How to Invoice as a Freelancer in Australia: From First Invoice to Getting Paid

How to invoice as a freelancer is mostly about what happens around the invoice: how you priced the job, what the client agreed to, how many revisions were included, and when the money is due. The invoice itself takes five minutes. The decisions before it are what decide whether you get paid in full and on time.

For the layout, the freelancer invoice template has lines for project fees, hourly work, revisions and deposits already paid. This guide covers what to put in them. It's written for writers, designers, developers, editors, photographers and other creative and digital freelancers; for the general checklist that applies to every sole trader, see how to invoice as a sole trader.

What goes on your first freelance invoice?

Your first freelance invoice needs your name or business name, your ABN, the client's details, a unique invoice number, the date, a description of the work, the amount, a due date and how to pay you. If you're not registered for GST, call it "Invoice", not "Tax Invoice", and leave GST off completely.

Most freelancers start below the $75,000 GST turnover threshold, where registration is optional. The ATO says a business that isn't registered should not include the words "tax invoice". The no GST invoice template is set up exactly that way, so you don't have to delete a GST line every time.

Get an ABN before your first job. Without one, a business client generally has to withhold 47% of your payment and send it to the ATO, unless an exception applies; do I need an ABN to invoice? explains the rule. Once you have it, put it near your name at the top, which is all an ABN invoice template really does. Start numbering at something like INV-0001 and keep the sequence going; how to number invoices covers the options.

How should freelancers price work on an invoice?

Freelancers usually price by the hour, by the project or by the unit (per word, per image, per page, per video). Whichever you use, the invoice line should show the unit, the quantity and the rate, so the client can check it against the quote in seconds.

Quote the reference of the quote or brief in the line description. If the client accepted a quote, the invoice should match it line for line; anything new goes on its own line so it's obvious what changed. Our guide on how to write a quote covers setting that up from the start.

How do deposits and milestones work for creative projects?

For any project longer than a couple of weeks, invoice a deposit before you start and split the rest into milestones tied to deliverables. A deposit filters out clients who won't pay, and milestones mean you're never more than one stage out of pocket.

A common split for a $4,500 design project is 40% to start, 30% at first concepts and 30% on final files: $1,800, $1,350 and $1,350. Each invoice names the stage and shows what's been paid so far. On the final invoice, list the full project fee, then subtract the earlier payments so the balance due is clear:

• Brand identity project (fixed fee): $4,500.00
• Less deposit paid 2 Sep (INV-0031): −$1,800.00
• Less concepts milestone paid 23 Sep (INV-0034): −$1,350.00
• Balance due: $1,350.00

Hold the final files, or the full-resolution versions, until the last invoice is paid, and say so in your quote. The deposit invoice guide covers wording and GST on deposits.

How do I invoice for revisions and scope creep?

Write the number of included revision rounds into your quote, for example "includes two rounds of revisions", and bill anything beyond that as a separate line. Extra work that isn't on the invoice as its own line is work you've done for free.

Scope creep rarely arrives as one big request. It's an extra page, a second logo direction, a "quick" social version. Handle it the same way each time: reply in writing with the extra cost before you do it, get a yes, then add it to the next invoice as "Additional scope: 3 social banner sizes, approved 14 Oct – $240". The client sees the date they approved it, and the line can't be disputed later.

Use rates the client already knows: if your quote listed "additional revision rounds $90 each", the invoice line is simply "2 extra revision rounds × $90 = $180".

How do I invoice an international client as a freelancer?

Put the currency next to every amount (for example "USD 1,200.00"), say who pays transfer and conversion fees, and give payment details that work from overseas. If you're registered for GST, a service to a client outside Australia is often GST-free; if you're not registered, there's no GST either way.

On GST, the ATO says a supply of a service is usually GST-free if the recipient is outside Australia, with specific rules deciding each case. A registered freelancer would show the line as GST-free with $0.00 GST. If the client is overseas but the work is really for their Australian office, check with your tax agent before leaving GST off.

For your own records, note the Australian dollar amount that actually reached your account after fees. That's the figure your bookkeeping and tax return will work from, and it's rarely the same as the invoice total converted on the invoice date.

Should I invoice through a platform or directly?

When you're hired through a freelance marketplace, the platform usually handles billing and payment and takes a fee, so you don't send your own invoice for that job. When you work directly with a client, you invoice them yourself and keep the whole fee, but you also carry the risk of not being paid.

Many freelancers start on a platform and move repeat clients to direct invoicing. Check the platform's terms first, because some restrict taking clients off-platform. If you're registered for GST, keep the platform's statements with your records so your income and the fees you paid are documented.

What payment terms should a freelancer use, and what about late payers?

Use 7 or 14 days for most freelance work, put the actual due date on the invoice, and agree the terms in your quote before you start. Shorter terms are normal for small jobs; a client who insists on 60 days for a $500 job is telling you something.

When a payment is late, send a polite reminder the day after the due date, a firmer one a week later, and then a final notice. Most late freelance invoices are lost in an inbox, not refused. Our guides cover invoice payment terms, chasing overdue invoices and charging late fees, including why late fees need to be agreed up front.

Worked example: a no-GST freelance project invoice

A Brisbane designer, not registered for GST, finishes a brand identity job. The client paid a $1,000 deposit and approved two extra revision rounds at the quoted $90 each.

Check: $1,800 + $600 + (2 × $90 = $180) = $2,580; $2,580 − $1,000 = $1,580. The heading is "Invoice", there's no GST line, and the ABN sits under the designer's name. To produce this in a couple of minutes, open the free freelance invoice template for Australia and enter the deposit as an amount already paid.

Worked example: a GST-registered freelancer's tax invoice

A Melbourne copywriter registered for GST bills a client for website copy and blog articles, priced GST-exclusive.

Check: 5 × $320 = $1,600; 4 × $250 = $1,000; subtotal $2,600; GST $260; total $2,860. Because it's a tax invoice for $1,000 or more, it also shows the client's name or ABN. The other required details are in tax invoice requirements in Australia, and if you're unsure whether you should be adding GST at all, do I add GST to my invoice? has the yes/no table.

Common freelancer invoicing mistakes

• Writing "Tax Invoice" when you're not registered. Use "Invoice" and no GST line.
• No ABN. It can cost you 47% of the payment in withholding.
• "Design work – $2,500". Break it into the lines from your quote.
• Unbilled extras. Every approved change goes on its own line.
• No due date. "Due on receipt" is read as "whenever"; a date isn't.

If you'd rather compare tools for all this, we tested the options in the best invoice generator for freelancers.

The short version

Get an ABN, skip GST until you register, and match every invoice to the quote with units, quantities and rates. Take a deposit on bigger jobs, put extra revisions on their own line, state the currency for overseas clients and put a real due date on everything.

Once you have a handful of regular clients, retyping their details and remembering who owes what gets old. InvoiceSonic saves clients and sends a reminder on the free plan, and Pro (A$19/month, 7-day trial) turns accepted quotes into invoices and chases late payers for you.

This article is general information, not tax advice. For your circumstances, check the ATO's registering for GST page or a registered tax agent.

Frequently asked questions