping and taxes, and it's the fastest way to answer a client who says "did I already pay this one?"