What is a Photography Invoice, and How to Create One in a Snap?

Arguably, photography is one of the most fun and rewarding jobs out there. However, if you want to get paid, besides providing your clients with gorgeous images, you also need to give them a photography invoice.

A photography invoice is an important document that should give your client a clear picture of what they’re paying you for. But how do you create one, and what should you include in it?

If you want the answer, you’ve come to the right place! In this article, we teach you everything you need to know about photography invoices and show you how to create them without a hitch!

Why is a Photography Invoice Important?

Whether you’re a freelancer or a part-time/full-time photographer, you’ll need to provide your clients with an invoice once you’re done with the job.

Consider the photography invoice as an extension of the contract you have with your client and a continuation of the experience you provide them. The document needs to break down the services you’re contracted for, how much the client owes you, and how they can pay you.

Secondly, your invoice says a lot about you. A well-organized, neatly designed photography invoice can show your client that they’ve hired a professional—not an amateur.

Most importantly, a photography invoice can protect you if a client doesn’t want to pay for the services you provided. In such cases, you can use your invoice as proof of contract and file a lawsuit against them.

Lastly, a photography invoice can help you later on when you’re tracking your expenses and filing tax returns with the IRS. To file taxes, you’ll have to fill out W-2 and 1099 forms, which should contain some information that can be found on your invoices.

What Should Be Included in a Photography Invoice?

Now that you know why a photography invoice is important, let’s break down what you should include in it!

#1. Photographer and Client Information

The first thing you want to include in your photography invoice is your name, place of residence, email address, and phone number. This way, your client will know exactly who is sending them the invoice.

As a photographer, you most likely have a representative logo for your company, which you should add on top of your invoice. This will make it stand out, so your client will be more likely to remember you.

Then, you need to state to whom the invoice will be billed—state your client’s name, their physical and email addresses, phone number, etc.

#2. Photography Invoice Number and the Date

After listing the contact information of both parties on your invoice, you should write the date the document was made.

Next, you need to add a unique number to your photography invoice. Invoice numbers make aligning income and expenses with specific invoices easier, and they’re required by law in some states.

The best way to organize your invoice number system is to use numbers in sequential order and include the date in them.

For example, if you’re writing an invoice for 2022, use “22001” as your starting number. This way, you’ll be able to easily tell when you created the invoice.

#3. Payment Information

In this section of your photography invoice, you need to state how, when, and how much you want to be paid.

First, choose your preferred payment method (e.g., cash, credit cards, payment systems, etc.). Then, enter the total amount of money you expect to receive for your work, and finally, add the date when your client should pay you.

Also, don’t forget to add your credit card number, PayPal email, or any other payment information your client needs to send you money.

#4. Description of Your Services and Products

After reading the net pay you expect for the project, your client will likely want to know what makes up the net price stated on your invoice. That’s why you should break down all of the services or products you’re providing them with and the exact price they need to pay for these.

The best way to organize this section is to specify the service or product, add the rate you expect for it, and add the quantity (if necessary).

You should also provide any additional details you deem necessary about your services and products, as these should prevent any miscommunication between you and your client.

#5. Breakdown of the Taxes

In this section, you need to include the tax you’ll be paying on the fees you collect from your products and services.

Keep in mind that 45 out of 50 states in the U.S. have a sales tax. There is no standard rate for this tax, as it varies from state to state. On top of that, some states don’t even tax photography services, only photo sales.

That’s why your best bet would be to look up the applicable sales tax rules in your area or consult with your lawyer before filling out this section of your photography invoice.

#6. A Simple “Thank You”

Last but not least, if you want to give your photography invoice a friendlier tone, you should write a simple “thank you” in the additional notes. Even though it’s a minor detail, this phrase will give a more human touch to your invoice.

Other Important Invoice Types

Here are some other types of invoices—besides the photography invoice—that you might have to take care of if you’re going to be selling specific products or services:

How To Create a Photography Invoice

To create a photography invoice, you can either write it manually from scratch or use an invoice template generator.

If you want to write a photography invoice by yourself, be prepared to invest a lot of time and effort into it. You’ll have to design your invoice, research each section, and do all of the payment and tax calculations manually.

Yet, if you don’t want to waste any time so you can focus on photography, you should use a generator and get an invoice template in no time. You'll be able to change it to your liking, and the chances of making a mistake will be minimized.

On top of that, creating a photography invoice with a generator is easy, as all you have to do is:

1. Go to our invoice generator
2. Fill in the empty fields
3. Review your document and download it

Benefits of Using an Online Invoice Generator

Using an online invoice generator comes with many benefits. Most people opt for it because it:

• Gives your company a professional look. An invoice generator will provide you with a template that is neatly designed and looks professional. With such a template, you’ll be able to make an easy-to-read invoice that will likely increase the level of customer confidence and raise the chances of your clients coming back in the future.

• Saves you a lot of time. By using an online invoice generator, you save a lot of time that you’d otherwise spend on manual invoice creation. On top of that, you can reuse invoice templates for multiple clients, which means you can focus on your photography work instead of wasting time on handling paperwork.

• Makes bookkeeping easy. When you download your digital invoice, you can save it either somewhere on your computer or on a cloud, such as Google Drive. This makes your invoices easily accessible at any time and, most importantly, secures them from cyber threats and natural disasters.

Final Thoughts

Paperwork is required in all fields of work. Whether you’re a part-time or full-time photographer, you’ll have to provide your clients with an appropriate invoice. But luckily, making this important doesn’t have to be hard.

Check out our invoice generator and get a personalized photography invoice in no time!

Key Takeaways

• A photography invoice is used by people who provide all kinds of photography services, and it serves as an extension of the contract they have with their client.
• Usually, a photography invoice includes the contact information of the photographer and their client, payment details, a description of the services, and other job-related details.
• Undoubtedly, the easiest and most efficient way to make a photography invoice is to use an online invoice generator.
• Using an invoice generator gives your documents a professional look, saves you plenty of time, and makes your bookkeeping easy.