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How to invoice clients and get paid faster

To invoice clients, you send each customer a numbered, dated invoice that lists what you delivered, what they owe, when it is due and how they can pay. Accounting software creates and sends invoices, shows which ones are unpaid and records payments when they arrive. Adding a payment processor lets customers pay by card or online straight from the invoice, so paying takes them fewer steps.

By Bill Belcamino · Page updated September 19, 2026 · Our methodologyResearched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team

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How to send invoices and get paid, step by step

Agree payment terms with each client before the work starts, including the due date and how they can pay.
Set up your invoice details once: business name, contact details, numbering and payment instructions.
Send the invoice as soon as the work is delivered, to the person who approves payment, not only your day-to-day contact.
Include a pay-online link so the client can pay from the invoice itself.
Check unpaid invoices on a set day each week and send a polite reminder as soon as one passes its due date.
Record each payment against its invoice so your books and your list of money owed stay accurate.

Why it matters

QuickBooks 2026: 59% of small businesses have invoices overdue 30+ days, up from 47%. Source

The software this job takes

Which categories a job needs is Editorial assessment; the tools, prices and dates are Verified data.

Prices are each vendor’s published entry plan, recorded from its own pricing page and dated. The example column prices a team of 10: only per-user prices are multiplied; flat and per-account prices are shown as published. Change the team size in the finder.

You need this

Small Business Accounting Software

Accounting software sends invoices, records payments and expenses, and keeps the books your accountant needs.

Tool	Entry price (as published)	Billing unit	Example: team of 10	Free plan	Verified
QuickBooks	From $38/mo	Per account per month (Simple Start)	$38/moFlat per account per month (Simple Start); includes 1 login, so more logins need a higher plan or extra users	YesYes — 1 user, 2 invoices/month, 1 bank connection	Sep 12, 2026Vendor pricing
Xero	From $25/mo	Per account per month, no per-user fees	$25/moFlat per account per month, no per-user fees	NoNo permanent free plan — free trial available	Sep 18, 2026Vendor pricing
FreshBooks	$23/mo (Lite, 5 billable clients)	Per account per month; extra team members $11/month each	$23/moFlat per account per month; extra team members $11/month each	NoNo free plan — 30-day free trial, no card required	Sep 18, 2026Vendor pricing

Compare all Accounting Software pricing →Head to head:Xero vs FreshBooks QuickBooks vs Xero QuickBooks vs FreshBooks6 switching guides Build a decision brief for these →

Often added

Online Payment Processing

A payment processor lets customers pay by card or online and moves the money to your bank.

Tool	Entry price (as published)	Billing unit	Example: team of 10	Free plan	Verified
Stripe	2.9% + 30¢	Per transaction	Per transactionNo monthly fee on this plan; the vendor charges per transaction	No monthly fee	Jul 29, 2026Vendor pricing
PayPal	3.49% + 49¢	Per transaction	Per transactionNo monthly fee on this plan; the vendor charges per transaction	No monthly fee	Jul 29, 2026Vendor pricing

Compare all Payment Processing pricing →Head to head:Stripe vs PayPal2 switching guides Build a decision brief for these →

Often added

Time Tracking Software

Time tracking software records hours by person, project and client, for billing, payroll and timesheets.

Tool	Entry price (as published)	Billing unit	Example: team of 10	Free plan	Verified
Toggl Track	Free for up to 3 users; Starter $9/user/mo (annual)	Per user	$90/mo$9 × 10 users	YesYes — up to 3 users	Sep 19, 2026Vendor pricing
Clockify	Free for up to 5 users; Basic $3.99/seat/mo (annual)	Per seat	$39.90/mo$3.99 × 10 seats	YesYes — up to 5 users	Sep 19, 2026Vendor pricing
Harvest	Free for 1 seat; Teams from $9/seat/mo (annual) plus usage charges	Per seat	$90/mo$9 × 10 seats	YesYes — 1 seat, 2 projects	Sep 19, 2026Vendor pricing

Compare all Time Tracking pricing →Head to head:Toggl Track vs Harvest Toggl Track vs Clockify Clockify vs Harvest6 switching guides Build a decision brief for these →

What to look for

Editorial assessment

Pay from the invoice Check that customers can pay from a link in the invoice email. Every extra step between reading an invoice and paying it is a chance for it to slip.
Automatic reminders Look for reminders that go out on a schedule you set, so chasing late payers does not depend on someone remembering.
Recurring invoices If you bill retainers or subscriptions, check that the tool can repeat an invoice on a schedule without you rebuilding it each time.
A clear view of who owes what A list of unpaid and overdue invoices, sorted by how late they are, tells you who to chase first.
Payments that land in your books When a payment arrives, the invoice should be marked paid and the payment recorded without anyone retyping it.
How you are billed Check whether the tool charges per user, per client or by invoice volume. The table above shows each tool's verified entry price and billing unit.

Common mistakes to avoid

An invoicing app that does not talk to your books A standalone invoicing app means someone retypes every payment into the accounting system, and errors creep in.
Vague payment instructions An invoice without clear ways to pay invites a reply asking how to pay instead of a payment.
Ignoring processing fees until the first statement Card and online payments carry processing fees. Read the processor's pricing page before you switch them on so the cost is no surprise.
Chasing late payers by hand Relying on memory to send reminders is how invoices end up months overdue. Turn on automatic reminders from the start.

What to settle before you buy

Who creates and sends invoices, and who is allowed to edit or void them?
Which payment methods will you offer customers, and will you absorb the processing fees?
Do you bill one-off jobs, recurring retainers, or both?
Who chases overdue invoices, and at what point does it escalate?
Does your accountant need access, and which system do they already use?
Do you invoice in more than one currency?

Ready to take it to whoever signs off?Turn your shortlist into a one-page decision brief with verified prices, or price the whole job for your team size.

Build a decision brief Open the finder

Frequently asked questions

How do I invoice clients?

Send a numbered, dated invoice that lists the work, the amount, the due date and how to pay. Accounting software fills in your details, emails the invoice and tracks whether it has been paid. To see which tools fit your setup, try the finder for this job.

How can I send invoices for free?

Of the 3 accounting tools we track, QuickBooks lists a free plan or free tier (limits are in the table above); Xero and FreshBooks do not. Where a free plan exists, check its limits against how many clients you bill and how often.

How do I get paid faster?

Send invoices the day the work is delivered, let clients pay online from the invoice, and send reminders automatically when an invoice passes its due date. Agreeing clear payment terms before the work starts also heads off disputes later.

What invoicing software fits a freelancer?

Look for simple invoicing, online payment and automatic reminders at a price that makes sense for a team of one. The table above compares the 3 accounting tools we track (QuickBooks, Xero and FreshBooks), with each one's verified entry price and billing unit.

How we built this page

We start from the job, not the product. The phrasings people search for this job (for example “how to invoice clients”) come from our research into how small and mid-size teams describe it. Which software categories the job takes is our editorial judgment. Every tool, entry price, billing unit and date comes from HelpCompare’s open dataset, recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page; nothing is estimated, and where a vendor publishes no price we say so. We take no affiliate commissions and publish no scores of our own. See our methodology or download the data from Open Data.

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How to invoice clients and get paid faster

How to send invoices and get paid, step by step

The software this job takes

Small Business Accounting Software

Online Payment Processing

Time Tracking Software

What to look for

Common mistakes to avoid

What to settle before you buy

Frequently asked questions

How do I invoice clients?

How can I send invoices for free?

How do I get paid faster?

What invoicing software fits a freelancer?

How we built this page

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Bill Belcamino