Hourly invoice template
Fill in the invoice below and print it or save it as a PDF, download the Excel version with the sums built in, or read how to invoice for hours worked. Each line is hours x rate: 12.5 hours at $80 an hour is $1,000.00.
Last reviewed October 19, 2026. No sign-up, and nothing you type is saved.
Your invoice
Fill in the boxes, then print or save as PDF. Hours can be 3.25, 3:15 or 3h 15m. Nothing you type leaves your browser or is saved.
Due dateWednesday, November 18, 2026
Total hours15.75
Subtotal$1,260.00
$0.00
Total due$1,260.00
Total due $1,260.00 for 15.75 hours, due Wednesday, November 18, 2026.
The Excel template
The Excel template has the same layout with the sums built in: each line's amount is hours x rate rounded to the cent, then subtotal, tax at the rate you enter, total due, total hours, and a due date worked out from the invoice date and your payment terms. Fill in the yellow cells.
It opens in Excel and Numbers, and Google Sheets can import it (File, then Import). Hours go in as decimals, so 7 hours 45 minutes is 7.75.
How to invoice for hours worked
- Record the hours as you work. By client and task, with the date. Reconstructing a week from memory is where billable time goes missing.
- Turn hours and minutes into decimal hours. Divide the minutes by 60: 3 hours 15 minutes is 3.25. The minutes to decimal converter does it both ways.
- Write one line per task or period. Description, hours, rate, and the amount for that line (hours x rate). Group small tasks if the client prefers fewer lines.
- Add it up. Subtotal, any tax you charge, and the total due. Whether services are taxed depends on where you are and what you do, so check with your tax agency.
- Add the invoice details. A unique invoice number, the invoice date, the payment terms and the due date, and how to pay.
- Send it, and keep a copy. Send a PDF or a link, and keep your copy: the IRS lists invoices among the supporting documents a business should keep for its income.
A worked example
| Line | Hours as typed | Decimal hours | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Website design, week of October 5 | 12.5 | 12.50 | $80.00 | $1,000.00 |
| Client calls | 3:15 | 3.25 | $80.00 | $260.00 |
| Revisions | 0:20 | 0.33 | $80.00 | $26.67 |
The 20 minutes of revisions bill as $26.67, because the template multiplies the exact minutes by the rate and rounds the money once. If you round the hours to 0.33 first and then multiply, you get $26.40. Either is fine; pick one and use it on every invoice.
What to put on an hourly invoice
- Your name or business name and how to contact you.
- The client's name and billing address, and a contact or purchase order number if they gave you one.
- A unique invoice number, the invoice date, the payment terms and the due date.
- What the work was and when: one line per task, week or project, with hours, rate and amount.
- Subtotal, any tax you charge, and the total due.
- How to pay: bank details, a payment link or where to send a check.
This is what clients and bookkeepers usually expect. Some places require more on an invoice, such as a tax registration number, so check the rules where you work.
Freelance and consulting invoices
- Name the project or engagement and the period the invoice covers, so the client can match it to the work and to their own budget.
- Use the client's purchase order or reference number if they gave you one. Many accounts payable teams will not pay without it.
- For hourly work, show hours and rate on each line. For a fixed fee, show one line per milestone or deliverable and leave the hours out.
- Keep expenses on their own lines, apart from your time, so the client can see what each part is.
- If a retainer or deposit has been paid, show it as a credit against the total so the amount due is clear.
- Put the payment terms and the due date on the invoice. The net 30 guide explains the common wording.
The same template works for a freelancer billing one client and a consultant billing several: only the lines change. Tax and legal details differ by place, so check what applies where you work.
Timesheet invoices
A timesheet invoice is an invoice whose lines come straight from a timesheet: the dates, the hours and the work, usually with the timesheet attached or linked so the client can check them. If your client approves hours before you bill, invoice only the approved hours. The timesheet templates and the timesheet calculator give you the hours to copy in.
Questions
How do I bill hours on an invoice?
Put each piece of work on its own line with the hours in decimals, the hourly rate and the amount (hours x rate). Add the lines for the subtotal, add any tax, and show the total due and the due date. 12.5 hours at $80 an hour is $1,000.00.
How do I write up an invoice for work done?
Describe the work in words the client will recognise, with the dates or the period it covers, then the hours, rate and amount for each line. Add your details and the client's, an invoice number, the invoice date, the due date and how to pay.
Can you give me an example of an invoice?
The worked example above has three lines at $80 an hour: 12.5 hours of design ($1,000.00), 3 hours 15 minutes of calls ($260.00) and 20 minutes of revisions ($26.67), for a subtotal of $1,286.67. The template at the top starts with the first two lines filled in.
How do I write a simple invoice?
Fill in the template at the top of this page: who it is from, who it is to, an invoice number and date, payment terms, one or more lines of hours and rate, and how to pay. Then print it or save it as a PDF. You do not need an account.
What are the most important things to put on an invoice?
A unique invoice number, the date and due date, who it is from and who it is to, what the work was with hours, rate and amount, the total due, and how to pay. Those are what get an invoice approved and paid without questions.
What is a timesheet invoice?
An invoice built from a timesheet: each line carries the dates, hours and work from the timesheet, often with the timesheet attached so the client can check the hours before paying.
How do I make an automated invoice in Excel or Google Sheets?
Use a formula for each line's amount, such as =ROUND(B12*C12,2) for hours x rate, then =SUM() for the subtotal, and add tax and the total. The Excel template on this page already has these formulas and a due date formula; Google Sheets can import it.
What should a freelance invoice include?
Your name or business and contact details, the client's, a unique invoice number, the date, the payment terms and due date, one line per piece of work with hours, rate and amount, any expenses on their own lines, the total due and how to pay. Add the client's purchase order number if they gave you one.
How do I invoice as a consultant?
Name the engagement and the period, then bill the way you agreed: hours at an hourly rate, or one line per milestone for a fixed fee. Show any retainer or deposit already paid as a credit, keep expenses separate, and put the payment terms and due date on the invoice.
Can I make my own invoice?
Yes. An invoice is a document you create yourself, from a template like this one or in invoicing software. Check whether your country or state requires particular details on it, for example a sales tax or VAT registration number.
Should I round the hours on an invoice?
Decide once and say so. Some people bill exact minutes, others round each entry up to an increment such as 6 or 15 minutes. Rounding hours before multiplying also changes the total slightly: 20 minutes at $80 is $26.67 from exact minutes and $26.40 from 0.33 hours.
Can ChatGPT generate an invoice?
A chat assistant can lay out an invoice if you give it the hours and rates, but it does not know your tracked time or keep invoice numbers and payment status. See what AI can and cannot do in Honest Day.
Is anything I type saved or sent?
No. The template runs in your browser. Nothing is saved, and if you reload the page what you typed is gone, so print or save the PDF first. The site records only that the template, print or download was used.
Related
Invoice from the hours you tracked.
Honest Day builds invoices from tracked time, numbers them, sets the due date from your terms (0, 7, 14, 15, 30, 45 or 60 days by default) and sends the client a link and a PDF. Unlimited invoices on the free plan, for up to 5 members.