What is a videography invoice?
A videography invoice is a document that freelance videographers can use to request payments from clients. A videography invoice typically includes a detailed list of services rendered and their associated costs, the total amount due, a payment due date, and other relevant information.
Sending videography invoices to clients helps freelance video producers and editors to get paid on time and in full. They also make it easier to track payments, organize your small business accounting, and monitor your cash flow.
Depending on which part of a video production project you’re needed, a videography invoice can also be a:
- Video editing invoice
- Video production invoice
- Production invoice
- Film production invoice
- Videographer invoice
Note: Ready to customize your own professional video production invoice for free? Get Started
Video production invoice breakdown
Although a video production invoice is a relatively straightforward document, it includes four important elements that work together to communicate payment and service details to your clients. Each videography invoice that you send out should include:
1. Client and contractor information
Each invoice that you create needs to have the following details:
- Your name, business name, and address
- The client’s name, business name, and address
- Contact information for each party, such as a phone number or email address
These details come in handy if either of you have questions regarding invoicing, payments, or services.
2. Invoice details
Each invoice that you create is one-of-a-kind, and in order for it to be useful in terms of accounting and getting paid, it needs to have:
- A unique invoice number
- An invoice date (the date it was sent)
- A payment due date
This makes it easier for you to track payments from each of your clients and to anticipate your cash flow for your personal finances.
For example, if you send out invoices at the end of each month, with a due date two weeks later, you can expect to have the most money in your account mid-month. This gives you an opportunity to plan out when to pay bills and cover your expenses so you aren’t left cash poor.
3. Service and pricing details
Next comes the section where you list the video production services you performed and their associated costs. This section should be relatively detailed and include:
- A brief but informative description of the different videography services provided
- Information about how you charge (hourly rate, per project, or on a retainer basis)
- The total cost of each individual service
- Any applicable discounts, deductions, late fees, or sales tax
- The total amount due and the currency it’s in
4. Payment terms
Including payment terms in your invoices helps you to save time, get paid faster, and reduce your chances of having to deal with late payments. Each videography invoice should outline:
- The payment methods you accept, such as credit card payments, online payments, bank transfers, mailed checks, etc.
- Whether you offer early payment discounts or charge late fees for past due invoices
- How long the client has to pay the invoice (for example, within 14 days of issue)
Who should use videographer invoices?
If you’re a video producer, filmmaker, video editor, cinematographer, or you own your own video production business, you will likely benefit from using professional invoices.
You should use a video production invoice template if you provide any of the following services to paying clients:
- Recording live events like weddings, sporting events, or birthday parties
- Recording legal proceedings, like court depositions
- Filming commercials
- Filming corporate material, like training videos
- Editing recorded content
- Recording or editing music videos
Essentially, you can use a videography invoice template any time you perform video production or editing services in exchange for compensation.
When to use a video production invoice
A videography invoice template can be used in a variety of circumstances to help you:
- Track payments and outstanding debts
- Calculate your total revenue for tax purposes
- Plan and manage your monthly and annual cash flow
- Develop a professional and seamless billing process
A video production invoice should only be sent:
- After a job is complete or as part of an ongoing billing cycle (for example, once a month)
- To clients who you have an existing contract or agreement with
Freelance videographer invoice template tips
Not all invoices are the same. Here are some tips to boost the benefits of your videography invoices.
1. Send them digitally
Whenever possible, send your invoices digitally, either via email or text message. If an issue arises, tracking a digital paper trail is much easier than a physical one. And, they’re much less likely to get lost, delayed, or misplaced when compared to their paper counterparts.
Make sure to save your invoices as PDFs before sending, so that they can’t be edited or changed once they’re received.
2. Choose a consistent billing cycle
A regular billing cycle will work wonders for your freelance video production business. It will allow you to send invoices and receive payments on a regular basis, as well as provide ongoing clients with a predictable billing schedule. Most video producers send invoices on a weekly, biweekly, or monthly basis depending on the project.
3. Follow a consistent invoicing process
An invoice shouldn’t be the first document a client ever receives from you. Instead, it should be part of a client management process that looks something like this:
- Videography services quote
- Video production contract
- Video production brief
- Standard invoice
4. Send professional invoices
It’s not hard to find a free videography invoice template to use. There are many different services that offer well-designed invoice templates for you to choose from, including Google Sheets, Google Docs, and Bonsai.
Professional invoices help to add professionalism and legitimacy to your business. Instead of sending a casual email requesting payment, use a free invoice template that outlines important information, like contact details, service descriptions, and payment instructions.
This will encourage clients to take you seriously and even help you to get paid on time since it will leave little room for confusion or misinterpretation.
5. Use an invoicing system
Invoice templates are great on their own, but they work even better as part of an invoicing system. Invoicing software, like Bonsai, automates a variety of accounting tasks such as:
- Sending invoices
- Tracking hours
- Monitoring payment statuses
- Processing payments
- Calculating taxes
Having software that takes these tasks off your plate helps you to save time so that you can focus on getting more videography projects and signing more clients.
6. Customize every invoice
Each invoice should be unique, from the invoice number and client to the amount owing. Make sure that you create custom invoices each time you need to send them. Remember to update the client name, total price, service description, and any other information that has changed.
Check-in with each client every so often to ensure their contact information hasn’t changed and that the same person is still in charge of processing your invoices so that you continue to get paid promptly.
Creating a videography invoice is simple with Bonsai
Making a free videography invoice template is easy with Bonsai. Using our software, you can choose from a variety of customizable templates and create unlimited invoices. You can even include business branding like your logo and colors in your free invoice template to make them stand out.
All you need to do is sign up for a free trial to access our free invoices templates, contracts, briefs, and more!
CTA: Create, customize, and collect on your videography invoices today. Start a free trial.
Video production and videography invoice template FAQs
What do I do with videography invoices after I send them?
After you finalize and send a video production invoice to a client, you should save it in a file with a unique name on your computer. You will need to access the invoice again in the future for tax purposes, or if you encounter any payment issues with the client.
Ideally, you should create a file for each client and have a separate folder for each tax year. Save PDF versions of your invoices in these files with unique names that include the client name, invoice number, and date.
For example, your invoice names may look like this: ClientName - Invoice Number - Month Year
How do I number video production invoices?
How you choose to number your invoices doesn’t really matter as long as you keep them consistent. You can choose to make them sequential (001, 002, 003, etc.), chronological (0101, 0201, 0301, etc.), by client name (ClientName001, ClientName002, etc.), or any other way you’d like.
Just make sure that they make sense to you and that they help to keep your invoices organized and easy to locate.
Who should I send my video production invoice to?
Who you send your videography invoice to depends on what type of client you’re working with and whether they have their own accountant. Some clients will want you to send your invoice directly to them while others will prefer that you send your bills directly to someone on their accounting team.
Make sure to ask about this long before you send your first invoice so that there are no delays when it comes to getting paid.
Related Documents
- Video Production Quote: Use this template to quote video production and editing projects to potential clients after your first meeting.
- Videographer Contract: Use this template to create a custom videography contract after a client accepts your quote.
- Video Production Brief: Use this template to create a project brief for a videography client.
