Guide
Invoice software for freelancers in the US and Canada
A good invoice does three jobs: it tells the customer exactly what to pay, it creates a record you can reconcile later, and it gets you paid without a follow-up email chain. Here is how to do all three without a finance department.
What belongs on an invoice
The exact legal requirements vary by state and province, but a professional invoice in either country usually includes:
- Your business name and contact details, including an email address and, if you have one, a business number.
- The customer's name and billing email. For a company, include the legal entity name if you know it.
- A unique invoice number and the issue date.
- A clear description of the work, quantity or hours, rate, and line total.
- The total due, the currency, and the payment due date.
- How to pay - bank details, card link, or the method you agreed on.
- Tax lines where they apply: state or local sales tax in the US, GST/HST and provincial tax in Canada.
- Payment terms, such as "Net 14" or "Due on receipt."
If you are in Canada and registered for GST/HST, your invoice generally needs your GST/HST number and the tax shown separately. In the US, sales tax rules depend on the state and on whether you have nexus, so do not copy a rate from a template without checking.
Number every invoice, every time
Sequential numbers are how you and your customer refer to a payment. Gaps look like missing revenue to an auditor, and duplicates create confusion at tax time. Pick a format and stay with it: INV-1001, 2026-001, or a client prefix such as ACME-014.
WilyBooks assigns the next number automatically and keeps a record of each one. If you are migrating from another system, set the starting number above your last used invoice so the sequence stays clean.
Set payment terms you can enforce
Thirty days is common, but it is not a rule. If you are a freelancer with cash-flow pressure, Net 14 or Net 7 is reasonable, and many solo businesses ask for a deposit before work begins. Put the terms on the invoice and in the project agreement. A due date on the invoice is much easier to follow up on than "whenever you get a chance."
Late fees are legal in many jurisdictions but must be disclosed in your agreement. If you charge them, state the rate and when they start. If you do not, do not pretend you will.
Email, PDF, or print?
Email is the default for most freelancers, but a PDF is what customers forward to their accounts payable team. Send both when you can: a short email with the invoice attached or linked, and a clear subject line such as "Invoice INV-1004 from WilyBooks - $1,200 due March 14."
WilyBooks emails the invoice to your customer as a PDF attachment with one click, marks it as sent, and sends you a copy if you want one. Replies go to your own email address. You can also download the PDF or print it.
Track status, not just totals
An invoice is not done when it is sent. It is done when the money arrives. Use four states consistently:
- Open - created but not sent.
- Sent - delivered to the customer and waiting for payment.
- Overdue - past the due date and still unpaid.
- Paid - money received and recorded.
When you mark an invoice paid, the bookkeeping should update too: cash goes up, accounts receivable goes down, and the income stays in the period where you earned it. If your invoicing app and your accounting app disagree, you have two systems and no single source of truth.
US and Canada: the differences that matter
In the US, sales tax is set by state and local governments, and remote sellers may have economic nexus after crossing a sales or transaction threshold. In Canada, GST/HST is federal (with provincial participation), and Quebec, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba have separate provincial arrangements. Alberta has no provincial sales tax.
For a solo business, the practical advice is the same in both countries: show the tax separately, keep it in a payable account, and remit it on the schedule that applies to you. Do not bury tax inside a rounded total.
How WilyBooks handles invoicing
WilyBooks creates an invoice, posts the double-entry transaction, and tracks open, sent, overdue, and paid status. It supports USD and CAD, creates PDF invoices, and emails them to customers as attachments. Every invoice feeds the dashboard, the customer record, and the reports.
It is $5 USD a month, with no per-invoice fee. Try the demo with sample invoices before you decide.
Send your first invoice in five minutes
Open the free demo, create an invoice, and see how it flows into the ledger and reports.