Your business name
Invoice
- Invoice number
- INV-0001
- Invoice date
- Sep 1, 2026
- Due date
- Oct 1, 2026
Bill to
Customer name
| Description | Qty | Price | Tax | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | 1 | $0.00 | — | $0.00 |
- Subtotal
- $0.00
- Total
- $0.00
Invoice Generator for Consultants
Retainers, day rates and pass-through expenses on one clean, professional document.
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Template
Subtotal$0.00
Total$0.00
Billing a retainer
A retainer invoice should say what period it covers and what it entitles the client to. "Advisory retainer — March 2026, up to 8 days" is unambiguous; "Consulting" is the line that ends up in a dispute six months later.
Where the retainer includes a capped number of days, add a second line for days used beyond the cap at your overage rate. Showing zero overage is itself a useful signal to the client.
Recharging expenses
Expenses recharged to a client normally sit on the invoice as separate lines from your fees, because they are often taxed differently and are almost always scrutinised more closely.
- Travel and accommodation, listed by trip rather than as a lump sum
- Third-party costs paid on the client's behalf
- Software or data purchased specifically for the engagement
- Anything you agreed in advance to recharge at cost — say so on the line
Day rates and part days
Decide in advance how you handle a half day and put it in the engagement letter. On the invoice, express part days as a decimal quantity against your day rate rather than inventing a separate half-day price, so the rate on the document stays consistent across every invoice you issue.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I invoice for a retainer?
- Issue it at the start of the period it covers, name the period explicitly, and state what is included. Most consultants bill retainers in advance and overage in arrears.
- Should expenses go on the same invoice as fees?
- Usually yes, but as separate lines. Some clients require expenses on a separate invoice with receipts attached — ask before the first billing cycle rather than after.
- What should a consulting invoice description say?
- Enough that someone in accounts payable who has never met you can match it to a purchase order: the engagement name, the period, and the basis of the charge.