The Complete Guide to Creating Professional Client Invoices in WordPress (2023)

As a freelancer or small business owner, invoicing is an essential part of your workflow. Creating and sending invoices in a timely, professional manner ensures you get paid promptly for your hard work. But manual invoicing can be a huge time sink, taking precious hours away from serving your clients or growing your business.

The good news is that WordPress makes it easy to streamline your invoicing process. By using an invoicing plugin, you can create, customize, send and manage invoices right from your WordPress dashboard.

In this in-depth guide, we‘ll show you step-by-step how to produce polished invoices that will wow your clients and get you paid faster. Whether you‘re a freelance writer, web designer, consultant, or online store owner, these WordPress invoicing techniques will help you look professional and stay on top of your billing.

Why Use WordPress for Invoicing?

Here are some of the key benefits of using WordPress and an invoicing plugin:

Save Time and Get Paid Faster

Did you know that small businesses spend an average of 130 hours a year on billing and payments? (source)

Imagine what you could do with an extra 130 hours! When you automate your invoicing with WordPress, you can:

• Generate and send invoices in minutes, not hours
• Schedule recurring invoices for ongoing clients
• Accept online payments with just a few clicks
• Automatically send overdue reminders to late-paying clients

Look Professional and Impress Clients

Your invoices are a direct reflection of your brand. An invoice that looks amateur or contains errors can undermine your credibility and make clients question your attention to detail.

But with a WordPress invoicing plugin, you can:

• Customize your invoice layout and colors to match your branding
• Add your business logo for a polished appearance
• Include line item details and personalized notes
• Provide multiple payment options for client convenience

Simplify Accounting and Tax Prep

Accurate record-keeping is crucial for any small business, but organizing invoices and payments can be a nightmare come tax season.

With a WordPress invoicing system, you can:

• Track invoice status and payments from your WP dashboard
• Generate financial reports with just a few clicks
• Easily look up past invoices by client or date range
• Export payments data to your accounting software

Avoid Monthly Subscription Fees

Many popular invoicing services like FreshBooks or QuickBooks charge monthly fees ranging from $15 to $50 or more. For freelancers or businesses with limited billing needs, those ongoing costs can really add up.

In contrast, most WordPress invoicing plugins are free or charge a one-time fee. For example, the Invoice Generator plugin is 100% free, while the premium Sliced Invoices Pro starts at just $29/year.

Security and Peace of Mind

When you‘re dealing with sensitive client info and payment details, security is paramount. Unlike some 3rd-party billing tools that have suffered major data breaches, WordPress plugins keep your data under your control.

Reputable WordPress invoicing plugins use industry-standard security measures and payment processing. For example, Sliced Invoices is regularly audited by Sucuri to ensure secure code. And Invoice Generator processes payments through PayPal‘s secure gateway so you never have to handle credit card numbers directly.

Now that you understand the advantages, let‘s look at how to implement invoicing on your WordPress site.

Step-by-Step Guide to Invoicing with WordPress

Follow these steps to start generating and sending invoices with WordPress:

Step 1: Choose and Install an Invoicing Plugin

First, you‘ll need to install an invoicing plugin. We recommend one of these two options:

Invoice Generator

Invoice Generator is a free, user-friendly plugin with all the essential features for creating professional invoices:

Key features:

• Unlimited invoices
• Customizable templates
• PayPal and bank transfer payments
• Invoice tracking and status updates

To install Invoice Generator:

1. From your WP dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New
2. Search for "Invoice Generator"
3. Click Install Now, then Activate
4. Go to Invoices > Settings to configure the plugin

Sliced Invoices

Sliced Invoices is another popular free option with a few more advanced features:

Key features:

• Quotes and estimates
• Partial payments and deposits
• Tax calculations
• Client portal
• 3rd-party add-ons

Sliced Invoices also offers a Pro version starting at $29/year with additional payment gateways, automatic overdue reminders, and more.

To install Sliced Invoices:

1. Download the plugin from WordPress.org
2. From your WP dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin
3. Choose the plugin zip file and click Install Now
4. Activate the plugin
5. Go to Sliced Invoices > Settings to enter your business details

Step 2: Connect a Payment Gateway

To accept online invoice payments, you‘ll need to connect one or more payment processors:

PayPal for WordPress

Both Invoice Generator and Sliced Invoices support PayPal Payments Standard out of the box. Clients can pay with their PayPal balance or credit card.

To enable PayPal:

1. Sign up for a PayPal Business account if you don‘t already have one
2. From your WP dashboard, go to Invoices > Settings > Payments (Invoice Generator) or Sliced Invoices > Settings > Payments
3. Enable PayPal and enter your PayPal email address
4. Click Save Changes

Stripe and Other Gateways

For a more integrated checkout experience, Sliced Invoices Pro integrates with Stripe to accept credit card payments directly on your invoices.

To set up Stripe:

1. Sign up for a Stripe account at stripe.com
2. From your WP dashboard, go to Sliced Invoices > Settings > Payments
3. Check the box for Stripe and paste in your publishable and secret keys
4. Click Save Changes

Sliced Invoices Pro also supports several other payment processors including:

• Braintree
• 2Checkout
• Authorize.net
• Mollie
• WorldPay

Step 3: Customize Your Invoice Template

Next, you‘ll want to personalize your invoice template to match your brand.

Invoice Generator Template

To customize the Invoice Generator template:

1. Go to Invoices > Settings > General tab
2. Upload your logo and choose an accent color
3. Modify the invoice prefix and number padding
4. Add your business name, address and contact details
5. Edit the default invoice text, including header/footer and payment terms

Sliced Invoices Template

Sliced Invoices provides a visual template editor and two built-in designs. You can customize the colors, fonts, and layout.

To edit your template:

1. Go to Sliced Invoices > Settings > Template
2. Use the vertical tabs to customize each section, including:
   • Logo & brand color
   • Company details
   • Header & footer text
   • Table style
   • Typography
3. Click Preview Changes to see how it looks
4. Click Save Template when finished

You can also duplicate your template to create variations or import a pre-made template.

Step 4: Create and Send Your First Invoice

Now you‘re ready to build your first invoice and send it to a client!

Invoice Generator

With Invoice Generator, you can create a new invoice in just a few clicks:

1. From your WordPress dashboard, go to Invoices > Add New
2. Enter the client‘s name and email address
3. Add or select line items and enter descriptions + amounts
4. Optionally apply taxes or discounts
5. Choose Send or Save Draft

Your client will receive an email notification with a link to view and pay the invoice online.

Need to make changes later? You can edit any invoice and resend it to the client. Invoice Generator automatically tracks the invoice status and payment history.

Sliced Invoices

Creating an invoice with Sliced Invoices is just as straightforward:

1. From your WordPress dashboard, go to Sliced Invoices > Add New
2. Enter a client or add a new one
3. Choose your invoice items or create new ones
4. Verify the invoice details, due date, and payment methods
5. Click Publish to send the invoice immediately or schedule it for later

Your client will receive the invoice via email. They can view it as a PDF or on a secure web page.

Pro users can also enable a Client Area where customers can view and pay all their invoices.

Best Practices for WordPress Invoicing

To ensure a smooth experience for you and your clients, follow these invoicing tips:

Keep Detailed Records

Make sure to include all relevant details on your invoices, such as:

• Your business name and contact info
• Client name and email
• Unique invoice number
• Itemized breakdown of services/products
• Invoice date and payment due date
• Accepted payment methods
• Late payment terms or early payment discounts

Both Invoice Generator and Sliced Invoices automatically number your invoices sequentially, but you can customize the format.

We also recommend adding a short, friendly message thanking the client for their business or asking for feedback. Small personal touches can improve client relationships.

Set Clear Payment Terms

Don‘t be shy about communicating your payment terms upfront. Your invoices should clearly state:

• When payment is due (upon receipt, net 30, etc.)
• Accepted forms of payment (e.g. check, PayPal, bank transfer)
• Any late fees that may be assessed on overdue invoices

Sliced Invoices lets you set default terms in your invoice settings. Invoice Generator provides a Terms & Conditions field you can use for payment terms or other policies.

Make It Easy to Get Paid

The faster you get paid, the healthier your cash flow. To speed up invoice payments:

• Offer a variety of online payment options
• Enable automatic payment reminders for Unpaid/Overdue status
• Consider incentivizing early payments with a small discount

Allowing clients to pay by credit card or bank transfer makes it much more convenient than mailing a check. And gentle payment reminders can nudge busy clients to prioritize your invoice.

Keep Your Data Secure

Your invoices contain sensitive client details, so it‘s critical to follow security best practices:

• Keep your WordPress site and plugins updated to the latest version
• Use strong passwords and limit login attempts
• Install a security plugin like Wordfence or Sucuri
• Enable SSL to encrypt client data in transit with a SSL
• Back up your invoicing data regularly

Check out our guide to WordPress Security to learn more.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best free WordPress invoicing plugins?

Our top recommendations are Invoice Generator and Sliced Invoices. Both provide customizable invoices, online payments, and client management features at no cost. Sliced Invoices also offers quote/estimate functionality.

Can I create recurring invoices or subscriptions?

For automatic recurring billing, we recommend Sprout Invoices (starting at $49.50/year). It supports ongoing invoices at custom intervals, as well as fixed or unlimited recurring totals.

How can I create invoices for my WooCommerce store?

The free WooCommerce PDF Invoices plugin lets you automatically or manually generate PDF invoices for WooCommerce orders. Customers can download their invoices from their account area. The premium version offers more customization and bulk export tools.

Are WordPress invoices secure?

Yes, reputable WordPress invoice plugins are safe to use as long as you keep them updated and follow WordPress security best practices. For example, enable SSL on your site, limit login attempts, and backup your data regularly. Stick with trusted plugins and avoid nulled or pirated invoice tools.

Where can I find invoice templates for WordPress?

Many WordPress invoicing plugins include built-in templates you can customize. Both the Invoice Generator and Sliced Invoices plugins provide professional pre-built templates. You can also find free HTML templates online to further modify the default designs.

With the right tools and a solid invoicing workflow, you‘ll be creating pixel-perfect invoices for your clients in no time. By automating your invoicing with WordPress, you can save hours of time and stress every month while presenting a polished brand image. Here‘s to smoother billing and faster payments!