Free hourly and contractor invoice template
This free hourly invoice template and contractor invoice template fills in from your browser: add line items, multiply hours by your rate, apply tax, then download a clean PDF. Nothing is sent anywhere and there is no signup.
Add it if your client needs it for 1099 or VAT reporting.
Set an issue date
Hours accept a decimal (7.5) or an h:mm time (7:30). Amount is hours times rate.
A short line stating any late penalty, if you have agreed one.
INVOICE
INV-0001
- Issued
- -
- Due
- -
- Terms
- Net 14
| Description | Hours | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homepage design | 8 | $85.00 | $680.00 |
| Client meeting | 1.5 | $85.00 | $127.50 |
- Subtotal
- $807.50
- Total due
- $807.50
Payment by bank transfer. Thank you for your business.
This template lives in your browser and exports a PDF. There is no Word or Excel file to open, and your draft is saved on this device only.
What an hourly invoice template must include
An hourly invoice bills a client for time at an agreed rate. List each task, the hours, and the hourly rate, then multiply for each line. Add your details and the client’s, a unique number, the issue and due dates, tax if it applies, and how to pay. That is the whole document.
- Your legal name and contact details, and a logo if you have one
- The client name and contact details
- A unique invoice number that you never reuse
- The issue date and a due date
- Line items: task, hours, rate and the line amount
- Subtotal, any tax, any discount, and the total due
- Payment terms and accepted methods
- A late fee, only if you have agreed one
- Your tax or VAT ID, where the client or jurisdiction requires it
How the total is worked out
line amount = hours worked × hourly rate
subtotal = the sum of every line amount
discount = subtotal × percent, or a fixed amount
tax = (subtotal − discount) × tax rate
total due = subtotal − discount + tax
example: 4 h at $50 + 2 h at $60 = $200 + $120 = $320 subtotal
Contractor invoice template vs employee timesheet
An invoice is a bill from one business to another. An independent contractor sends an invoice; an employee submits a timesheet and gets paid through payroll. The difference is not cosmetic. An invoice sets your own terms, carries your own number series, and shows tax the way your work is taxed, which is why a contractor uses one and an employee does not. For a freelance-specific layout, the freelance invoice template sets out every line a client expects.
In the US, contractors are usually paid as 1099 workers, so no tax is withheld and you account for it yourself. That is why the tax ID field matters and why the invoice, not a pay stub, is the record. This is general information, not tax or legal advice: rules vary by country and by state, so check your own. If you also keep a running record of hours, the timesheet templates feed straight into the line items here.
Payment terms that get you paid
Terms say when payment is due and how. Due on receipt, Net 7, Net 14 and Net 30 are the common choices, and the number is the days you allow. Shorter terms collect faster; Net 14 is a sensible default for freelance work and new clients. Put an explicit calendar due date on the invoice, not just the words, so there is no argument about when “soon” is.
State the accepted methods and any late fee in the notes. Invoice payment terms explained decodes Net 15, 2/10 Net 30 and the rest, and the invoice follow-up email covers what to send when a due date passes and the money has not arrived.
Filling an hourly invoice from tracked time
The arithmetic on this page is the easy half. The hard half is the hours themselves. Filled in on invoice day from memory, the total is always low, because the short interruptions are the first thing you forget and they add up. The twenty-minute call, the fix shipped between two other things, the file reopened after dinner: real billable work that never reaches a timer never reaches this invoice.
Keep the record as the work happens rather than reconstructing it later, and the line items fill themselves. Freelance invoicing software covers the move from a template you retype to a bill that starts from your own hours.
Invoices that start from your hours
BillNotch records your working day in the background and sorts it into client projects, so the billable total is already added up when you go to bill. You review what it found, correct anything it got wrong, and the hours become an invoice PDF with per-project line items and per-line rates, no retyping.
From there the invoice can go out with a Stripe payment link so the client pays by card, and the same invoice can push to QuickBooks or Xero if you keep your books there. One currency per invoice, a due date and terms, tax, notes and a theme: the fields on this page, filled from time you already tracked.
Related tools
- Hours to decimal converter turns 7:30 into 7.5 before it hits a rate.
- Billable hours calculator shows what your billable hours are worth a year.
- Consulting rate calculator sets the hourly rate you put on each line.
- Freelance invoicing software bills from tracked time with no retyping.
Cite or embed this template
Free to reference or embed on your own site. A link back to this page is all we ask.
Invoice Generator, BillNotch, billnotch.com/tools/invoice-generatorThis tool is free to link to from anywhere, with attribution to BillNotch.
Frequently asked questions
- What should an hourly or contractor invoice include?
- Include your business name and contact details, the client details, a unique invoice number, the issue and due dates, line items showing task, hours, and rate, the subtotal and total due, any tax, and payment terms. Add your tax ID if the client needs it for 1099 or VAT reporting.
- How do I calculate the total on an hourly invoice?
- For each line, multiply the hours worked by the hourly rate to get the line total. Add all line totals for the subtotal, apply any tax or discount, and the result is the amount due. Four hours at $50 plus two hours at $60 is $200 plus $120, which is $320.
- What format should I send an invoice in?
- Send the final invoice as a PDF, because it looks consistent and cannot be edited by accident. This generator exports one. Keep an editable copy of your figures too, which is what the CSV line-item download is for, so you can reuse the numbers on the next job.
- Do I need an invoice number?
- Yes. Every invoice should carry a unique invoice number so you and your client can track payments and keep clean records for tax time. Numbers are usually sequential, such as 0001, 0002, 0003, or coded by client and date. Never reuse a number on two invoices.
- Should I attach a timesheet to an hourly invoice?
- It is optional but often helpful. A timesheet or line-by-line breakdown of tasks and hours reassures the client that the total is accurate and reduces payment disputes. Many freelancers list each task with its hours on the invoice itself, so a separate timesheet is not always necessary.
- What payment terms should a contractor use?
- State when payment is due and how. Common terms are due on receipt, Net 7, Net 14, or Net 30, meaning payment is expected within that many days. Include accepted payment methods and any late fee. Clear terms set expectations and help you get paid on time.
- Do I charge tax on a contractor invoice?
- It depends on your location and services. Some contractors must add sales tax, VAT, or GST, while others do not. If tax applies, show it as a separate line so the client sees the rate and amount. When unsure, check local rules or ask an accountant.
- How to create an invoice for a contractor?
- Start from a template, add your business and client details and a unique invoice number, then list each task with its hours and rate. Multiply hours by rate for each line, sum the lines, add any tax, and set payment terms. Export it as a PDF and send it. This generator fills the totals from your tracked hours.
- Where can I get a free invoice template?
- This page is a free hourly and contractor invoice template you fill in and export, with no signup. It calculates each line from hours and rate, totals the invoice, and downloads a PDF plus a CSV of the line items, so you can reuse the figures on your next job.
- Can I download a free invoice template in Word?
- This generator exports a finished PDF and a CSV of the line items, not a Word file. PDF keeps the layout fixed so it cannot be edited by accident, and the CSV lets you reuse the numbers in a spreadsheet. If you specifically need a Word document, a word-processor template is the better route.
Stop retyping the hours onto the invoice
BillNotch tracks the work as it happens, groups it per project, and turns the billable total into a PDF invoice with a payment link. The hours you would have forgotten are already on the sheet.
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Everything runs in your browser. No invoice details are sent anywhere, no account required.