{"id":7948,"date":"2023-02-25T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-25T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/?p=7948"},"modified":"2026-02-25T07:12:52","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T12:12:52","slug":"free-invoice-templates-small-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/free-invoice-templates-small-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Free Invoice Templates &#8211; Small Business"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/category\/money-matters\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">Money Matters<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tFree Invoice Templates &#8211; Small Business\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2023-02-25T08:00:00-05:00\">February 25, 2023<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"Free Invoice Templates &#8211; Small Business\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/free-invoice-templates-small-business\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/author\/laurenpearson\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/03\/emiliecarolLauren-4.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Lauren Pearson<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Running a small business requires a lot of oversight. Invoicing is a big deal but it\u2019s not quite big picture stuff. As a small business owner, you know proper budgeting is key\u2014that means money as well as time. Our goal is to make cumbersome and expensive invoicing software one less thing to worry about. Our free small business invoice template gets you paid quickly and easily so you can get back to running your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Free Invoice Templates<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Free invoice templates, designed for you in mind.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-9571ec4e-0c5d-41b2-b0c2-e077f14fd64b\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Download now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__downloads\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t24,386 readers have downloaded these templates\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1215\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1400801126-1215x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1400801126-1215x810.jpg 1215w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-to-use-this-invoice-template\">How to use this invoice template<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Our free small business invoice template is simple and intuitive to use. Once downloaded, it\u2019s fully customizable to your specifications. Get started today:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Simply download some sample invoices for small business.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Add your company logo and contact information at the top.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Add and remove lines as needed\u2014this is all according to your preferences.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>To add a personal touch, leave space for client-specific notes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Send it off and get paid!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What small businesses need to know about invoicing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Running a small business presents unique needs in terms of invoicing. Without a large company standing behind you, it\u2019s especially important to appear professional and experienced. It\u2019s an unfortunate truth that as a small business, you carry a greater burden to appear established to your clientele. Proper invoicing can do much to show your clients that you are the real deal\u2014so make sure you do it right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What should be included on an invoice for small businesses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Invoice specifics will vary by industry, but there are a few key considerations small businesses across the board should take to ensure things move smoothly. A sample invoice template for small business will include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The name of your company, along with your contact info<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The client\u2019s name<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The invoice issuance date.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The invoice due date<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>An invoice number<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A summary of what you\u2019re billing for<br>a. If you\u2019re a service-based industry, you may want to charge for a particular job and show your hourly rate, as well as the hours required to perform the job<br>b. If you offer a particular product (e.g. food, healthy meal preparation, clothing \u2014 to name a few), you\u2019ll want to include a line for the quantity of each item you\u2019re sending a client, the price per unit and a subtotal for each<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A subtotal for all costs associated with this particular job or order<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Optional: A line for any discounts that may apply that will be subtracted from the subtotal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Information on which payment methods you currently accept<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The price you\u2019re charging, including applicable tax<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>From there, you\u2019ll want to craft the invoice to fit your particular needs. The type of business you are will determine how you should format your invoices. A sales-oriented business may want to include lines for an itemized list to tally products and quantities. A service-oriented business may want to format the invoice to include a larger box for a detailed description of the work they\u2019ve provided. Your business may be somewhere in between.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just remember: in general, you want to keep your invoicing as clear and detailed as possible. For more on writing invoices, see our&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/how-to-write-an-invoice\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">How to write an invoice<\/a>&nbsp;article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When to send an invoice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The ideal time to send an invoice is a subject of some debate. Generally speaking, you have three options: at the start, during, or at the end of the engagement. Depending on industry and clientele, the best option may vary. Typically, service industries will charge after the work has been performed or a project has been completed. Sales-oriented small businesses will charge upfront before items have been shipped to customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The average engagement time of your business may be anywhere from one minute to one year or more. Most small businesses find success utilizing a mix of the three invoicing options. The following are just some guidelines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Invoicing at the start of the engagement makes the most sense for a project that will require a lot of upfront costs. If this is known to the client, it\u2019s understandable to require at least partial payment from the start. Otherwise, you run the risk of breaking their trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Concluding the engagement with the invoice is more commonplace, as clients generally like to feel secure in handing over their hard-earned cash. This is a given if your engagement is a simple transaction. However, if the transaction is spread over a length of time, you may want to break up your invoicing process into phases\u2014this option can be a good compromise between you and your customer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Invoice like a pro<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to get paid like the big guys, you have to act like them\u2014at least with your invoicing. These tips come from pros who know how to get paid quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Number your invoices\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 this a great trick for maintaining a professional appearance. Numbered invoices subtly show your client you know what you\u2019re doing\u2014so much so you\u2019ve developed a system around it. And it\u2019s not all for show\u2013numbers make your invoices easier to track as they stack up.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Set deadlines<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 providing due dates for your invoices is another simple trick that really helps move the process along. By setting a deadline, you\u2019re letting your customers know to take you seriously. And you\u2019re giving them concrete instructions, which always helps ensure prompt payment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Automation<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 automating your invoicing process may be the most common tip you\u2019ll hear\u2014and for good reason. Not only does it eliminate the burden of the time-intensive grunt work, but it saves you money in the long run. Time spent not invoicing is time spent growing your business.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Invoicing tips from business owners like you<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Small businesses face a unique set of obstacles when fine-tuning their invoicing process. Every company and every client is different. Check out these tips to learn how to do it right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Be transparent<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 it\u2019s important to appear established, but at the end of the day it\u2019s no secret that you\u2019re a small business. The element of putting a face to a name and the intangible \u201chuman touch\u201d factor is part of the reason why so many people choose to work with small businesses. And that\u2019s far from being a bad thing. You\u2019re in a great position to walk a comfortable line between being professional and being relatable. The more transparent you are, the more willing your customer will be to work with you, rather than against you.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Make it easy to pay<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 people want to pay in the way that\u2019s most convenient for them. If you have limitations on the forms of payment you accept, you\u2019re only decreasing your chances of getting paid. As a small business, you\u2019re in the perfect position to adapt as changes occur. Optimizing your invoicing process for the newest methods of payment is beneficial to both you and your customers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Follow up<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 for small businesses, it\u2019s especially important to forge ongoing relationships with your clients. Most small business owners find great success with simple follow-ups. Regardless if the invoice is still outstanding, you should set a date from the time of the engagement to reach out to customers to make sure they\u2019re satisfied. You don\u2019t even have to bring up the invoice if the due date hasn\u2019t passed\u2014in fact, it\u2019s better not to. Super easy and quick to do, a courtesy call can mean a lot to a client.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Need a straightforward, generic template? Check out our free,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/free-invoice-templates-simple\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">simple invoice templates<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to our Sage Advice Newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Get our latest business advice delivered directly to your inbox.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-ab515c6e-7e90-4c2f-a67e-113872516e8b\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"Working from home with tea in hand\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Running a small business requires a lot of oversight. Invoicing is a big deal but it\u2019s not quite big picture stuff. As a small business owner, you know proper budgeting is key\u2014that means money as well as time. Our goal is to make cumbersome and expensive invoicing software one less thing to worry about. Our [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":995,"featured_media":4258,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[348,43],"tags":[110,299],"business_type":[40],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[],"imagine_tag":[],"coauthors":[606],"class_list":["post-7948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-free-guides-templates","category-money-matters","tag-accounting-101","tag-cash-flow","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-us","author_name":"Lauren Pearson","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/05\/gardenerusingcloudsoftware.jpg","imagine_tags":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice US","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7948","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/995"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7948"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7948\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35783,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7948\/revisions\/35783"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/4258"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7948"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7948"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7948"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=7948"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=7948"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=7948"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=7948"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=7948"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=7948"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=7948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}