1. Add the business and the person you are billing
Start with your business name and contact details. Add the client's billing name and address, using the business or person responsible for payment rather than guessing from a project nickname. Check with the client if their accounts team needs a purchase order or a particular reference.
Choose a distinct invoice number and enter the issue date. Set the payment due date to the terms you already agreed with the client. A number such as INV-001 can work for a first invoice; keep your next number distinct so later payments are easier to match.
2. Describe the work in separate line items
Give the invoice a specific project title. For each service, enter a description, quantity and unit price. Describe the delivered session, milestone or period of work so the customer can connect the charge to what they approved.
For example, a freelance consultant could bill three planning sessions at USD $250 each and two report-preparation hours at USD $150 each. The line totals are $750 and $300, giving a $1,050 subtotal. Do not add an optional service that the client has not agreed to buy.
INVOICE INV-001 Project: Client planning and recommendations Currency: USD Planning sessions — 3 × $250.00 = $750.00 Report preparation — 2 hours × $150.00 = $300.00 Subtotal: $1,050.00 Tax: $0.00 [illustrative; replace as applicable] Invoice total: $1,050.00 [recalculate if tax changes] Payment due: [Agreed date] Payment instructions: [Agreed method and payment reference] Questions: [Your business contact details]
3. Check currency, tax and any earlier payment
Select the currency you agreed to charge. Changing the currency label is not an exchange-rate conversion: review the entered prices whenever you change it. The free tool supports USD and CAD.
Enter the applicable tax rate instead of copying the example's zero. The calculator applies the rate you enter; it does not determine your tax obligations. Check which business identifiers and invoice details apply to your work and location before issuing the document.
Reconcile any money already received against this invoice before requesting the balance. Enter the confirmed amount in Payments received. A promised deposit or a payment screenshot is not a confirmed payment. Keep the payment reference with your own records.
4. Give the customer a clear way to pay
Add the agreed payment instructions and the invoice reference the client should use. If you include a payment link, verify its destination yourself. Keep account passwords and card details out of the invoice.
Use the notes for a useful scope reference or agreed terms. If the final amount differs from an estimate, explain the approved change rather than leaving the customer to compare two unexplained totals.
5. Review the preview, save a PDF and share it
Read the finished preview before choosing Print / Save PDF. In the browser's print dialog, select a PDF destination or printer. Reopen a saved PDF to check the client, number, dates, descriptions and balance before attaching it to your own message.
The free generator prepares a document. It does not send an email, create a payment checkout or mark the bill paid. Save your copy and record when you shared it. For a later payment reminder, confirm the balance and the customer's latest reply first.
When to move from a single invoice to a workspace
A standalone invoice suits a one-off document. When you keep re-entering the same clients and prices, DetailSprout's workspace connects client records, saved services, estimates, invoices and reviewed reminders. An agreed estimate can become a draft invoice for you to check.
The free tool and the paid workspace are separate: your tool draft is not imported automatically. Review the pricing page before creating a workspace. Online invoice payments in the workspace require your business's connected Stripe account to be ready; preparing an invoice alone does not collect money.