A freelancer’s work has ups and downs, just like any job. It can be immensely overwhelming and exhausting despite how exciting the idea of having a better work-life balance, controlling your own schedule, and becoming your own boss is.
The freelance lifestyle has several stressful aspects, but making sure that your invoices get paid for the hours of hard work you’re putting in is one that stands out. It can be challenging to stay financially organized and keep track of payments because of the lack of an accounting team supporting you. It’s especially true when you work with multiple clients in a given period.
It’s totally up to you what invoicing method you’ll choose. However, it may be time for a change if you’re still using traditional methods. To improve your efficiency, use an invoice generator for freelancers. This great tool provides so much value to a freelancer’s work.
Read on below to learn how to start using one for your business.
How Does An Invoice Generator Work
Invoice generators offer freelancers templates that effectively help them stand out to clients, on top of making the invoicing process easier. By choosing from an assortment of ready-made designs, users can create eye-catching invoices in minutes. Freelancers can take advantage of this technology by selecting an invoice template representing their personal work, style, and branding.
The templates in invoice generators can also be customized with a logo. You can effortlessly do it by choosing from the system’s gallery or uploading your own.
How To Create An Invoice Using Invoice Generators
Freelancers using invoice generating systems can create professional-looking invoices in a few simple steps. You simply have to fill out essential client information, including amounts to be collected, item/service descriptions, shipping, and billing. Select an invoice template afterward to generate the payment request. Each template in an invoice generation software has a distinct style.
How To Send An Invoice Created By An Invoice Generator
Make sure to double-check all the costs, business numbers, and names before sending your invoice. Ensuring correct information at all times is one of the simple invoicing upgrades you can implement to encourage prompt payment. But worry not because you have the option to save the payment request as a PDF and send it another time if you don’t want to deliver it to the client yet after working on the template and entering the required information.
Send the invoice directly from the software once you’re ready to send it. In most invoice generators, the client will receive an email with the invoice attached as a PDF file once you hit send. Your clients can then view the payment request by clicking on the attachment.
Unique Invoice Generator Features
Besides ready-made invoice templates, some invoice generation software also incorporates additional features to their systems to make their users’ lives easier. For example, some invoice generators give you the option to add partial payments, discounts, and multiple taxes within a single payment request document.
Other essential features in some invoice generators are the “Copy” and “Switch To” functions that allow freelancers to create invoices in seconds. With the “Switch To” function, self-employed individuals can convert invoices into quotes, estimates, receipts, etc. Duplicating payment requests to avoid the hassle of having to recreate a similar document to the same client manually also becomes effortless with the “Copy” function.
An added bonus in some invoice generation software is the ability to generate payment requests in multiple languages. It’s a significant boost for freelancers who cater to clients from around the world. Other invoice generators also include different currencies to accommodate worldwide users and their clients from across the globe.
Benefits Of An Invoice Generator
The obvious benefit that invoice generation software brings to the table is the ability to create invoices quickly. However, there are more reasons why freelancers should consider using invoice generators. Check them out below.
- Better Invoice Organization
Any freelance business owner understands how crucial it is to have their finances in order. Chances are you’re having trouble organizing your payment requests if you’re still using traditional invoicing methods. Even worse, you may be also failing to remember which invoices are outstanding and which have been paid already. Lack of organization leads to unpaid invoices, and unsettled payment requests result in loss of revenue.
Invoice generators can help freelancers be more organized. They allow you to manage your invoices. One organization feature that surely helps is the reminder you’ll get from the software when a client still hasn’t paid you seven days after sending your payment request. Not only does better organization save you money, it also saves you time. As a result, you’ll know how much you’ve been making for a specific period.
- Error-free Invoices
As already mentioned, freelance life has ups and downs. Sometimes it seems that you’re just chilling at work, but on other days, things can get really exhausting. There could be errors in your invoice when you’re writing it while you’re tired. Either you’ll end up undercharging the client, or upset them because of overcharging. You may even end up sending a payment request to one customer for a project you completed for another. Such confusion will only waste your time, and you don’t want to look like an amateur, do you?
Invoice generation software can help you avoid errors. From missing information to an invalid number, invoice generators can deal with them. For example, most invoice generation systems have an auto-fill feature. That enables the software to auto-fill every mandatory information when you key in your client’s name. You’re done after changing maybe two or three areas.
- Secured Invoicing
When it comes to any money-related scenarios, security is paramount. With invoice generators, you get the guarantee of a secured invoicing process because of SSL certificates. Invoice generation software systems also use secured web servers in storing data. The best thing about using generators, especially cloud software, is that you can still have access to your data even after your computer got corrupted.
Final Thoughts
Learning how to use invoice generators is pretty straightforward. You don’t need an accounting background to create professional invoices with them. They bring many benefits, too.
Unfortunately, many freelancers still don’t know about invoice generation software systems. Others have heard about it but simply chose to ignore it and stuck with traditional invoicing methods. Start making your freelancing journey more manageable with an invoice generator now that you’ve read this how-to guide.
Danis Woods in Businessman, investment banker and stock exchange traders. On the same time he loves writing financial blogs to shed lights on different aspects that new and existing businessman are not aware of.
