How to invoice a client (as a Freelance Software Engineer)
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Published 2023-11-28
What is an invoice? How do I invoice customers and clients? What do I need in an invoice
I try to answer all these questions in this quick freelancing basics video.
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I've been a software engineer since 2008 and with over a decade of experience, the industry is as crazy and as varied as ever.
I continually get asked for career advice and how to navigate writing code for a living and I wanted to share everything I've learned in hopes that I can help someone who is just starting in software engineering, who has been in it for a while and is too afraid to ask, or the seasoned vet to either agree or argue with me.
The intent of this channel is to have multiple series that include the following topics:
π° Compensation
π Negotiations
π Career advice and guidance
π Stocks, RSUs, Stock options, and ESPP plans
π¨βπ« Engineering interviews
I've done just about everything in software from working for 3 person start ups, 300 person start ups, silicon valley companies, Fortune 500 companies, small teams, big teams, W2 employment and 1099 contracting, full time contracting and moonlight part time work, independent development, launching my own web apps and iphon
All Comments (6)
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Short and sweet, and excellent tip (as usual). Will update mine asap. Thanks for sharing.
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I continue to really appreciate your content. Thank you for taking the time!
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Good video. I started out 3 years ago and I also had to google it. But once you make one you can pretty much create a template to then use for future invoices. Oh, since we're at the end of the year, it might be good idea to maybe make a video on preparing for taxes. I think I could learn a lot from how you prepare your profit-loss and tax deductibles you have been listing.
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I think a good (next) discussion is how to get paid, what to do if payments are late and especially how to properly escalate payment issues (i.e. late payment notices etc). Also worth capturing that contracts can (should) specify the payment terms (e.g. paid within 30 day arrears of monthly submission of invoice) and what that means when it comes to invoicing. I'd also touch on how to handle late fees - while it's easy to gloss over this painful part if you contract long enough you're going to need to know how to properly encourage some clients to pay on time.
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Great video on figuring out invoices. What do you do if someone lags in paying, or worse, refuses to pay?
