An invoice requires several parts in order to be accurate and professional. First of all, the word "invoice" should be placed in large print at the top, center portion of the paper.
Below this and to the left, the name and contact information of the company or individual being billed should be listed. This includes the mailing address if the invoice is to be mailed. If the document is created for freelance work, however, a postal address may not be necessary or even known. In this case, the email address or other pertinent contact information should be listed.
Below the name and contact information for the individual or company being billed, the invoice should include the name and contact information of the business doing the billing. This ensures that the client or customer has the information necessary to send payment. Once again, if the work is completed as freelance work and payment will be handled online, the online payment information should be included in this portion.
The invoice should also contain information explaining what the bill is for. If it is for products, for example, it should include a list of the items the customer has purchased. If the invoice is for services, the document should list the services that have been rendered and under what conditions.
If the services were for a project and the payment amount was a flat fee agreed upon beforehand, this should be listed on the invoice. If, on the other hand, the arrangement was a hourly fee, the number of hours billed should be included. It may also be beneficial to indicate the dates on which services were rendered. At the bottom, the total amount owed for the services or products should be listed. This portion should be clearly marked as the total amount due in order to avoid confusion.
In order to help keep track of invoices and to help the client or customer keep track of what he or she has paid, the document should also have a number. This number should be in the upper right hand corner. The date the invoice was sent should also be included near this number.
