Creative & digital
Free Freelance Writing Invoice Template
Free freelance writing invoice template with per-word rates, research lines and rights terms. Add your word count, download the PDF and invoice the editor.
Free · No signup · Editable · PDF in under a minute
Writers bill three ways and the right one depends on the client. Per word is what publications and content agencies expect, and it is the only rate they will compare you against. Per project is better for anything with research, interviews or strategy attached, because word count stops describing the work. Hourly suits editing, revisions and open-ended consulting where you cannot predict the shape. This template defaults to per-word with the count on the row and switches to project rows without rebuilding anything. Research, source interviews and transcription go on separate lines — that labor is invisible in a word count and unpaid unless you show it. Include one revision round in the base rate and price further rounds explicitly. Rights matter: state whether the client is buying first rights, exclusive rights for a period, or full assignment, and whether you keep the byline. Publications commonly pay net 30 or later, so a late fee clause earns its place.
Invoice
INV-0042
From
Rivera Studio
18 Mercer Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
EIN 84-3920117
Bill To
Northwind Coffee Co.
402 Bleecker Street
New York, NY 10014
- Number
- INV-0042
- Issue Date
- Jul 1, 2026
- Due Date
- Jul 31, 2026
| Description | Qty | Unit Price | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long-form feature article, 1,800 words | 1800 word | $0.65 | $1,170.00 |
| Research, SEO brief and outline | 1 project | $250.00 | $250.00 |
| Source interviews and transcription (2 sources) | 2 hour | $110.00 | $220.00 |
| Additional revision round beyond the one included | 1 round | $150.00 | $150.00 |
- Subtotal
- $1,790.00
The template opens with these lines already filled in. Change any of them — they are a starting point, not a price list.
What a freelance writer invoice usually contains
These are the lines this template starts with, at illustrative US rates for 2026. Every description, quantity, unit and rate is editable.
| Description | Qty | Unit Price | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long-form feature article, 1,800 words | 1800 word | $0.65 | $1,170.00 |
| Research, SEO brief and outline | 1 project | $250.00 | $250.00 |
| Source interviews and transcription (2 sources) | 2 hour | $110.00 | $220.00 |
| Additional revision round beyond the one included | 1 round | $150.00 | $150.00 |
| Total | $1,790.00 | ||
- Default unit
- word
- Payment terms
- Net 30
- Suggested layout
- minimal
Terms this template starts with
Payment is due within 30 days of invoice date. One revision round is included; further rounds are billed at the rate shown. The client receives first publication rights plus a non-exclusive perpetual right to host the piece on its own properties; all other rights are retained by the writer unless a separate written assignment is signed. The byline is retained unless the engagement was agreed as ghostwriting. Assignments cancelled after commissioning are billed at 50%, and at 100% once a completed draft has been delivered. Late payments accrue 1.5% monthly.
- Your logo, accent colour and business details
- Any currency, with named tax rates per line
- Six layouts on A4 or US Letter
- Hosted payment link and read receipts with a free account
Freelance Writer invoicing questions
- Per word or per project?
- Per word is the standard publications and content agencies quote in, and it is easy to compare. Per project is better whenever research, interviews, SEO work or strategy is involved, because word count stops describing the effort. Many writers price per project internally and present a per-word equivalent when a client insists on one.
- What rights am I actually selling?
- Be explicit. First rights let the client publish it first while you keep everything afterward; exclusive rights for a term prevent resale during that period; full assignment or work-for-hire transfers everything and should cost meaningfully more. Ghostwriting normally means no byline and full assignment. Put the grant in the terms, not in an email thread.
- Should I charge a kill fee?
- Yes. A common structure is fifty percent if the piece is cancelled after assignment and one hundred percent once a completed draft has been delivered. Publications frequently have their own kill fee policy — ask before you accept the commission, since some are considerably less generous than the freelance norm.
- Publications pay slowly. What terms actually work?
- Net 30 from invoice is the practical baseline for direct clients. Some publications still pay on publication, which can be months out; ask for payment on acceptance instead and get it in the contract. A stated late fee and a deposit on larger projects do more for cash flow than chasing ever will.
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