Free Invoice Templates For Word

Getting Paid – On Time!

Every entrepreneur wants to get paid – on time, and according to the specified terms.

There’s a great variety of payment processors, software solutions and all sorts of tech apps to help you invoice clients. But when your operations are not (yet!) of a large scale – a good ol’ PDF invoice will go the trick. The best part – it’s absolutely free.

Here you can select from one or more free invoice templates and simply fill in your company information. Or, you can choose a design and then tweak as you wish.

While there are thousands upon thousands of invoice templates all over the web, we have put together the best and most varied, so that this can be your one-stop-shop for all of your invoicing needs.

Just What is an Invoice?

Simply put, an invoice does not differ much from a bill. Consider eating in a restaurant. You receive a bill which details what you ate and drank, and a total that must be paid before you walk out.

An invoice serves the same purpose as a bill. It will detail exactly what you delivered to a client, the itemized cost of each product or service, a total amount due, and a statement of when payment is due. It may also inform the customer of how payment can be made – by check, by credit card, etc. If you are a retailer who must pay a fee for credit card processing, you may even want to offer a small discount if payment is made by cash or check.

Next, remember – invoices are not recognized as a legally binding document. But … it does help you get paid in case things go awry with the client. After all, this document reflects all the terms you have agreed to in the contract and an unpaid invoice stands for a breach of that contract.

How To Create an Invoice

The entire process is remarkably simple.

The trick to getting paid faster is to make sure that your invoice leaves no doubt in the recipient’s mind, so that there’s no back and forward on its terms.

Given that, these are the elements you must include:

The word “Invoice” in large bold font at the top of the page.
A unique invoice number.
Your business name and address.
The name and address of the individual or business who is receiving the invoice.
The invoice date – that is, the date it has been created and sent out.
A detailed description of the product(s) or service(s) that you delivered, the dates they were delivered, unit price if appropriate, and a total for that individual line item. The bottom of the invoice should then include a grand total.
Terms of payment – when is payment due and how can it be made?

Because every business is unique, before choosing a template, make a list of the details you will need to include in your invoicing. For example, if you are charging by the hour, you may need to list the exact hour that you worked on each date of service.

Service providers such as lawyers and accountant often add this type of detail, as do other freelancers, such as home health care professionals, some writers/editors, etc. Once you add these details to the checklist above, you are ready to find the perfect template.

While invoices are not legal documents, they do present a paper trail of your attempts to obtain payment. And, if you want to have a better payment record, there are a few things you should do with that invoice:

Be respectful in terminology and wording, and a simple “Thank you” is a good idea.
Provide a specific due date – 30 days, 60 days, or whatever time frame you want
Indicate that you do charge interest on late payments – 1.5% is a reasonable amount