Invoice? Receipt? Help me bill my client properly.

May 6, 2008 5:14 PM

I offered a client a preferred rate for a block of hours and they agreed, so I sent an invoice. Things went great and now they want more, how do I arrange this on paper?

Here's the short and simple:
- A client asked me if they could get a preferred hourly rate if they booked a certain number of hours at a time (40 hours)
- I gave them a rate, they accepted, so I sent them an invoice for 40 hours
- They have now used used up those 40 hours, so what do I send the client?

Do I send them a receipt detailing how the hours were spent? Do I resend them the original invoice, or maybe create a new one? Collection is not the issue as they are paying on time. I just want to make clear that the 40 hrs have been spent, how they were spent, and provide whatever is necessary so they can start using the next block of 40 hours.

I'm new to this so any suggestions are appreciated. Oh, this is software dev related if it matters at all.

posted by Null Pointer and the Exceptions to work & money (3 comments total)

I'd send both a "PAID" invoice to cover the recent work, with detail if you're that organized; it'd sure be a nice and professional touch. Also send a new contract to cover the future.
posted by rhizome at 5:35 PM on May 6

Call it a "Statement" rather than a receipt or an invoice, and include the start-date and end-date to provide information about what time period their pre-payment covered.

I do this all the time. Quickbooks will let you change the title of an invoice very easily.
posted by Wild_Eep at 6:07 PM on May 6

Statement... genius!
posted by Null Pointer and the Exceptions at 8:02 PM on May 6