When starting out as a freelancer, it's never easy to invoice and set your rates. In fact, if you're here, invoicing might scare you. But rest assured, with good tools, everything is easier. Either way, competition is increasingly fierce and to attract more potential clients, pricing plays a fundamental role. Of course, it's important to remain profitable and not undersell yourself. But then, how do you define your prices as a freelancer? Should you invoice by time spent, by package, by results? How to create an invoice as an independent? We give you some answers in this article.

How to invoice your clients as a freelancer? | 3 methods

1. Fixed-price invoicing

If you decide to invoice at a fixed price, you need to have a fairly accurate idea of the time you need to complete a mission. Why? Imagine you need to deliver a website to your client in 3 days. Got it? Well, it's from this time estimate, your skills, your expenses, that you can propose an appropriate rate. Of course, you can also think about adding the time needed for possible corrections. After all, some clients can be picky, so it's better to be prepared.

So, how to do it? It's very simple: define your hourly rate, then multiply it by the number of hours needed to complete the mission in question. Make sure to keep this little calculation to yourself and not disclose it to your client. You too are your own boss and you do as you see fit. The key is to find a fair price and not charge derisory amounts.

To estimate your work time with more or less precision, you need to already have some experience. Otherwise, if your estimate isn't good, you'll lose time and therefore money. To avoid this type of mishap, don't hesitate to question your client about this or that mission. Because yes, it's by perfectly understanding their needs that you can invoice them best.

Fixed-price invoicing as a freelancer also has a significant advantage. Indeed, if you perfectly master your work, you can absolutely allow yourself to charge a higher amount compared to the time spent. However, we want to repeat an essential point: think about including corrections in your package. For example, a freelance graphic designer generally offers 3 rounds of revisions to perfectly meet their clients' expectations. And if one of them is still not satisfied, they'll have to pay more.

The Flexina team's advice: from the start, be clear with your client about your way of working. This way, you'll avoid unpleasant surprises.

2. Results-based invoicing

For many, this may seem risky and yet... With this method, you need to negotiate your compensation (often high) upfront. Copywriters often opt for this strategy, especially when it comes to writing a sales page. Thus, they receive compensation based on the results obtained. If you choose to invoice this way, make sure to have full confidence in your expertise, but also in the results you can achieve.

3. Time-based invoicing

If your client rather needs your skills as part of their project, you'll need to define the deliverables upfront. In this context, it's up to you to invoice by the hour or by the day. Again, be well aware that if your estimate regarding your work time isn't accurate enough, you'll lose money.

Of course, don't hesitate to warn your client if you feel you're going to exceed the initially planned duration. After all, to err is human and we can all be wrong about the estimated time for a mission. At first glance, some of them may seem easy to accomplish, when in fact, they'll be quite time-consuming.

How to create an invoice as a freelancer?

When launching into a new activity, especially as a freelancer, we don't really know how to properly write an invoice. If you're in this situation, rest assured: with good advice, a powerful and easy-to-use tool, it's child's play.

You'll find on our blog many tips to help you in this direction. As for our online invoicing software, it's very intuitive, simple to use and specially designed for small businesses. To get a more precise idea, we even offer you to test it for free for 15 days, without commitment.

You'll finally be able to save time and focus on what's essential: developing your business! In just a few clicks, you can invoice your clients in record time, all thanks to your tablet, phone or computer (PC or MAC).

You now know more about invoicing and setting rates as a freelancer. Do you have questions or need more information about our invoicing software? If so, don't hesitate to contact us. We'll be happy to guide and support you. And for those who want to go further, come discover how to avoid invoicing errors