How to invoice someone and when to send an invoice to a client

Learn the best way to invoice customers, including how to use templates, which information to add, and when to send an invoice to a client.

As a small business, you’ve probably concerned yourself with everything from product development to marketing, but you might not have your system for invoicing down yet. The best way to get paid as a business is to make invoicing easy and simple for clients or customers. Learn how to invoice someone effectively, from creating an invoice template to sending it at the right time.

How to invoice someone in 4 simple steps

If you already know what is an invoice and what its elements are, then you probably know that the best way to invoice clients depends on your situation. First, you’ll need to know which kinds of payment you’ll accept and which types your clients use.

Look into the standard way invoicing works in your industry and ensure it works with your payment method. You can also ask yourself how the client expects to be invoiced since that’s where they’ll look for your bill. In some circumstances, clients will expect a physical invoice in the mail — in others, they’ll expect an email. You can even combine the two approaches to help ensure payment.

Invoicing clients can become part of a simple system if you make a template and include all the right information. Follow the steps below to learn how to invoice effectively.

1. Create an invoice template to reuse.

Invoice templates are the best way to simplify the billing process.

Once you’ve learned how to write an invoice, you can easily create a template. Then, you don’t have to worry about coming up with new designs, adding your logo and business information, or remembering which information blocks to include every time you want to invoice someone. You can simply pull up a blank invoice, add the product or service details, and send it to the customer.

If you’d prefer not to create your own template, you can easily download free invoice templates online.

2. Include all relevant information in the invoice.

Give your customers all the information they need to understand exactly what they’re paying for, who they’re paying, and how they can make payments.

Make sure you include at least the following information in every invoice:

• Your business contact information
• The client’s contact information
• Invoice date and number
• Each product sold or service rendered
• Total amount due
• Payment terms

Once the proper information is added to your invoice template, it’s ready to send to the customer or client.

3. Set up with recurring payments.

If you have an ongoing client relationship and have to send regular invoices, you can set up auto-recurring invoices with invoicing software. Setting up your invoices to be automatic can make your invoicing more efficient, saving you the time it takes to refill your template and send your invoice. Double-check that the automated system you have set up will be accurate — you don’t want to worry a client with an extra or inaccurate invoice.

Along with invoicing automatically, you can create automatic follow-ups to make sure your payments come in when you expect them. Your automated follow-ups should be polite, and pleasant, and help build a relationship with your customer.

4. Make it easy

Learning how to invoice someone doesn’t stop with knowing how to send an invoice. The final stage of the invoicing process is the acceptance and payment.

The easier it is to make payments, the faster customers will pay your invoices. Set up a way to accept online payments to make it easy for your customers to pay using a credit card or other online payment option.

If your business requires customers to sign invoices, adding an online signature using software powered by Adobe Acrobat is a great way to speed up the invoicing process. Your customers can accept and pay invoices without needing to meet in person for signatures or deal with copiers or fax machines.

When to send an invoice to a client?

If your business doesn’t know when to send an invoice to a customer, it can interrupt cash flow and cause you unnecessary stress. Read on to learn more about the timeline of when to send an invoice and whether your business should invoice before or after the completion of work.

The rhythm of a business’s cash flow is tied to the decision of when to issue an invoice. Billing isn’t just about formalizing a transaction — it plays a pivotal role in ensuring that funds circulate smoothly, allowing businesses to meet their operational demands and growth.

Do I invoice before or after payment?

First, let’s look at the purpose of invoices in your business. You’ll send invoices to notify your customers that payment is owed.

When you decide to send invoices is up to you — whether that’s before you begin work or after completion — but your customers shouldn’t pay you before you send an official invoice.

When you’re considering when you should issue an invoice, there are different options you can choose from. The timing for sending an invoice can and may vary depending on the nature of the project, the relationship you have with the client, and the terms you both agreed upon. Some options include:

• Issuing the invoice before the work begins: Invoicing upfront helps your business maintain a healthy cash flow, along with a few other benefits. Because the client has already invested in you and your services, they’re more likely to be involved in the project and provide any guidance or clarification as the project progresses. You have the guarantee that money won’t run out halfway through a project, which could delay or ultimately stop completion. If invoicing before work begins isn’t a suitable approach, you can consider accepting a deposit instead of the full payment.
• Issuing the invoice for milestones: Milestone-invoicing is the practice of billing clients at different predefined stages or milestones throughout the length of a project instead of waiting for the project to be completed. Each milestone represents a specific deliverable or a percentage of the project. Some of the benefits of issuing an invoice for milestones are improving cash flow, mitigating financial risks, building client trust, and offering flexibility in payment.
• Issuing the invoice after the work is completed: If it fits in better with your business model, it may be more appropriate to invoice after the work has been completed. Ideally, once your project is concluded, you’d send the invoice immediately, but you could also choose to invoice at the end of a two-week cycle or the month’s end. Make sure to agree on terms with your client in advance, as it helps prevent misunderstandings and ensure prompt delivery of payment.

Explore more about what Acrobat can do to simplify the invoicing process and keep your business moving.