Invoicing guides
Short, practical guides to billing clients and getting paid, written for freelancers and trades in Canada. Each one comes with a free template.
How to invoice as a freelancer
To invoice as a freelancer, send a numbered invoice that lists each piece of work with its hours or fixed price, adds GST/HST if you're registered, and states the total, the due date and how to pay. Send it the day you deliver the work.
Sep 26, 2026 · 3 min read
How to write a contractor invoice
A contractor invoice lists labour, materials and other charges on separate lines, adds GST/HST if you're registered, and states the total, the due date and how to pay. Send it the day the job is finished, while the work is fresh in the client's mind.
Sep 26, 2026 · 3 min read
What these guides cover
Each guide answers one question people ask when they start billing clients: what has to be on the invoice, how to show hours or materials, when GST/HST applies, how to handle deposits and changes to a job, and what to do when a payment is late.
Tax rules are summarised from the Canada Revenue Agency and linked at the end of each guide, so you can check the source yourself. They're general information, not tax advice. If your situation is unusual, an accountant is worth the hour.
Templates that go with these guides
Every guide pairs with a free template that opens the invoice generator already filled in. Change the lines, add your tax, and download the PDF.
- Freelance invoice template: designers, developers, writers and consultants billing by the hour or by project.
- Contractor invoice template: renovators, handymen, electricians, plumbers, landscapers and other trades.
Your invoices stay in your browser. My invoices tracks which ones are paid, flags the overdue ones and makes receipts when a client pays.