Freelance Copywriter Invoice Generator
Fill in the invoice below and download it as a PDF. It opens with copywriting lines priced per word, per piece or per project, a line for an additional revision round (all prices blank for your own rates) and a Rights line in the terms where you say what the client gets. For a UK client, choose GBP (£) under Monetary Unit in the editor’s Invoice Configuration section.
Updated 25 September 2026 · Free, no signup
Prefer a blank freelance invoice template? Download it as PDF, Word (DOCX), or Excel (XLSX) with working formulas — free, no signup, no email. Or fill it in online on this page and download a finished, calculated PDF.
What the copywriter invoice editor above includes
- Copywriting lines priced per word, per piece or per project, and an Additional Revision Round line, with unit prices left blank for your own rates
- Terms that start with placeholders for your payment terms and a Rights line (what is assigned or licensed to the client, and from when)
- An Expenses total for costs you pass on, printed as its own Expenses row when it is above zero
- A Deposit Paid field: any amount entered is subtracted and the total is shown as Balance Due
- An editable tax label and rate (starting at 0), eight preset currencies including GBP (£) plus a custom symbol, and logo upload (PNG, JPEG or WebP)
- Live preview and free PDF download
Free to use — no signup, no account. Unmetered for normal use, with an anti-abuse cap of 20 generated PDFs per device per day. Each PDF carries a one-line credit for this site, on by default — one free checkbox in the settings turns it off. Your draft autosaves in your own browser, and when you download, its content is sent over an encrypted HTTPS connection to our server, which renders the PDF. The blank template downloads above are the general freelance invoice and are not metered.
What a UK freelance copywriter’s invoice must include
GOV.UK sets out what goes on an invoice in its guide Invoices: what they must include. Here is each item, word for word, and where it goes in the editor above.
| GOV.UK: “Your invoice must include” | Where it goes in this editor |
|---|---|
| a unique identification number | Invoice # (starts at 2026-001; keep your own sequence) |
| your company name, address and contact information | From (Sender): name, address, email, phone |
| the company name and address of the customer you’re invoicing | To (Client): client name and address |
| a clear description of what you’re charging for | Line descriptions: the piece title, project name or word count |
| the date the goods or service were provided (supply date) | Add the delivery date to the line description or to Notes (there is no separate field) |
| the date of the invoice | Date (defaults to today) |
| the amount(s) being charged | Quantity × your rate on each line |
| VAT amount if applicable | Tax line (starts at 0; only if you are VAT-registered, see below) |
| the total amount owed | Calculated automatically; shown as Balance Due if you enter a deposit |
If you are a sole trader, GOV.UK adds that the invoice must also include “your name and any business name being used” and “an address where any legal documents can be delivered to you if you are using a business name”. Put both in From (Sender), for example “[Your name], trading as [Business name]”, with the address below it. Our sole trader invoice guide covers these lines in more detail.
When an invoice is required by law: GOV.UK says “you need to give them an invoice (bill) by law if both you and the customer are registered for VAT (a business to business transaction)”.
Per word, per piece or per project
The editor starts with four lines. Keep the ones that match how the brief was priced, type in your own rates and delete the rest.
- Copywriting — per word (unit: Word). Quantity = word count; price = your rate per word.
- Copywriting — [piece title] (unit: Piece). One line per article, email, landing page or other piece.
- Copywriting Project — [project name] (unit: Project). A single fee for a whole project.
- Additional Revision Round (unit: Round). For rounds beyond those your fee includes.
Kill fees. If a commissioned piece is cancelled and your contract provides a kill fee, add a line such as “Kill fee — [piece title], as agreed in our contract dated [date]” with the amount the contract sets.
Deposits. If the client paid part of the fee up front, enter it in Deposit Paid; the invoice shows the deposit and the remaining Balance Due.
Copyright: put the assignment in your contract
In the UK, the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 decides who owns the copy you write and how that ownership can pass to a client:
- Section 11(1): “The author of a work is the first owner of any copyright in it, subject to the following provisions.” The main exception, in section 11(2), is work made “by an employee in the course of his employment”.
- Section 90(3): “An assignment of copyright is not effective unless it is in writing signed by or on behalf of the assignor.”
- Section 90(2): an assignment “may be partial”, limited to some of the things the owner has the exclusive right to do, or to part of the period the copyright lasts.
The PDF this generator makes has no signature block, so on its own it is not the signed written assignment section 90(3) describes. Agree the rights in your contract, and use the Rights line in the invoice’s terms to point to it:
- “Rights: copyright in the delivered copy is assigned as set out in clause [x] of our agreement dated [date].”
- “Rights: licence to use the copy for [purpose, media and period], as set out in our agreement dated [date].”
General information, not legal advice. For anything beyond a standard commission, ask a solicitor.
VAT: only if you are registered
The editor starts with the tax rate at 0, which suits a copywriter who is not VAT-registered. GOV.UK’s when to register for VAT page says you must register if either:
- “your total taxable turnover for the last 12 months goes over £90,000 (the VAT threshold)”
- “you expect your taxable turnover to go over £90,000 in the next 30 days”
Below that you “can choose to register for VAT” voluntarily. Once registered, a VAT invoice needs more than an ordinary one. HMRC’s VAT Notice 700 (paragraph 16.3.1) lists, among other details, “your name, address and VAT registration number” and “the total amount of VAT chargeable — this must be expressed in sterling”. For that, use our VAT invoice generator, which has VAT-number fields for you and your client. This is general information, not tax advice.
Freelance copywriter invoice example
Placeholder figures to show the layout and the arithmetic. They are not market rates.
#2026-027
| Description | Rate | Qty | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copywriting — per word: [blog post title], delivered [date] | £0.10 / Word | 1,000 | £100.00 |
| Copywriting — [landing page title], delivered [date] | £100.00 / Piece | 1 | £100.00 |
| Additional Revision Round | £50.00 / Round | 1 | £50.00 |
Payment terms: [as agreed]
Rights: as set out in clause [x] of our agreement dated [date]
Arithmetic: 1,000 words × £0.10 = £100.00; 1 piece × £100.00 = £100.00; 1 extra round × £50.00 = £50.00; total £250.00. No VAT line, because this example copywriter is not VAT-registered.
How to make a freelance copywriter invoice
- 1Set the currency and your details
In Invoice Configuration at the top of the editor, choose GBP - British Pound (£) under Monetary Unit. Enter your name and any business name you trade under, your address and your email.
- 2Add the client
Enter the client’s name (or company name) and address in To (Client).
- 3Number and date the invoice
Give it a unique invoice number, check the invoice date and set the due date you agreed.
- 4Price the copy
Keep the per-word, per-piece or per-project line that matches the brief, enter the quantity and your own rate, and delete the lines you do not need. Add a line for each extra revision round you are charging for.
- 5Fill in the terms and the rights line
Replace the placeholders under Terms with your payment terms and a short statement of what rights the client receives, pointing to your contract.
- 6Preview and download
Check the live preview, then download the PDF and send it to your client.
Freelance copywriter invoice FAQ
What should a freelance copywriter invoice include?
GOV.UK lists what an invoice must include: a unique identification number; your name, address and contact information; the name and address of the customer; a clear description of what you're charging for; the date the service was provided (the supply date); the date of the invoice; the amounts charged; VAT if applicable; and the total amount owed. As a sole trader you also show your name and any business name you use and, if you use a business name, an address where legal documents can be delivered to you. For copywriting, use the line description to name the piece or project and the date you delivered it.
How do I invoice per word?
Use the 'Copywriting — per word' line: enter the word count as the quantity and your rate per word as the price. The line total is quantity × rate, rounded to the penny. Say which piece the words belong to in the description, for example 'Copywriting — per word: [piece title], [word count] words, delivered [date]'.
How do I charge for extra revision rounds?
The editor includes an 'Additional Revision Round' line with the unit 'Round'. Enter how many extra rounds you are charging for and your price per round. How many rounds are included in the fee, and what an extra one costs, is whatever your contract or brief says; the invoice only records it.
How do I invoice a kill fee?
Add a line such as 'Kill fee — [piece title], as agreed in our contract dated [date]' with quantity 1 and the amount your contract sets. If the client has already paid a deposit, enter it in Deposit Paid so the invoice shows the Balance Due.
Does my invoice transfer the copyright to the client?
Not on its own. Under the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, the author of a work is the first owner of the copyright (section 11(1)), and section 90(3) says: 'An assignment of copyright is not effective unless it is in writing signed by or on behalf of the assignor.' The PDF this generator makes has no signature block, so put any assignment or licence in your contract and use the invoice's Rights line to refer to it. This is general information, not legal advice.
Should I charge VAT on my copywriting invoices?
Only if you are VAT-registered. GOV.UK says you must register if your total taxable turnover for the last 12 months goes over £90,000, or you expect it to go over £90,000 in the next 30 days; below that you can choose to register voluntarily. If you are registered, HMRC's VAT Notice 700 lists extra details a VAT invoice must show, including your VAT registration number and the total VAT in sterling, so use our VAT invoice generator, which has VAT-number fields. This is general information, not tax advice.
Is this copywriter invoice generator free?
Yes — no account, no email address, nothing to pay. It is free and unmetered for normal use; an anti-abuse cap of 20 PDFs per device per day (200 per IP) applies, well above ordinary use, and the blank template downloads on this page are not metered. A one-line "Created free with myinvoicetemplate.com" credit is switched on by default and one free checkbox in the settings turns it off. Your draft is stored in your own browser on this device, so download and keep the PDF you need.
Will this page overwrite my other invoice drafts?
No. This page keeps its own draft in your browser, separate from the freelance invoice generator and the other pages. Pressing Reset clears it and brings back the copywriting lines this page starts with.
Sources
Official pages quoted on this page, checked on 25 September 2026:
- GOV.UK, Invoicing and taking payment from customers: Overview
- GOV.UK, Invoices: what they must include
- GOV.UK, Register for VAT: when to register
- HMRC, VAT guide (VAT Notice 700), paragraph 16.3.1
- legislation.gov.uk, Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 11
- legislation.gov.uk, Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 90
General information for freelance copywriters, not legal or tax advice. You are responsible for the details and amounts you enter and for the invoices you send.