When to invoice a client

Four moments, and when each one fits

1. Before the work starts

   A deposit or full payment up front, for work where you commit time or materials before anything is delivered: a held date, a custom order, a first job for a new client.

2. At milestones

   For long jobs, an invoice at each agreed stage, so you are never carrying weeks of unpaid work and the client pays for progress they can see.

3. On delivery

   For short, well-defined work, the invoice goes out the day the work is handed over, while the result is in front of the client.

4. On a schedule

   For ongoing work, the same day each month or week, so paying you becomes a routine on their side rather than a decision.

Which one you use belongs in the quote, not in the invoice. A client who agreed to milestone billing expects the second invoice; a client who did not is surprised by it.

Send it the same day

Batching invoices for the end of the month feels efficient and costs time on the other side: an invoice that arrives three weeks after the work is checked against memories that have faded, and questions take longer than payments. Invoicing the day the work ships is the cheapest thing you can do to get paid sooner.

Hourly work and retainers

Hourly work is easiest to invoice weekly or at each delivery, with the hours itemised so they can be checked. A retainer is invoiced before the period it covers, because what the client is paying for is your availability during it.

Whatever the moment, the terms you set decide how long the client has. The common ones and when each fits are in invoice payment terms explained.

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