How to Send an Invoice by Email

You’ve started up your small business. You’ve got your banking account, set up your website, and made your first couple of sales. Congratulations! That’s a huge accomplishment!

Now that you’re up and running it’s time for you to start getting paid. But one of the most challenging aspects for many small businesses and freelancers is receiving and keeping track of payments for their services.

In this article, we’ll walk you through how to send an invoice email, what needs to be included in an invoice email, and offer some templates for you to use.

What is an Invoice Email?

An invoice email is the email a business or freelancer sends to a customer or client who owes money for goods or services sold.

An invoice is a document from a transaction with the amount owed and due date for payment. Sending an invoice email with the payment owed and due date to your client or customer will ensure you’re paid promptly.

An invoice is useful for bookkeeping, inventory control, and avoiding mistakes when filing your business taxes so that the IRS doesn’t come around and cause a bunch of problems. They’re an invaluable and necessary tool for almost all small businesses and sending an email with an invoice ensures you get paid on time.

Invoice Email Templates

If you’re emailing a client or customer with an invoice for the first time, you might not be aware of how to share the invoice or communicate with the customer. The invoice email templates below can be used in new emails or in the thread you’ve communicated with the client on previously to share the invoice for services rendered or goods sold.

Sending a professional email with your invoice helps to legitimize your business in the eyes of your customers or clients. That professionalism is important as you continue to grow. Use the invoice email templates below to communicate effectively with your clients.

First Invoice Email Template

Subject line: Invoice [Number] for [Good/Service]

Follow-up Invoice Email Template

Subject line: Followup: Invoice [Number] for [Good/Service]

5 Tips for Sending an Invoice Via Email

Invoice email templates will help you get a response and payment from clients but there are a few other best practices you should follow when sending an invoice via email.

1. Add the invoice to your email as an attachment rather than including it in the body of the email. An invoice attachment will ensure easy record keeping for your customer and maintain the desired formatting of the invoice.
2. Keep a record of your outstanding and paid invoices for tax and payment tracking purposes.
3. Include the Invoice Number in your subject line to help you and your client keep track of invoices sent by email.
4. Keep email communication with clients professional by checking for typos and ensuring dates and information are accurate.
5. Ask the client how and when they like to receive invoices to increase the chances of being paid on time.

If you’re sending out an invoice via email there are some things you should make sure you include on the invoice itself. Make sure your invoice includes the information below: 

• An Invoice ID: the Invoice ID is a unique number for the invoice that lets you immediately identify it from other invoices. This allows you to easily reference which invoice you’re referring to when doing any business transactions with a customer. A unique number also helps you keep all of your invoices organized come tax season. 

• Business Contact Information: when putting together an invoice you want to make sure that it has all of your business’s information on it. This includes things like business address and phone number, email address, the physical address of the business, and even the company’s logo. 

• The contact information for the client: in addition to having all of your own business contact information on an invoice, you should also have the contact information of your client. This means the address, email, phone number, and name of the client. This will help you identify exactly who you sent that invoice to when looking through everything for bookkeeping purposes or come tax season. 

• Itemized list of products and services: this will ensure the customer knows exactly what they are paying for. Clearly stating what services or goods you’ve provided allows everyone to be on the same page and avoid confusion later on.

• Critical numbers to include: rates or prices, taxes, and Total Amount Due. This is how much money you are charging for your services, the tax on those services, and the total amount due.

• Payment Terms: this specifies when you need to be paid by and the penalties the client will incur if they pay you late. It is important to include these details on an invoice to help you know when to send up follow-up emails if a client fails to pay on time. 

• Net D (Typically Net 30): Net D is a reference to the date that payment is due from when they’re sent the invoice. So Net 30 means that the payment is due within 30 days of the invoice being sent. This is a clear indicator to the client when they need to pay the invoice. In some states, it is illegal for a company to pay a freelancer more than 30 days from when the invoices are submitted. 

If you’re sending an invoice, you need a business banking account. NorthOne is a great option for you to consider. Sign up in minutes and get started.