Free invoice template
Photography invoice template: fee, license, expenses.
For commercial and editorial work: the creative fee, the usage license (what, where, how long), the crew and post-production, and expenses at cost, with the booking fee taken off. Fill it in, download the PDF.
- 3 parts
- fee, license, expenses: never one lump
- Thirds
- a common schedule: booking, shoot, delivery
- On payment
- the license is granted when you're paid
The lines on this invoice, and why
| Line | What it tells your client |
|---|---|
| Creative fee | Your fee for the day or the job, covering pre- and post-production time. Not the license: keep them apart. |
| Usage license | What the client may do with the images: media (web, social, print), territory and term. "North America, 1 year, no paid ads" is a license; "usage" is not. |
| Photo assistant, post-production, studio rental | Crew, retouching and costs on their own lines, expenses at cost with receipts. Clients and their accountants treat fees and costs differently. |
Price the license, not just the day
In commercial work the license is often worth more than the shoot. Describe it by media, territory and term on the invoice, the same way your estimate did, so the client knows exactly what they bought and you know what a new use would cost.
Grant the license on payment
ASMP's guidance lets the license depend on payment in full. Say it in the terms: the client can use the images once the invoice is paid, and copyright stays with you.
A third, a third, the rest
A sample schedule on ASMP's site bills one third when the estimate is signed, one third after the shoot and the balance on delivery. Enter what's been paid so the invoice shows the balance.
Wording you can copy
Payment due within 30 days. The usage license above is granted once this invoice is paid in full; any other use needs a new license. Copyright stays with the photographer.
Overdue balances accrue a late fee of 1.5% per month.
Questions
What is a usage fee in photography?
The price of the license: how the client may use the images (media), where (territory) and for how long (term). It's billed separately from the creative fee.
Should I charge for travel and equipment?
Yes, as expenses on their own lines, at cost unless your estimate said otherwise. Keep receipts.
Is this for weddings too?
It's built for commercial work. Wedding and portrait photographers usually need a signed contract with packages; the blank generator works for those invoices, but this template's license lines won't fit.
Sources: ASMP: estimates and terms · ASMP: licensing · ASMP: payment schedule example
Written by the BillGrid team. Checked .
