Writing & copywriting invoice template
Fifteen hundred words on deadline is easy; the invoice for them somehow isn't. This template pre-fills a writer's usual lines — per-word article rate, brief, SEO extras — with kill-fee terms already written in.
What's pre-filled
| Line item | Qty | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Blog article — research, writing, 1 revision round (per word) | 1500 | your rate |
| SEO meta title & description | 1 | your rate |
| Content brief & keyword research | 1 | your rate |
| Notes: One revision round included per article; further revisions billed separately. | ||
| Terms: Payment due within 14 days. A 50% kill fee applies to commissioned work cancelled after drafting begins. |
Rates are left blank on purpose — they're yours. Edit every line once it's open.
What to put on a writing & copywriting invoice
- The per-word (or per-piece) rate visible as qty × rate — 1,500 words × your rate. It reprices future assignments automatically when the word count grows.
- What a “finished article” includes — research, one or two revision rounds. Bound it or revisions multiply.
- SEO extras as separate lines — meta descriptions, keyword research. Small amounts that vanish if bundled.
- A kill fee in the terms — 50% for work cancelled after drafting begins is the professional standard.
- Publication rights — first serial, exclusive, work-for-hire. One line prevents your article being resold without you.
Invoicing tips for freelance writers
Put the kill fee on every invoice before you need it. Editors reorganize, campaigns get cancelled, and the writer without a kill-fee line eats the loss. 50% after drafting begins is standard enough that no reasonable client pushes back — but only if it was written down first.
Make the word count do the math. Billing 1,500 words as qty × per-word rate (instead of a lump sum) means the 2,400-word revision of the brief reprices itself — no renegotiation email required.
Cap revisions at the invoice level. “One revision round included” turns the fourth “small tweak” pass into a friendly new line item instead of an argument about what was implied.
Frequently asked
What is a kill fee and should freelance writers charge one?
A kill fee is partial payment (typically 50%) for commissioned work the client cancels before publication. Yes — put it in your invoice terms on every job; it costs nothing until the day it saves an entire week's income.
Should writers bill per word, per article, or per hour?
Per word or per article are standard for content work; hourly suits editing and consulting. Whichever you choose, showing it as qty × rate on the invoice makes scope changes reprice automatically.
How many revisions should be included in a writing rate?
One or two rounds is typical. State the number on the invoice — bounded revisions are the difference between a finished article and an eternal one.
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- Cleaning servicesStandard cleans, deep-clean add-ons & supplies
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