For freelance designers
Invoicing for designers.
Deposits, milestone splits, kill fees, and licensing lines, saved per client and applied on every invoice. Bill the project the way the contract reads, in one sentence.
Made for people who would rather be pushing pixels than chasing payments.
A real billing conversation
Kettle and Oak's $6,000 project bills 50/25/25, and the deposit already cleared. Milestone 2 is 25%, and the contract's 2 included revision rounds are used up, so round 3 bills at your $95/hr overage rate.
Due date set to Net 15 per your terms, with source files releasing on payment noted on the invoice. Ready to send?
You set the terms once. The chat enforces them every time.
No job left unbilled. Send invoices from inside Claude and ChatGPT. No monthly fee.
01 / How designers bill
Four ways the money actually moves.
The deposit that holds the calendar
Half upfront is the convention on fixed-fee work; 25 to 50 percent is the normal range. The deposit invoice goes out before the first artboard, and the project starts when it clears.
Milestones, not month-end
50/50, 50/25/25, or thirds. Each phase approval triggers its own invoice, so a $6,000 identity never becomes one $6,000 surprise at the end.
Retainers for the regulars
Ongoing clients pay a fixed monthly block of hours or deliverables. Recurring invoices go out on schedule without you rebuilding them each month.
Licensing as a line item
Usage has a price: scope, territory, duration, exclusivity. Putting the license on the invoice keeps the paper trail consistent with the contract.
02 / Terms that protect the work
The clauses that pay when things go sideways.
Kill fees
If the client shelves the project mid-way, a kill fee covers the phases you finished, commonly 25 to 100 percent of the fee depending on where the work stopped. It only collects if it was a written term before the work began.
Revision caps
Two rounds included, then the hourly overage rate. When the cap lives in the invoice terms, round nine stops being free.
Rush pricing
A turnaround measured in days instead of weeks usually carries a 25 to 50 percent premium. Bill it as its own line so the pricing conversation happens once, upfront.
Files on payment
The standard lever: final source files release when the balance clears. Stating it on the invoice is what makes it stick.
03 / Getting paid
Net 30, if you ask for it.
The late-payment playbook is boring and it works: a real due date on every invoice, a stated late fee, automatic reminders, and a pay page where the client settles by card or bank transfer in a minute. The check-is-in-the-mail excuse dies when paying takes one click.
A due date, not a vibe
Freelance designers typically bill Net 15 or Net 30, with the actual date printed. Due on receipt is how an invoice becomes a suggestion.
The long end of the terms
Agencies and larger clients often set their own terms, Net 45 or Net 60, and pay at the far end of them. Track who is consistently slow and price or deposit accordingly.
A late fee on paper
1 to 1.5 percent per month on overdue balances is a common invoice term. You rarely charge it. Having it stated is what moves you up the payment queue.
Follow-ups you did not write
Reminders go out on a schedule per client, in a neutral tone, before and after the due date. You stay the good cop; the app plays collections.
04 / Taxes and 1099s
The 1099 trail, designer edition.
Design income is self-employment income, and the paperwork has quirks worth knowing before January.
The $2,000 threshold is new
For payments made in 2026, a client owes you a 1099-NEC only when they pay you $2,000 or more in the year, up from $600 through 2025. Fewer forms will arrive in January. The tax bill is unchanged.
No form is not no tax
Every dollar you bill is taxable whether or not a 1099-NEC shows up. Your own invoice records are the source of truth, which is why they need to be complete.
15.3 percent off the top
Self-employment tax covers Social Security and Medicare, before income tax. Quarterly estimated payments are due in April, June, September, and January.
Sales tax is a state question
Most states do not tax design services, but some tax tangible or digital deliverables, and the rules differ. Check your state's department of revenue once, then set your invoices up to match.
General information, not tax advice. Your situation is yours.
05 / You know the drill
The work was done. The invoice wasn't.
Round nine, unbilled
Two revision rounds were in the contract. The client is on round nine, and every extra hour evaporated because billing it felt awkward in the moment.
The milestone that slipped
Concept approval came and went in a Slack thread. The invoice for that phase never happened, and sending it three weeks later feels worse than the lost cash.
Files sent, silence received
The source files went out on a Friday. The final invoice is 41 days old. The leverage walked out of the building with the .ai files.
The exposure client
The offer was a great portfolio piece and future work. The rent does not accept portfolio pieces.
06 / How it works
Teach it each client once.
STEP 01
Save the terms
Per client: project fee, milestone split, deposit, revision cap, overage rate, Net terms, late fee. Two minutes each, one time.
STEP 02
Invoice at each milestone
Describe the phase in one sentence when it is approved. The math, the due date, and the files-on-payment note are already handled.
STEP 03
Get paid, release the work
Card and bank payments through Stripe, automatic reminders on slow payers, and a live view of what is owed to you, aged by client.
07 / Pricing
Free. Actually free.
No subscription, no invoice limits, no trial clock. You pay 5.9% + $0.59 only when a client pays through Stripe, so we make money when you do.
See the pricing pageFREE TOOL
Find your tax set-aside number in ten seconds.
The 1099 calculator estimates self-employment tax, federal income tax, and your quarterly payment. No account needed.
Common questions
Should designers really charge a deposit?
Yes, and most do. Half upfront is the convention on fixed-fee projects, with 25 to 50 percent the normal range. The deposit holds your calendar, filters out clients who were never going to pay, and means a cancelled project never leaves you at zero. Send it as its own invoice before any work starts.
Do I invoice before or after sending final files?
Before. The standard order is deposit, milestone invoices as phases are approved, and the final balance before source files change hands. Files release on payment is the one piece of leverage a designer always has, and it only works in that order.
How do I invoice for licensing or usage rights?
Make the license its own line item: what the client can use, where, for how long, and whether it is exclusive. A logo for a local bakery and a national campaign are different products at different prices. Putting usage on the invoice keeps the paper trail consistent with your contract.
Will my clients send me a 1099-NEC?
Fewer will than before. For payments made in 2026, a client owes you a 1099-NEC only when they pay you $2,000 or more in the year, up from $600 through 2025. The income is taxable either way, so your invoice records, not the forms, are the source of truth.
Do designers charge sales tax?
Usually no. Most states treat design as a non-taxable service, but some tax tangible deliverables or digital goods, and the rules differ state to state. Check your state's department of revenue once, then set your invoices up to match.
What does I Hate Invoicing cost?
No monthly fee. You pay 5.9% + $0.59 only when a client pays through Stripe.
No job left unbilled
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