Consultant invoice template
Create a consulting invoice for hourly or project work, research and report delivery. Add payment terms, review the total, then save a PDF or download Word.
Templates by industry
- Consulting session
- Research and analysis
- Report delivery
Invoicing consulting work: sessions, research and the report
Example workflow
Record the hours
Start with "Consulting session": the date, the hours and the rate of every session, and what it covered.
Bill research and the report
Add the research lines and the final deliverable down to "Report delivery", and name the report version you handed over.
Send and reconcile
Send the invoice with the report or straight after it, and reconcile payment against the invoice number.
Consulting work is usually billed in one of two rhythms: monthly for open-ended advice, or at milestones for a defined project that ends in a report. This template fits both, because sessions, research and the report sit on separate lines and each can be billed when it is done. Larger clients often check a consultant’s invoice against a signed statement of work or the order they placed, so quote that reference before the first line.
Fields to prepare
- Deliverables and line items
- Consulting session, Research and analysis, Report delivery: bill sessions by hours and rate, research and analysis by hours or as a fixed fee, and the report as the finished deliverable.
- Consulting session
- List the date and length of each session in the line, since a client approving a monthly invoice compares them with their own calendar.
- Research and analysis
- Say what was researched, such as “competitor pricing in five markets”, so the client sees the hours went into their question.
- Report delivery
- Bill the report when the agreed draft or final version is handed over, and state whether one round of comments is included in the fee.
- Hours, rate and period
- State the hourly or daily rate, the hours worked on each line and the period they cover. Add the date of each session when the client reviews invoices line by line.
- Result and approval
- Name the report or other result handed over, its version and its date, and note who at the client approved the scope this invoice bills.
- Scope to agree
- Tie session hours, research topics and report versions together, so that no analysis is billed under two lines.
Before sending
- Does “Consulting session” show the quantity actually supplied, not the quantity first quoted?
- Is “Research and analysis” charged at the rate the customer agreed to, with any change approved?
- Is “Report delivery” finished and accepted, or does it belong on a later invoice?
Show 3 more
- Check each session against your calendar or notes, and bill the hours actually worked rather than the hours estimated.
- Say whether travel time and preparation are included in the rate or billed on top.
- Tie each completed work session to a date, then state the due date and the amounts already received.
Worked example: a consulting engagement
The figures are an example, in dollars, with an example tax rate of 8%. A consultant bills six hours of sessions at 120.00 an hour, eight hours of research at 95.00 and the finished report as a fixed fee.
| Item | Quantity × unit price | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Consulting session | 6 × $120.00 | $720.00 |
| Research and analysis | 8 × $95.00 | $760.00 |
| Report delivery | 1 × $150.00 | $150.00 |
| Subtotal | $1,630.00 | |
| Sales tax (8%) | $130.40 | |
| Total | $1,760.40 | |
Sessions, research and the report add up to $1,630.00; tax at 8% is $130.40; the client pays $1,760.40. Compare it with your own time record before you send it.
Common mistakes on a consulting invoice
- Writing "Consulting, 1 unit" with no hours, so the client cannot see what the fee buys.
- Billing the same analysis under the research line and again inside the report.
- Changing the rate between sessions without saying so on the invoice.
- Sending the invoice months after the work, when the client has stopped following the project.
- Leaving out which report version was delivered, which makes later change requests hard to separate.
What the document must show
These details make an invoice easier to approve and to file.
- Your business name, address and registration or tax number
- The customer's name and address
- Issue date and a document number you do not reuse
- Each line item with quantity, unit price and amount
- Tax shown separately from the net amount, and the total payable
- Payment terms: due date, bank details or accepted payment methods
The sales tax depends on where the work is supplied, so set the rate that applies to your customer before sending.
Official rate reference: US government: state and local taxes
Frequently asked questions
Consultant invoice template: what should it include?
Begin with the lines the template carries — Consulting session, Research and analysis, Report delivery — and change them to your own sessions, research and deliverable. Then add the rate, the period, your details, the client and a number you have not used before.
Should I bill by the hour or as a fixed fee?
Either works if it matches what you quoted. Bill hours when the scope is open and a fixed fee when the result is defined, and say which one you used on the line.
How do I show travel and preparation time?
Put them on lines of their own, with their own hours, or state on the invoice that they are included in the rate. Do not leave the client to guess which.
What should the research line say?
Name the question you researched, the hours spent and the dates, in a sentence a client can read in a minute. "Market analysis for the pricing review, 8 hours" says more than "Research".
Can I bill a retainer on this template?
Yes. Use one line for the retainer month at the agreed amount, bill hours beyond the retainer on separate lines, and state the allowance.
When should I send the invoice?
When the report is handed over or at the end of the period you agreed. Waiting for weeks leaves the client with sessions they no longer remember.
Read next
Reading for the Consultant invoice template: How to write an invoice: a step-by-step example and Invoice payment terms: Net 15, Net 30, due dates. The VAT and GST calculator works out the tax line for you.