How to invoice for artwork: the details that get you paid without a chase
SaveAn invoice for artwork does two jobs at once: it asks for the money and it records what was sold. When the details are complete, a client can approve it without a query, which is the quickest route to being paid. Below you will find the fields to include, the wording for payment terms, and the routine Eclectic Art Studio suggests for keeping the paperwork straight.
Put your own details down first
A document without your name and address on it is a note, not an invoice a business can process. The identifying details belong at the top, in the same place on every one you issue.
- Your name, or the name you trade under, and the postal address you use for business.
- An email address and a telephone number the client already holds.
- An invoice number from one unbroken series, plus the date you issue it.
- The client's name and the address they gave you for their records.
- A reference to their order, brief or purchase order if one exists.
Keep the numbers running in one series rather than restarting each month. A gap invites a question, and a repeated number makes two separate payments look like one.
Describe the artwork so the invoice matches the sale
Give the work enough description that nobody has to open a photograph to work out what was bought. Title, medium and support, dimensions, and whether the piece is an original, a print from an edition or a commission.
A commission needs one further line: the stage the invoice covers. A deposit due before work starts and a balance due on delivery are separate claims, and the wording should say which one the client is looking at. Where those stages were never written down, the clauses in our guide to writing a commission agreement are worth settling before the next project begins.
Show every charge on its own line
One line per item makes the total easy to check. Itemise the work itself, framing or crating, delivery, and any hanging fee you charge; a lump sum nobody can break down is the one that comes back with questions.
Value added tax belongs on a separate line if you are registered for it, beside your registration number. If you are not registered, add no tax line at all. Prints sold from a run need identical edition wording on the invoice and on the certificate, and our guide to selling art prints shows how to keep the two in step.
Set payment terms you can enforce
Payment terms belong on the invoice even when they already appear in your quote. State the due date plainly, say what it is measured from (the issue date, delivery or collection), and set out what follows if it passes.
Say what a deposit covers
A deposit is not a discount, and the invoice should make that clear. Show the full price, then the deposit received and the balance still owed, so the client sees the same figure you do.
Agree the figure before you invoice it
The invoice states a price; it does not negotiate one. Our guide to pricing your artwork covers the factors behind the number, and settling them in advance keeps the payment conversation short.
Handle late payment without losing the client
Late payment is a paperwork problem before it is a money problem, so build the reminder into your routine rather than into your temper. Keep every chase in writing and quote the invoice number each time.
- Send a copy of the invoice with a short note asking when payment will be made.
- Name the day you will pause further work if the balance has not arrived.
- Record what was said, and by whom, on your own copy.
Some clients send a remittance advice, a short note saying which invoice a payment covers; file it beside the invoice rather than in a separate folder. If money arrives part-way through, mark the original as partly paid instead of raising a second invoice for the same work.
Send it the same way every time
Whichever route you choose, the client should be able to find the invoice later without asking you for it again. The routes below differ mainly in what they leave you to keep.
| How you send it | What it suits | What to keep |
|---|---|---|
| PDF attached to an email | Sales where the buyer approves payment by email | The sent message and the PDF exactly as issued |
| Printed copy handed over with the work | Studio sales and hand-delivered commissions | A duplicate set aside for your own records |
| Client link from an accounting tool | Repeat buyers and staged payments | The tool's record, plus a download of each invoice |
Keep that record in one place, digital or paper, and back it up. An invoice you cannot produce on request is difficult to defend if a client disputes what was agreed.
Put one invoice together in this order
The sequence below runs in a single pass and catches the small omissions that send an invoice back.
- Open your template, save a copy under the next number in the series, and change the issue date.
- Replace the client details and delete the lines this sale does not include.
- Describe the work and check the agreed figure against your own record of the sale.
- Add the due date, subtract any deposit already received, and read the totals twice.
- Send it the way you always send them, then file the copy where you will find it when a reminder falls due.
Make the next invoice easier this week
None of this needs new software, and a little tidying removes the repeat work.
- Turn the field list above into a document you keep, so the next invoice starts half-finished.
- Write your payment terms into your standard quote so they reach the client before the invoice does.
- Choose one folder for issued invoices and move your last copy into it.
Eclectic Art Studio is an information site for independent artists and sells no goods or services; what you have read is general information rather than advice on your own tax position or contracts.
#Artwork sales #Artist records #Tax planning
Download PDF: Invoice checklist for a single artwork sale PDF, 29 KB
Frequently asked questions
What has to appear on an invoice for artwork?
Your name and business address, the client's details, a number from an unbroken series and the issue date. Then a clear description of the work, the charge for each item, any deposit already paid and the due date for the balance.
How do I invoice a sale when the buyer pays in two parts?
Raise one invoice that shows the full price, the deposit received and the balance owed, with a due date for the balance stated plainly. Marking it as partly paid is safer than issuing a second invoice for the same work.
How can I build an artist invoice template I can trust?
Build it from a checklist of the fields you always need, then keep the parts that change at the top where you cannot miss them: number, date, description and terms. Save a fresh copy for each sale rather than editing the last one in place.