Freelance invoice template (Word, Excel, Google Docs)

Whatever you freelance in (design, writing, development, or something else), a client invoice needs to answer the same questions clearly: who's billing, for what, how much, and by when. Download the template below, replace the grey placeholders, and save it as a PDF to send.

Both files include the fields an EU invoice needs: your VAT and registration numbers, the client's VAT number for reverse-charge invoices, and a VAT line. The Excel version also adds up line items, VAT, and the total for you.

Rather not edit a file? The free invoice generator builds an invoice from a short form and downloads it as a PDF, with no signup.

What to include

In the EU, the list of details an invoice must show comes from Article 226 of the EU VAT Directive (opens in a new tab), which every country applies, sometimes with a few national additions:

• Your name or business name, full address, and contact details
• Your VAT number, if you're VAT-registered
• Your business registration number, where your country requires it on invoices (for example, your KvK number in the Netherlands)
• The client's name and address and, if useful, the project it relates to
• The client's VAT number, if you're invoicing a business in another EU country under the reverse charge
• A unique, sequential invoice number and the invoice date
• A description of the work, with quantities or hours where relevant
• The rate or fee for each line item
• The subtotal, the VAT rate and amount, and the total due, or a note explaining why no VAT is charged (for example "Reverse charge")
• Payment terms (e.g. due on receipt, or net 14/30) and how the client can pay

Example invoice

From: Alex Rivera, Freelance Copywriter, Amsterdam, Netherlands
KvK: 12345678. VAT: NL123456789B01
To: Bloom & Co. B.V., Utrecht, Netherlands
Invoice #: 0057. Date: 18 August 2026

Due: 1 September 2026 (payable online by card or bank transfer)

The VAT rate depends on where you're based: 21% is the standard Dutch rate. A client in another EU country with a valid VAT number would get the same invoice with no VAT line, their VAT number added, and a "Reverse charge" note in its place.

Using the template in Google Docs or Sheets

Upload the Word file to Google Drive and open it with Google Docs, or upload the Excel file and open it with Google Sheets, where the VAT and total formulas keep working. When it's filled in, use File > Download > PDF to get a copy to send.

Sending it with Billebly

Instead of filling in a template by hand each time, Billebly generates the invoice from your client and line-item details, gives it a number and due date automatically, and attaches a hosted payment link so the client can pay online. It moves to "paid" on its own once they do. No manual tracking is required. See how invoicing for freelancers works in Billebly.