Free invoice generator for US freelancers and small businesses

How to create an invoice for United States

1. Check the region and currency. The editor opens with United States defaults: USD, sales tax presets and the right date and number format. Change the currency in the settings if you bill in another one.
2. Add your business details. Enter your name, address and EIN / Tax ID and license no.. Upload a logo if you have one. Save it as a business profile so you can reuse it next time.
3. Add the client. Fill in the customer’s name and address and their client tax id where it applies. Saved clients are stored in your browser for next time.
4. Add line items and tax. Describe each item, enter quantity and rate, and choose a sales tax preset or set your own rate. The totals update as you type, and you can switch between tax-exclusive and tax-inclusive prices.
5. Check the checklist and terms. Open the compliance checklist to see which required fields are still empty, then choose payment terms, add bank details and notes.
6. Pick a template and colour, then export. Choose one of the 15 templates and colour themes, then download the PDF, use Print / Save as PDF, or export a PNG. Everything is created in your browser.

What a US invoice is and what the law says about it

An invoice is a request for payment. In the United States there is no single federal law that dictates how an invoice must look. There is no national equivalent of the VAT invoice rules used in Europe or the “Tax Invoice” wording used in Australia, because the US has no federal sales tax or VAT. What you owe in tax is worked out on your tax return, and any sales tax is set by the state (and often the city or county) where the sale is taxable.

That freedom is useful, but it does not mean anything goes. A good invoice does three jobs. It makes the sale easy for your client’s accounts-payable team to approve, it gives you a clear record for your own bookkeeping and tax return, and it supports you if there is ever a dispute. Clients that pay promptly nearly always do so because the invoice answered every question before it was asked: who it is from, what it is for, how much, by when, and how to pay.

This generator is designed around those jobs. It produces a US Letter document (8.5 × 11 inches), formats dates month-first, and offers a sales-tax preset for each state. Everything you type stays in your browser, so you can try ideas freely.

What to include on an invoice in the United States

The minimum set below works for almost every US freelancer or small business. The live checklist inside the editor ticks each item off as you fill it in.

• Unique invoice number
• Invoice date and payment due date
• Your business name and address
• Client name and address
• Itemised description, quantity and price
• Sales tax shown separately where you must collect it – Many states do not tax most services – check your state.
• Payment instructions

Extras that save you time later

• A purchase order (PO) number. Larger clients often cannot pay without one. Put it in the PO field and it prints under the invoice number.
• Your EIN or tax ID, where appropriate. Sole proprietors can use an SSN, but many freelancers prefer to obtain a free EIN from the IRS so they do not hand out a Social Security number. You usually give your taxpayer details to a client on a Form W-9, not on every invoice.
• Remittance details. ACH details, a Zelle address, or a payment link. The fewer steps the client must take, the sooner you are paid.
• A short scope line. “Homepage redesign, milestone 2 of 3” is clearer than “Services”.
• Late-fee wording that you agreed to in your contract or proposal (see below).

Sales tax on your invoice

Sales tax in the US is a state matter with local add-ons. As of January 2026 the five states with no statewide sales tax are Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon, according to the Tax Foundation’s annual rate table, although Alaska allows local sales taxes. Everywhere else, a statewide base rate applies, and city, county or district taxes can raise the total you charge.

Two points trip up new sellers. First, most states tax goods more consistently than services. Many states do not tax pure professional services such as consulting or writing, but some do, and several tax specific services such as digital products, repairs or certain installations. Second, you generally only charge sales tax if you are registered to collect it in that state. Since the Supreme Court’s 2018 Wayfair decision, a seller with enough sales into a state can owe tax there without a physical presence, and each state sets its own threshold.

In the editor, open Tax, discount and totals and choose your state from the preset list. The preset fills in that state’s statewide base rate. It does not know your city or county rate, so add the local percentage as a second tax line if you need it, or type the exact combined rate. Use the per-line tick boxes if only some items are taxable, for example taxable parts on a repair invoice and non-taxable labour.

For a quick estimate outside the generator, try the US sales tax calculator. It is approximate by design: always confirm the rate and the taxability of what you sell with your state Department of Revenue.

W-9, 1099-NEC and why they matter for invoicing

If you work as an independent contractor for a US business, the client will usually ask you for a Form W-9 before your first payment. That form gives them your name, business type and taxpayer identification number (SSN, ITIN or EIN). The IRS says that if a payee does not provide a valid TIN, the payer must begin backup withholding at 24%, so returning the W-9 promptly protects your cash flow.

Clients that pay you enough during the year report it to the IRS on Form 1099-NEC. For payments made after 31 December 2025 the reporting threshold is $2,000 per contractor, up from $600 previously, after a change enacted in 2025 and indexed for inflation from 2027. Always confirm the current figure on the IRS page linked in the sources box, because Congress can change it. Even if you do not receive a 1099, the income is still taxable and you must report it.

The practical advice: keep your invoice totals consistent with what clients report. Reconcile your invoices against any 1099-NEC forms you receive each January. If a client’s number is different from yours, ask them early.

Payment terms and late fees in the US

Net 30, meaning payment is due 30 days after the invoice date, is the standard in business-to-business work, but there is nothing to stop you asking for less. Net 14 or “due on receipt” is common for freelancers, small projects and consumers. The payment terms explainer walks through the usual options, including “2/10 net 30” early-payment discounts.

A late fee is enforceable only if the customer agreed to it, so put it in your contract, quote or terms and repeat it on the invoice. A common wording is “1.5% per month on overdue balances”, which equals 18% a year. Some states cap interest rates or the fees a business can charge, so check your state’s rules, and consider a smaller figure for clients you want to keep. The invoice generator’s default terms line says “where permitted by law and agreed in writing”, and you should only keep it if that is true for you.

If an invoice is already overdue, our guide on what to do when a client does not pay covers reminders, final notices and small-claims options.

A worked example

Maria is a freelance web designer in Austin, Texas. She builds a three-page site for a local bakery and sells them a hosting add-on. Texas has a 6.25% state base rate and local taxes of up to 2%, bringing the usual combined maximum to 8.25%. Whether her services are taxable depends on how Texas classifies them and she has checked that with the Comptroller. For this example, assume the website build is taxable at 8.25%.

She sets the terms to Net 14, adds her ACH details and a “PO #” the bakery gave her, and downloads the PDF. If the bakery pays a $400 deposit first, she enters it under Amount paid, and the balance due shows $1,093.85 automatically.

Common invoicing mistakes in the US

• Vague descriptions. “Consulting” gets queried; “Strategy workshop, 2 days, 14–15 March” gets paid.
• Missing PO numbers. Many accounts-payable systems reject an invoice that lacks one.
• Charging sales tax when you are not registered to collect it, or failing to charge it when you are. Both create problems that are hard to fix later.
• Invoice number gaps and duplicates. Use a simple sequence; see the invoice number generator for patterns that sort well.
• No due date. “Net 30” without an invoice date is ambiguous. State the actual due date.
• Using a personal payment app for large business payments without checking fees and reporting. Payment apps can issue their own tax forms.
• Not following up. Send a friendly reminder a few days before the due date, not only after.

How to get paid faster

1. Send the invoice the day the work is accepted, not at month-end.
2. Email it to the person who approves payment, with the PDF attached and the amount and due date in the message.
3. Offer ACH or Zelle alongside cards. Card fees of roughly 3% are a cost you can build into your rate, but a free bank transfer is easier for most business clients.
4. For larger projects, bill a deposit up front and split the rest into milestones. The deposits and milestone billing guide has templates.
5. Use the quote generator to agree the price before work starts, so the invoice contains no surprises.

Records, taxes and what to ask an accountant

Freelancers and sole proprietors in the US generally pay self-employment tax as well as income tax and often make quarterly estimated payments, which the IRS describes on its self-employed pages. Keep copies of every invoice you send, along with proof of payment. The IRS’s small-business guidance explains how long to keep tax records, and the answer depends on your situation. Our guide on how long to keep invoices summarises it for several countries.

This site gives general information, not tax or legal advice. An accountant or enrolled agent who knows your state is worth the fee, especially if you sell across state lines.

Glossary

Net 30

Payment is due 30 days after the invoice date.

EIN

Employer Identification Number, a federal tax ID issued free by the IRS.

W-9

IRS form a contractor gives a client to provide a taxpayer identification number.

1099-NEC

Information return a client files to report payments to a non-employee.

Backup withholding

A 24% withholding the payer must take if the payee has no valid TIN.

Nexus

A connection to a state that can create a duty to collect its sales tax.

Related topics

• US invoice template
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• net 30 invoice
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