Most creators get their first brand deal through a DM. The content goes live, the brand is happy, and then someone from accounts asks: "Can you send us your invoice?" If you've never written one, that question can be surprisingly stressful.
The good news is that an invoice is a simple document. It needs to be clear, complete and easy for an accounts team to approve. This guide walks you through exactly what to include, how to handle currency and payment terms, and the small mistakes that cause payments to be delayed by weeks.
Why the invoice matters more than you think
For a brand or an agency, your invoice is not just a request for money. It's a record that their finance team has to file, approve and match to a purchase order or a campaign budget. If anything is missing, such as your bank details, the campaign name or a clear due date, it gets sent back or parked in a queue.
A clear invoice gets paid faster. A vague one gets questions.
What to include on a creator invoice
Every invoice you send should have these parts:
- Your name or business name, email and phone number. If you've registered a business, add the registration number.
- The client's legal name and billing address. For agencies, confirm whether you're billing the agency or the brand directly.
- The name of the person who approved the work, so accounts can check with them.
- A unique invoice number, such as INV-0001, INV-0002 and so on. Never reuse a number.
- The issue date and the due date.
- Line items that describe each deliverable, for example "Instagram Reel, product launch, 1 revision" with a quantity and a price.
- Any discount, shown as its own line.
- The total amount due and the currency.
- Payment instructions: bank name, account name and number, and for clients abroad the SWIFT/BIC or IBAN (or your PayPal, Wise or Payoneer details).
- Optional notes, such as a thank-you message or your late-fee terms.
Describe deliverables, not just "content"
"Content creation: $1,500" invites questions. Break the work into the deliverables you agreed on:
- Instagram Reel (60 seconds) × 2
- Instagram Story set (3 frames) × 1
- TikTok video × 1
- Usage rights, paid social, 3 months × 1
This matches what the brand's marketing team approved, makes it easy for accounts to check, and protects you if there's a dispute later about what was included. Listing usage rights separately also reminds the brand that ad usage is worth paying for.
Which currency should you invoice in?
For a brand or agency in your own country, invoice in your local currency. That's what their accounts team expects and it avoids exchange-rate confusion.
For brands abroad, agree the currency before you start. Many international clients prefer to pay in USD, EUR or GBP. If you invoice in a foreign currency, check that your bank account (or a service such as Wise or Payoneer) can receive it, and include the details they'll need: for bank transfers that's usually your bank's SWIFT/BIC code, and an IBAN in Europe and many other countries. Ask what fees apply to incoming transfers, since those can take a noticeable bite out of smaller payments.
Whatever you choose, show the currency clearly next to every amount, not just at the bottom: "$500" can mean US, Canadian or Australian dollars, so "USD 500" is safer.
Payment terms that actually work
Payment terms tell the client when you expect to be paid. Common terms are:
- Due on receipt: payment is expected immediately.
- 14 days: a good default for smaller brands and direct clients.
- 30 days: common for agencies and larger companies.
- 60 days or more: some large corporates insist on this. Negotiate it up front if you can, or price it in.
Put the due date on the invoice as an actual date ("Due 15 Nov 2026"), not just "Net 30". People act on dates.
For new clients or large projects, it's reasonable to ask for a deposit of 30 to 50 percent before you start. Record the deposit, then invoice the balance when the work goes live.
Tax and registration
Many creators start out invoicing under their own name. As your income grows, you may need to register a business or register for a sales tax such as VAT or GST, and the threshold and rules depend on where you live. If you are registered, your invoice usually needs your tax number and the tax shown separately. When you invoice a business in another country, some places shift the tax to the client (often called a reverse charge). Rules change, so check with an accountant or your local tax office.
Common mistakes that delay payment
These are the issues that most often hold up creator payments:
- Sending the invoice to the wrong person. Ask your contact who in accounts should receive it, and copy your contact in.
- Missing bank details or a typo in the account number. Double-check before sending.
- No campaign or project name. Agencies run many campaigns at once. Put the campaign name on the invoice.
- Waiting too long to invoice. Send it the day the content goes live, while everyone still remembers the work.
- No follow-up. Put the due date in your calendar and follow up the day after it passes.
Keep a simple numbering system
Use a single sequence for all your invoices, such as INV-0001, INV-0002, INV-0003. Don't restart the numbers for each client and don't skip numbers. A clean sequence makes your records easy to check at the end of the year and looks professional to clients.
Save a copy of everything
Keep a PDF of every invoice you send and note when it was paid. At the end of the year, you'll have a complete list of your income, which makes tax time, loan applications and visa paperwork much easier.
A faster way to do all of this
You can write an invoice in any document editor, but it's easy to forget a field or mistype a total. The free PlanBrix invoice generator lays out every part above for you, adds up the totals and gives you a PDF, with no sign-up.
If you invoice regularly, the PlanBrix app goes further (the free plan includes 3 invoices a month): it creates invoices straight from your projects, keeps your numbering in order, tracks what's been paid and sends reminders when a payment is late.