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Guide

Interpreter invoice template: a line-by-line example

A blank invoice template is easy to find. What is harder is knowing what each line is for, and what to do after you send it. This page walks through one sample invoice, line by line, and then covers a simple routine for following up on unpaid ones.

All names and numbers below are sample data.

A sample invoice

Invoice INV-0104 | Invoice date: Nov 2 | Due date: Dec 2
From: Your business name, mailing address, email
Bill to: Sample Language Agency, Accounts Payable

Swipe sideways to see all columns

Total due: $167.00 | Payment: ACH or check | Terms: due Dec 2

These numbers are invented for illustration. Your rates, minimums and mileage terms come from your own agreements.

Line by line

Invoice number and dates. Use a simple running number and never reuse one. Give a due date, not just "net 30", so the person processing it does not have to count.

From and Bill to. Use the business name and contact details you want clients to use, and the accounts payable name or address the agency gave you. If a client asks for a tax form on file, they will tell you. Ask rather than guess.

Date and job reference. The reference number is the line that lets a client match your invoice to their booking. Use the number they gave you, exactly as they wrote it.

Language pair and type or mode. This is often what the agency's system matches on, because rates can differ by mode (in person, phone, video) and by assignment type.

Time and billed time. Show the actual time and the time you are billing. In the first sample line the assignment ran 45 minutes but the agreement has a two-hour minimum, so the line says "2.00 h (minimum)". A reader who sees only "2.00 h" next to a 45-minute job will probably email you to ask. Whether a minimum applies is set by your agreement with that client, so only bill one if it is in writing.

Rate and amount. Billed time multiplied by rate. Check the arithmetic yourself. A wrong total is an easy reason for a delay. The free invoice calculator can do the sum for a single assignment, including a minimum block.

Mileage and parking. Put them on their own lines so they are not mistaken for part of the hourly fee. State the miles and the per-mile amount you bill. Only bill what your agreement allows; some clients reimburse only some travel. Note "receipt available" for parking if that applies.

No party names. Interpreting is confidential work. Use the reference number instead of the names of patients, defendants, students or parents. Check your agreement for its confidentiality terms.

Payment terms. Say how you want to be paid and by when. One plain sentence is enough.

A routine for following up

An invoice is only half the job. The other half is knowing which ones have been paid. Keep three columns next to each invoice: date sent, due date, date paid. Once a week, sort by due date and look at anything with a blank "paid" column.

A simple way to read your list is to group unpaid invoices by how long they have been outstanding: not yet due, 1 to 30 days past due, 31 to 60, and over 60. This is called aging. It does not change what you are owed. It shows you where to look first.

When something is past due, a short, friendly email works better than a long one. State the invoice number, the amount, the due date, and ask whether they need anything from you to process it. Attach the invoice again. Keep a note of when you sent the reminder.

Common ways an invoice goes wrong

• The invoice number was reused, so the client's system flagged it as a duplicate.
• Times differ from the booking, and nothing explains the difference.
• A minimum block was billed without a note about it.
• Mileage was added into the hourly total, so nobody could check it.
• A party's name appeared on the invoice.
• No due date or payment instructions.

Build it once, not every time

If you type each invoice from scratch, you will make mistakes. The better habit is to log each assignment as soon as it ends, in one place, and build the invoice from that log. Then the invoice and your records always agree.

We made two spreadsheets that do this. The free tracker keeps an assignment log, with fees, paid and unpaid status and monthly totals: https://payhip.com/b/eLja3. The Interpreter Business Kit ($15) adds an invoice tab that fills from the assignment log, mileage and expense logs, quarterly totals and an unpaid-invoice aging view: https://payhip.com/b/SjhfQ.

Both were tested in Google Sheets and LibreOffice. They are standard .xlsx files that should open in Excel, but we have not tested Excel.

Local Shift makes simple spreadsheet tools for freelance interpreters. This page is an organizing guide, not tax, legal or financial advice. Ask your tax preparer, your agencies and your professional association what applies to you.