Customize a professional consultant invoice template

Whether you want to bill hourly or by flat amounts, provide the option to be tipped, or enable partial payments, you can make your consulting business a success by downloading our professional, free Word invoice template and customizing it to meet your needs. Pay only when you get paid.

Choose one of the professional invoice templates for your consulting business

Using a PayPal-generated invoice template may help you create efficiencies and improvements in your business. From independent small business consultants to large financial consulting firms, our invoice templates for consulting services are available in various forms, from Word documents to Excel sheets:

• Word: Start by downloading our sample MS Word invoice template. You can then easily customize it by adding your unique information and logo and updating the font, color, and overall design.
• Excel: Those best suited to make an invoice in Excel are businesses that want to create tables and use automatic formulas when billing.
• PDF: You can turn your Word or Excel invoice template into a PDF by saving your file as a “PDF” or generating one using our invoice template tool.
• Google Docs or Google Sheets: If you want to use Google Docs or Sheets, consider copying the template into Google.

What is a consulting invoice?

A consulting invoice is a document issued by a consultant, small business, or freelancer to request payment for the services they have provided to a client. It typically includes contact information, service details, total amount due, payment terms, and taxes.

What to include on a consultant invoice?

To customize our Word invoice template, you can insert your logo, website address, and any other graphics or promotional images. At the very least, your invoice template should include basic information about your business as well as the details of the service you’re providing to your client.

Invoice types for consultant business owners

With a range of invoice types to choose from, consultants have the power to select the invoice style that works best for their business. Here’s a breakdown of the most common invoice types often used by consultants:

• Standard invoice template: You may know this as the “final invoice.” It’s one of the most common invoices for businesses and includes all the necessary details for a company to bill a customer after the work is complete. In this case, what the invoice is for depends on your business and industry.
• Timesheet invoice: If your work is hourly, timesheet invoices can be helpful in tracking billable hours for each job.
• Expense reports: Use an expense report as a way of billing for any expense incurred during a client project.
• Credit or debit invoice: A credit invoice is issued when a business needs to refund or offer a discount to a customer. Debit invoices occur when a business needs to increase the amount a customer owes them. An invoice with both credit and debit is called a mixed invoice.
• Recurring invoice: Recurring invoices are best for businesses that bill on a consistent schedule, such as weekly, monthly, or yearly.
• Pro forma invoice: This type of invoice serves as an alert for how much a project or service will cost once the work is completed.
• Interim invoice: Instead of sending one large invoice to your customer, interim invoices break down the cost into smaller payments as the project progresses. Think of it as a payment plan.

Tips to create an invoice for consulting work

As you create your invoice and streamline your billing, here are a few invoicing tips for consultants:

• Consider a timesheet: This is especially important for consultants who bill hourly. You may want to include a timesheet as an attachment to your invoice to accurately track your billable hours.
• Include an expense report: If you need to travel for your consulting work or incur expenses on-site at a client’s company, include your applicable receipts when you send your invoice.
• Accept a variety of payment methods: Offer electronic options such as e-transfers, ACH payments or direct deposits, and other online payment methods for clients to pay you.
• Add an “Attention to:” line on your invoice: If you are completing a consulting project for a large company, adding this to your invoice will help ensure it lands on the right desk for approval.
• Don’t forget to personalize: Add distinct information to your invoice, such as clear descriptions of your services or details the client specifically requested. You may even want to end with a personal note.
• Proofread: Whether you're sending a Word document, PDF, or Excel file, preview the invoice before sending it. No consultant wants to accidentally mislabel an invoice with the wrong customer information.
• Check out PayPal Invoicing:  PayPal Invoicing can get businesses paid fast. In a recent study, 79% of PayPal invoices are paid within one day of sending the invoice.¹

How to bill as a consultant

Before you send your first consulting invoice, here are some quick tips to get started:

• Use a template: Use a professional invoice template for clear and consistent billing.
• Hourly vs. project-based billing: Decide whether you'll charge hourly rates or project-based fees. If you bill hourly, keep a detailed record of the time you spend on each task. There are time-tracking tools available to make this process quick and easy.
• Set competitive rates and clear payment terms: Research the market and consider your expertise and experience when determining your rates. Also, make sure to clearly state your payment terms, including the due date and accepted payment methods.
• Include detailed records for each service billed: Provide itemized invoices that detail the services provided, the hours worked (if applicable), and the associated costs.
• Track invoices and payments: To stay organized, keep track of all your invoices, payments received, and outstanding balances. If needed, create a schedule to follow up on unpaid invoices.

Learn about how to simplify your invoicing process with PayPal.