A consulting invoice template lists each piece of advisory work with its date, the hours or sessions, your hourly or day rate and the line total, then the total due, the due date and how to pay. Fill in the template below, which starts with an hourly example, and download it as a PDF. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
Prefer to fill it in somewhere else? The same layout, ready to edit.
To open it in Google Docs, upload the Word file to Google Drive and choose Open with Google Docs.
Consultants usually bill in one of three ways: by the hour, by the day, or as a fixed monthly fee for an agreed amount of work. Use the unit column to show which one applies, such as hours, days or month, so the client can check the invoice against the proposal at a glance.
For hourly work, list the main pieces of work as separate lines rather than one line of total hours. A client who sees "Discovery workshop, 3 hours" and "Written recommendations, 6 hours" understands what they paid for, and is less likely to question the bill.
For a monthly retainer, bill one line for the month, such as "Advisory retainer, October: up to 10 hours", at the agreed fee, and send it at the start of the month if the fee is paid in advance. If extra hours are allowed at an hourly rate, add them as a separate line on the next invoice with the dates, so the client can see what changed.
Put the project name or the client's purchase order number in the reference field, and use the same words for the work as your proposal or contract did. If the work went beyond what was agreed, show the extra as its own line with a short note, and make sure the client agreed to it before you bill it.
Round your time the same way every time, for example to the nearest quarter hour, and say so if the contract mentions it. Keep a simple log with the date, the task and the time spent, even if you do not attach it. When a client asks what an hour was spent on, a log you can send the same day settles the question quickly.
Last checked on 4 October 2026.