An editable consulting invoice with day rates, PO number, expenses at cost, plus a filled-in example. Download it for Word, Excel or Google Docs without an email gate.
Word, Excel, Google Docs and PDF. No email required.
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INVOICETemplate preview · Example
01
Bill to
Calder Manufacturing, with contact, address and PO reference.
02
Line item
Discovery interviews: 12 stakeholder interviews and site visit. 3 days at $1,400.00.
03
Total due
$13,885.00, due in 14 days.
04
How to pay
Bank transfer details or a card payment link, and your late payment terms.
What to include on a consulting invoice
A consulting invoice is a request for payment for work you’ve delivered. It needs to be clear enough that the client’s accounts team can approve it without coming back to you.
Field
Why it matters
Invoice number and date
Unique, sequential numbers make payments easy to match and keep tax records tidy.
Your details and the client’s
Business names, addresses and, if registered, your tax or VAT number.
Line items
What you did, how much and at what rate, in terms the client recognises from the agreement.
Due date and how to pay
An actual date, bank details or a payment link, and any late payment terms.
Engagement or PO reference
Many larger clients won’t pay without a purchase order number
Expenses with receipts
Separates reimbursed costs from fees
How consultants usually bill
Consultants price by day rate, fixed fee per phase or monthly retainer. Value-based fixed fees are common for well-defined outcomes.
Ask for the client’s purchase order number before you invoice; it’s often required for payment.
Invoice expenses at cost with receipts attached, separate from fees.
For day-rate work, list days by date and activity so the sponsor can approve quickly.
Example: billing a operations review and improvement plan
Meridian Advisory bills a fixed fee per phase and expenses at cost. Calder’s accounts team pays only against a purchase order, so the PO number goes in the invoice header and the rail and hotel receipts are attached as one PDF.
The template
Invoice details
Invoice number: [INV-0001]
Invoice date: [Date]
Due date: [Date — e.g. 14 days after the invoice date]
Engagement or PO reference: [Engagement or PO reference]
Expenses with receipts: [Expenses with receipts]
From
Business name: [Your business name]
Address: [Address]
Email: [Email]
Tax or VAT number: [If registered]
Bill to
Client: [Client company]
Contact: [Name, email]
Address: [Address]
Client reference or PO: [If provided]
Line items
Item
Description
Qty / time
Rate
Amount
Discovery interviews
[12 stakeholder interviews and site visit]
[Qty]
[Rate]
[Amount]
Analysis
[Process mapping and data analysis]
[Qty]
[Rate]
[Amount]
Recommendations workshop
[Half-day leadership workshop]
[Qty]
[Rate]
[Amount]
Final report
[Findings, options and 90-day plan]
[Qty]
[Rate]
[Amount]
Travel expenses
[Rail and accommodation, at cost]
[Qty]
[Rate]
[Amount]
Totals
Subtotal: [Amount]
Discount: [If any]
Tax: [Rate and amount, if you’re registered]
Total due: [Amount and currency]
Payment
Payment terms: [e.g. 14 days]
How to pay: [Bank details or payment link]
Late payment: [Your late payment terms, if any]
Notes
[Anything the client needs to know, such as what the invoice covers, a reference to the approved quote or timesheet, or when final files will be released.]
How to fill it in
Add your business details and the client’s, including any purchase order or reference they gave you.
Give the invoice the next number in your sequence and set the invoice and due dates.
List each item of work using the same names as your quote or agreement, such as “Discovery interviews”.
Show quantities, rates and amounts, then the subtotal, any discount, tax if you’re registered, and the total.
Fill in the engagement or po reference and expenses with receipts, then add how to pay and your payment terms.
Check it against the agreement, attach what backs it up (for consultants, usually many larger clients won’t pay without a purchase order number), and send it as a PDF or payment link.
Use it in Word, Excel, Google Docs or PDF
Microsoft Word
Download the Word (.docx) file and open it. If Word opens it in Protected View, select Enable Editing.
Use Find (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F) and search for “[” to jump between the placeholders you need to replace.
Save a clean copy as a Word template (File → Save As → Word Template) so every new document starts from it.
Google Docs
Upload the .docx file to Google Drive.
Right-click it and choose Open with → Google Docs, then File → Save as Google Docs to keep an editable copy.
Use File → Make a copy for each new client so your master stays clean.
Excel and Google Sheets
Download the Excel (.xlsx) file. It has a blank sheet and a worked example.
Enter quantities, hours and rates: amounts, totals and tax calculate with built-in formulas.
To use Google Sheets, upload the file to Drive and choose Open with → Google Sheets; the formulas carry over.
PDF
Use Print or save as PDF in the template section above to print just the template, or fill it in Word or Google Docs first and export it (File → Save As → PDF in Word, File → Download → PDF document in Google Docs).
Example: Meridian Advisory invoice for Calder Manufacturing
A filled-in example for a operations review and improvement plan. Both companies are fictional.
Invoice details
Invoice number: INV-0142
Invoice date: 3 June
Due date: 17 June
From: Meridian Advisory
Bill to: Calder Manufacturing
Line items
Item
Description
Qty / time
Rate
Amount
Discovery interviews
12 stakeholder interviews and site visit
3 days
$1,400.00
$4,200.00
Analysis
Process mapping and data analysis
4 days
$1,400.00
$5,600.00
Recommendations workshop
Half-day leadership workshop
Fixed fee
$1,200.00
$1,200.00
Final report
Findings, options and 90-day plan
Fixed fee
$2,500.00
$2,500.00
Travel expenses
Rail and accommodation, at cost
1 item
$385.00
$385.00
Totals
Subtotal: $13,885.00
Tax: Not charged in this example
Total due: $13,885.00
Payment terms: 14 days, by bank transfer or card link
Notes
Thank you for your business. Please quote the invoice number with your payment.
Send invoices from Angelwood
Angelwood’s invoicing creates invoices with line items, tax and discounts, can build an invoice from approved billable time, and lets clients view and pay through Stripe in their portal.
Name each line the way your quote or agreement did. If the client can match “Discovery interviews” to what they approved, the invoice gets paid without questions.
02
Bill the way consultants get paid.
Ask for the client’s purchase order number before you invoice; it’s often required for payment. Consultants price by day rate, fixed fee per phase or monthly retainer. Value-based fixed fees are common for well-defined outcomes.
03
Keep the evidence close.
For day-rate work, list days by date and activity so the sponsor can approve quickly. Reference the approved quote, timesheet or report behind each invoice, so any query is answered in one message.
Day-rate consultants invoice monthly in arrears for days worked, with dates and activities. Fixed-fee engagements are invoiced by phase or milestone. Expenses go on separate lines at cost, with receipts.
What is a PO number and do I need one on my invoice?+
A purchase order number is the client’s internal reference for approved spending. Many larger organisations won’t process an invoice without it, so ask for it when the work is agreed.
What payment terms should I put on an invoice?+
Fourteen or thirty days are the most common. Write the actual due date on the invoice as well as the terms, and include every way the client can pay.
Can I edit this template in Word or Google Docs?+
Yes. Download the Word (.docx) file and open it in Microsoft Word, or upload it to Google Drive and choose Open with → Google Docs. There’s also a Markdown version for any text editor. No account or email address is needed.
How do I save it as a PDF?+
Fill it in, then export it: File → Save As → PDF in Word, or File → Download → PDF document in Google Docs. On this page you can also print just the template or save it as a PDF from your browser’s print dialog.
Does the Excel version calculate totals?+
Yes. Enter quantities, hours and rates and the amounts, subtotal, tax and total calculate automatically. It also works in Google Sheets: upload it to Drive and open it with Google Sheets.