Photography invoice template
Invoice template for photographers: photo session, photo editing and image usage license. Fill it in online, download Excel or Word, or print to PDF.
Templates by industry
- Photo session
- Photo editing
- Image usage license
Preparation guide
Example workflow
Confirm scope and quantities
Example: reconcile the approval and work record for "Photo session" to establish the quantity for this invoice.
Record delivery and acceptance
Check completion for every line, including "Image usage license". Hand over approved versions and a file manifest, confirming usage scope and completed revisions.
Send the billing record
Send the final charges, delivery reference and due date to the customer, then reconcile payment against the invoice number.
A photography invoice usually bills three different things: the time behind the camera, the hours spent editing and the right to use the images. Clients who commission a shoot for a website or a campaign need to see that licence on the invoice, because it says where and for how long they may publish the photos. This template keeps the session, the editing and the usage licence apart, so a later request for extra media can be priced as a new licence.
Fields to prepare
- Deliverables and line items
- Photo session, Photo editing, Image usage license: record the quantities actually supplied and the service period.
- Photo session
- Bill the session by the hour or the half day you quoted, with the date and the location.
- Photo editing
- Give the number of images edited and the level of retouching agreed, since a skin retouch takes longer than a colour correction.
- Image usage license
- Name the media, the territory and the period the licence covers, for example the website and social media for one year.
- Quantity and output format
- Record pages, images, word counts or running time, final file formats and whether editable source files are included.
- Review and usage scope
- Specify the draft approver, revision rounds, intended media and duration, and who supplies third-party assets.
- Scope to agree
- Record session hours, edited image counts and licensed media and duration. Agree separately whether original captures are supplied.
Before sending
- Does “Photo session” show the quantity actually supplied, not the quantity first quoted?
- Is “Photo editing” charged at the rate the customer agreed to, with any change approved?
- Is “Image usage license” finished and accepted, or does it belong on a later invoice?
Show 3 more
- Agree when a change of direction after draft approval becomes additional work.
- Check separately whether editable sources and final delivery files are included.
- Match completed work to the order or approval record, and confirm the payment due date and amounts already received.
Worked example with sample figures
The figures below are invented to show how the template adds up: 3 lines in USD, with an example tax rate of 8%.
| Item | Quantity × unit price | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Photo session | 3 × $95.00 | $285.00 |
| Photo editing | 5 × $60.00 | $300.00 |
| Image usage license | 2 × $2,400.00 | $4,800.00 |
| Subtotal | $5,385.00 | |
| Sales tax (8%) | $430.80 | |
| Total | $5,815.80 | |
Net amount $5,385.00, sales tax $430.80, total payable $5,815.80.
What the document must show
The details an invoice has to show, and why each one matters, are set out in the guide below.
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
Full requirements: How to write an invoice: a step-by-step example
Frequently asked questions
Should the raw files be on the invoice?
Only if you agreed to hand them over. Then list them on their own line, because raw files are often priced apart from the edited images.
The client now wants the photos in print. What do I send?
A new invoice for the extra usage licence, naming the new medium and period and quoting the number of the original invoice.
How is the sales tax worked out on this invoice?
The worked example above uses an example rate of 8%: $430.80 on a net amount of $5,385.00, for a total of $5,815.80. The editor recalculates all three when you change a quantity, a price or the country.
Can I add my logo and signature?
Yes. The From section of the editor has a place for your company logo and for a signature or seal image. Uploading a picture needs a free account, and a member can keep both in settings so that every new document starts with them.
Can I email it to the customer?
Yes, from your own mail app. With a free account, the editor’s download menu offers Email this document, which opens your mail app with a message about the document already written. QuoteBill sends nothing itself, so save the PDF and attach it before you send.
Read next
Reading for the Photography 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.