How to Invoice as a Freelance Web Developer
Invoice a development project with 50% up front and the balance at delivery, or in milestones on anything over roughly $5,000, and bill maintenance monthly on a retainer. Business clients pay through accounts payable, so the invoice needs a PO or contact reference, net-14 or net-30 terms, and a stated late fee. ShowTheReceipts sends the deposit invoice, bills each milestone with a due date, and chases overdue balances automatically.
The three billing shapes
| Shape | Use it for | Cadence |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed project | Defined build with a scoped deliverable | Deposit + milestones |
| Hourly | Discovery, changes, undefined work | Every two weeks or monthly |
| Retainer | Maintenance, support, ongoing hours | Monthly, in advance |
Most freelance developers should run all three at once — fixed for builds, hourly for changes, retainer for the clients who keep coming back.
Deposit first, always
50% before work starts on smaller projects; 30/30/30/10 across start, design sign-off, build, and launch on anything over roughly $5,000.
A milestone schedule isn’t distrust. It’s the difference between a stalled project and a stalled project you already got paid for.
What a business client’s invoice needs
- Your legal business name, address, and tax ID
- Their PO number or internal contact reference
- Line items in their language, not yours
- Net terms and the due date, spelled out
- The stated late fee
- Payment methods — card and bank transfer both
Send it to the AP email, not to your day-to-day contact. That single change fixes most “slow paying” clients.
Retainers beat chasing new work
A monthly maintenance retainer billed in advance — updates, backups, small changes, a capped hour allowance — turns an unpredictable freelance month into a floor you can plan around. Cap the hours and bill overage at your hourly rate.
What not to do
- Don’t quote fixed price on undefined scope
- Don’t accept net-60 without a deposit that covers your exposure
- Don’t send the invoice to the person who can’t pay it
- Don’t skip the late fee because it feels aggressive
Frequently asked questions
What payment terms should a freelance developer use?
Net-14 for small clients, net-30 only when a company's AP requires it, with a late fee of 1.5% per month stated on the invoice. Longer terms are you lending a funded business money at 0% — shorten them where you can and take a deposit where you can't.
Should I charge hourly or fixed price?
Fixed price for a defined build, hourly for undefined work — discovery, changes, and maintenance. Fixed price rewards you for being fast; hourly protects you on work nobody can scope yet. Mixing them per phase on the same project is normal and reads fine on an invoice.
How do I get paid by a company's accounts payable?
Put the PO number or the internal contact's name on the invoice, send it to the AP address rather than your day-to-day contact, and invoice on the first of the month if they run a monthly payment cycle. Most 'slow payers' are actually invoices sitting in the wrong inbox.
Should I charge a late fee?
State one — commonly 1.5% per month — even if you rarely enforce it. The stated fee moves your invoice up the pile at a client paying six freelancers, and it turns a follow-up from a favour you're asking into a term you agreed.