Are you a photographer looking to create and send an invoice? Then you’ve come to the right place! Our guide will tell you all about invoicing for photographers and give you some tips on how to get paid on time.
Although it can be tedious, invoicing is one of the most important things you can do as a photographer.
When you run a business, you have to issue invoices for all your sales. Invoicing is also important to keep accurate records, which in turn makes preparing your tax return much easier.
Moreover, invoicing ensures that you get paid for your work, which is kind of the point of running a business! Isn’t it? 💪
Let’s take a look at invoicing for photographers.
How do I invoice as a photographer?
There are three widely used invoicing methods in the photography industry:
- Photography invoice templates: Some photographers use invoice templates in Google Docs or Word to create invoices. With templates, you can tailor your invoices to your needs. The downside, however, is that the invoicing process becomes unnecessarily complicated. Invoices are not sent automatically and you’ll have to manually calculate prices, discounts and taxes.
- Online invoice generator: A common alternative to invoice templates are online invoice generators. The main advantage of using an invoice generator is that you can create invoices quickly. The downside, however, is that online invoice generators don’t store your invoices, track payments, send payment reminders or keep accurate records of your sales.
- Invoicing software: The best option for most photographers is to use invoice software. One of the many benefits of invoice software is that you can make invoices quickly. Information such as date, invoice number, and your company information is automatically added to your nvoice, and the only thing you need to do is to select your customer and add the goods or services you’ve sold. Most invoicing software also has added functionality. In Conta, you can soon set up automatic payment reminders.
An example of what invoicing for photographers looks like
Uncertain about how to get started with making your own professional invoices? Let’s take a look at a sample photography invoice:
Pro tip: Add your own logo to the invoices for a more professional look!
See also: How to build a strong brand for your startup
What to include on photography invoices
No matter how you choose to do your invoicing, there are some key elements you have to include:
- Your company name, address and contact information
- The name or company name of your customer, including address and contact information
- A unique invoice number
- An itemized list of goods and services
- The payment terms and due date
- The total amount due
- Taxes and discounts, if applicable
Invoicing tips that will help you get paid fast
Make the payment terms very clear
Be detailed and specific about when customers are expected to pay and how they should make the payment. This means including due date, payment method and information about late fees. By making these terms clear at the beginning, you’ll avoid any confusion that can slow down the payment process.
Offer multiple payment options
Offer multiple payment options. Not everyone wants to pay via bank account transfer. You can improve your chances of getting paid on time – or getting paid early – by offering multiple payment options such as credit card, PayPal and other payment options.
Chase unpaid invoices quickly
Sometimes invoices get lost in the mail or in an email spam folder. Sometimes customers forget to pay. Whatever the reason, it’s important to follow up on late payments! Don’t be afraid to send reminders or call customers to ensure they’re aware that the invoice is overdue.
Here are a few tips for chasing up payments in a polite and professional way:
- Use a friendly tone: Avoid sounding confrontational. Instead reach out to your customers in a friendly and conversational manner.
- Show understanding: Show that you understand that invoices can get lost among or simply be forgotten about.
- Offer assistance: If the customer is having trouble paying, be flexible and consider offering a payment plan or an extended due date.
- Follow up: If you don’t manage to get ahold of the customer, don’t be afraid to try again. Worst-case scenario, you can look into hiring a professional debt collector.
Free invoicing software for photographers
Most invoice software for small and medium businesses costs between $10 and $30 per month. There are, however, some free options!
Conta is a free cloud-based invoicing software that makes invoicing easy. With Conta, you can create and send invoices for free.
Key reasons to sign up for Conta’s free invoicing software:
- Create professional invoices for free
- Customize with your logo and additional messages
- Send via email or download as PDF
- Recurring invoices (coming soon!)
- Automated payment reminders (coming soon!)
Free invoicing template for photographers
If you decide to create invoices using an invoice template, although there are several advantages to using free invoicing software, there are several alternatives. We’ve created a variety of free invoice templates, for Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, PDF, Google Docs, and Google Sheets.
To create an invoice using one of our free templates, follow these steps:
- Download the template.
- Open the template in Google Docs, Microsoft Word or Excel.
- Add your business information and the invoice details, such as your hourly rate, or any other products or services you’re charging for
- Save the invoice with a unique name, and print or email the invoice to your customer.
Make sure to customize the template to fit your needs. You can also use the template as a basis to create your own invoice template.
Conclusion: Invoicing for photographers
Regardless of whether you’ve got experience with invoicing or not, billing customers is an easy process.
We recommend that you use free invoicing software because it will help you work more efficiently and keep a record of your sales. But, if you are only planning to send one or two invoices a year, templates can be an alternative for you.
After sending your invoices, it’s important to make sure that payments are received on time. If customers don’t pay on time, we suggest that you call or email them and resend the invoice from Conta.
Want to create invoices for free?
With Conta, you can create, send and manages invoices in one place, all for free. Sign up and start sending invoices in under 2 minutes.
