Invoicing for freelancers that gets you paid

You do the work, BooksBat handles the paperwork

Freelancing means being your own billing department. Every project ends with the same chores: build an invoice, work out the totals and tax, export a PDF, write the email, and then remember to check whether the money ever arrived. Spreadsheets and word processor templates work until you have more than a few clients, and then invoice numbers repeat, totals drift and late payments slip through.

BooksBat keeps all of it in one place. Save your clients and your usual services once, then build each invoice from a few clicks. Send it by email with the PDF attached and a link to a mobile friendly page where your client can view it, download it and pay online. You see when it was viewed, when it was paid and which invoices are overdue, and automatic reminders follow up for you.

Habits that help freelancers get paid on time

Most late payments are not bad intent. The invoice got buried, the amount was unclear or paying took too much effort. A few habits fix most of that:

• Agree terms before you start. Send a quote with your price and payment terms and ask the client to accept it online, so there is no surprise at the end.
• Invoice the day the work is done. The sooner the invoice arrives, the sooner it reaches the top of your client's list.
• Make paying easy. A pay button on a page that works on a phone removes most excuses. Add bank details as a second option.
• Be specific. Clear line items, a due date and a reference number make it simple for your client to approve the invoice.
• Follow up automatically. Payment reminders keep the tone friendly and consistent, and you never have to remember.

Start free, upgrade when you grow

The free plan covers 5 customers, 5 invoices and 5 quotes a month, with bookkeeping, expenses and online payments through Stripe included. Invoices show a small BooksBat note.

Pro is $4 a month. It removes the limits and the branding, and adds recurring invoices, automatic reminders, bank statement import and reconciliation, receipt scanning, more payment providers and all reports. If you grow into a team, Business at $12 a month adds time tracking, projects and 1099 contractors. See pricing for details.

Just need one invoice today? The free invoice generator makes a PDF without an account. Sign up later to save and send it.

Your books, done as you go

Invoicing is only half of freelance money. At tax time you also need your expenses and a true profit figure. BooksBat is small business accounting, not just an invoicing app, so the same account keeps both. Record expenses and upload receipts as you go, and every invoice and payment is already in your books.

On Pro, import your bank statements as CSV, OFX, QFX or QBO files, let bank rules categorize the usual transactions and reconcile each month. Your profit and loss is then ready for you or your accountant whenever you need it. See expenses and bills and bookkeeping.