Create invoice

Consulting invoice template

An invoice for consultants and advisers: hours by activity, the engagement name and the client's PO number, with a retainer credited against the total. Download it or fill it in online.

Fill it in online Download the template

Free, no sign-up. Online, you get a finished PDF in one click.

Consulting invoice template: an example, filled in

Download the consulting invoice template

What’s in this template

  • Engagement and PO number fields
  • Description, hours, rate and amount
  • Amount paid, to credit a retainer
  • Total and balance due
  • Notes for the billing period and payment details

How to fill it in

  1. Pick a format. Download the Word or Excel file or the printable PDF, make your own copy in Google Docs or Google Sheets, or fill the template in online and download the finished PDF.
  2. Name the engagement. Fill in your firm's details, the client contact in accounts payable, the engagement name and the PO number.
  3. Bill the period's hours. Group the hours by activity (workshops, interviews, analysis, reporting) rather than by day, each with your rate.
  4. Credit the retainer and send. Enter the retainer under Amount paid so the balance due is right, state the billing period in the notes and send.

Fill in the consulting template online

When to use it

Use it for management, IT, marketing or HR consulting billed by the hour or on a retainer. Clients compare invoices with the statement of work, so the engagement name and activity lines matter more than design.

Tips

  • Bill monthly on long engagements and say the billing period (“Sep 1–30”) in the notes.
  • Match the statement of work. Use the same activity names and rates as your proposal.
  • Show the retainer. A retainer applied under Amount paid makes the balance due obvious and avoids a second invoice.

Frequently asked questions

How do I invoice a retainer?

Send one invoice for the retainer up front. When you bill the work, list the hours as usual and enter the retainer under Amount paid; the balance due is what the client still owes.

Should the invoice list every meeting?

Not usually. Group hours by activity on the invoice and keep a timesheet you can share if the client asks.

Read next

More invoice templates

Professional Services Invoice Templates · All invoice templates