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Bookkeeper Invoice Template

A bookkeeper invoice bills recurring work that changes in size from month to month, so the invoice has to show the measure your fee depends on. This template is built for that: the month closed, the package or tier the client is on, the transaction count against its cap, the accounts reconciled, payroll runs processed, and any catch-up or cleanup project billed by milestone on its own line. Keep the monthly package line identical every month so the client only reads what changed. Download it as an editable HTML file, fill it in your browser and print or save it as PDF. If your firm mainly prepares tax returns or gives accounting advice under an engagement letter, the accounting services template fits better; this one is for the books themselves.

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Download the HTML file to edit its fields, then print or save as PDF. Totals are entered manually.

What This Template Includes

  • Month or period closed
  • Package or volume tier, with its transaction cap
  • Transactions processed this period, and any overage at the per-transaction rate
  • Bank, card and payment accounts reconciled
  • Reports delivered (for example profit and loss, balance sheet)
  • Payroll runs processed: pay dates, employees per run and rate
  • Catch-up or cleanup project: months covered and milestone reached
  • Out-of-scope work: date requested, hours and rate
  • Software subscriptions passed on at cost, if your engagement says so
  • Engagement letter date

How to Create Your Bookkeeper Invoice

  1. 01

    Describe your work

    Type a plain English description of the services you provided, the client, and the amount.

  2. 02

    AI generates your invoice

    InvoiceQuickly's AI drafts the client, line items, dates, and totals for you to review before saving.

  3. 03

    Review, download, and send

    Check every detail, download the PDF, or use Pro to email the PDF directly to your client.

Recommended Payment Terms

Monthly bookkeeping is usually invoiced with the close, in the first week of the following month, on net 15 or net 30; pick one, put it in the engagement letter and show the actual due date on each invoice. A new client, or one who has paid late, can be billed for the package in advance on the 1st with overage and extras in arrears. Bill cleanup projects at milestones (for example each quarter of backlog reconciled) rather than at the end of a project that may run for months, and consider a deposit, quoted on an estimate first, when you have not yet seen the records. Payroll runs are best billed monthly in arrears with the pay dates listed. If you charge a late fee, state it in the engagement letter and on the invoice, and check your state's rules first.

Need help writing payment terms? Read our guide to invoice payment terms for best practices and templates.

Tax Information

Whether bookkeeping fees carry sales tax depends on the state. Many states do not tax bookkeeping, but some tax services broadly: New Mexico's Taxation and Revenue Department lists performing services in New Mexico among gross receipts, says the tax is imposed on the business, and requires it to be separately stated on the invoice when it is passed on to the customer. Check your own state revenue department rather than a list. Two lines never belong on your fee invoice: your client's payroll taxes and wages. The IRS says the employer is ultimately responsible for depositing and paying federal employment taxes even when a payroll provider handles them, so those amounts move through the client's accounts, not your invoice. InvoiceQuickly applies one tax percentage per invoice and copies saved business and client tax IDs to new invoice PDFs; add your registration number in the notes if your state requires it. General information, not tax advice. Last reviewed: 28 October 2026.

Industry context (2026)

Two official rules shape what goes on a bookkeeper's invoice and what stays off it. On payroll, the IRS page on outsourcing payroll duties (last reviewed 4 March 2026) says the employer is ultimately responsible for depositing and paying federal tax liabilities even when a third party runs payroll, and advises employers to enrol in EFTPS to check that deposits were made. So your invoice carries your processing fee, not the client's wages or taxes. On year-end work, the IRS instructions for Forms 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC set a $2,000 reporting threshold for nonemployee compensation paid in 2026 and a 31 January deadline, which is why January invoices often add a per-form line. Credentials matter for descriptions too: the IRS says anyone who prepares federal tax returns for pay needs a PTIN, and only CPAs, enrolled agents and attorneys have unlimited representation rights, so describe work within what you are qualified to do. For pay context, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports median pay of $24.36 an hour for employed bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks in May 2025; that is an employee wage, not a freelance rate. Sources accessed 27 and 28 October 2026; general information, not tax advice.

Worked example

Worked example (illustrative rates, not market data). A freelance bookkeeper keeps the books for a two-location bakery. The engagement letter, dated 12 August 2026, sets volume tiers: Tier 1 up to 150 transactions a month for $450, Tier 2 from 151 to 300 for $650, and $1.50 for each transaction above 300. Payroll is $45 per run plus $5 per employee per run. A cleanup of January to June 2026 was quoted at $2,400 in two milestones of $1,200. October closes with 342 transactions, two semi-monthly payroll runs for 8 employees, and the first three months of the cleanup reconciled. Invoice INV-0112, dated 5 November 2026, net 15 (due 20 November 2026). Line 1: monthly bookkeeping, October 2026, Tier 2 (151 to 300 transactions), 2 bank accounts and 1 card reconciled, profit and loss and balance sheet delivered, 1 x $650.00. Line 2: transactions over cap, 342 - 300 = 42 x $1.50 = $63.00. Line 3: payroll, pay dates 15 and 31 October, 2 runs x ($45.00 + 8 x $5.00) = 2 x $85.00 = $170.00. Line 4: cleanup, January to March 2026 reconciled, milestone 1 of 2, 1 x $1,200.00. Subtotal $2,083.00, tax 0% (the bookkeeper's state does not tax bookkeeping), total due $2,083.00. Memo: 'October closed and reports sent 5 November. Volume above the Tier 2 cap for the second month running; we can discuss moving to a per-transaction plan. Cleanup milestone 2 (April to June) due by 15 December. Payroll taxes for both runs were paid from your account.'

Common mistakes to avoid

Changing the package line every month

If the package wording moves, the client rereads the whole invoice. Keep it identical and put changes (overage, new accounts, cleanup) on their own lines.

Billing overage without the count

'Extra transactions: $63' invites a dispute. Show the actual count, the cap and the rate so the arithmetic is on the page.

Putting payroll taxes on your invoice

Wages and employment taxes are the employer's liability. Invoice only your processing fee and record the client's payments in their books.

One invoice at the end of a long cleanup

A six-month backlog billed in one go means months of unpaid work and a large surprise. Bill each milestone as it is reached.

Job titles you do not hold

Do not describe work as 'CPA review' or 'audit' unless you are licensed to do it. Keep line descriptions to what you actually did.

Invoicing Tips

  • 1Write the tier and its cap on the package line ('Tier 2: 151 to 300 transactions'), and the actual count beside it. A client who sees 342 against a cap of 300 understands the overage line before reading it.
  • 2Agree what counts as a transaction in the engagement letter, for example each bank, card or payment-processor line categorised, and use the same definition every month.
  • 3List payroll by run, with the pay date and employee count. 'Payroll, October: $170' is harder to check than '2 runs (15 and 31 October) x 8 employees'.
  • 4Bill a cleanup by the months it covers ('January to March 2026 reconciled, milestone 1 of 2') so it is never mistaken for a permanent fee increase.
  • 5Use the memo for what the client owes you besides money: missing statements, receipts over your threshold, or payroll changes due before the next run.
  • 6Address the invoice to the client's legal entity, and send a separate invoice for each entity you keep books for unless the engagement letter says otherwise.

Related Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

What should a bookkeeping invoice include?

Your business details, the client's legal name, an invoice number, the issue and due dates, the month closed, the package or tier with its transaction cap and the actual count, accounts reconciled, reports delivered, payroll runs, any cleanup milestone and out-of-scope hours, tax only if your state requires it, the total and how to pay.

How do I bill for transaction volume?

Set tiers or a cap in the engagement letter and show the count on every invoice. In an illustrative example with a 151 to 300 transaction tier at $650 and $1.50 per transaction above 300, a month with 342 transactions is billed $650 plus 42 x $1.50 = $63, so $713. Agree what counts as a transaction before the first close.

How should I invoice a bookkeeping cleanup project?

Quote it after you have seen the records, then bill by milestone: each quarter or month of backlog reconciled. Put the months covered and the milestone number on the line, keep it separate from the monthly package, and consider a deposit for large or unknown backlogs.

Should payroll be on the same invoice as bookkeeping?

It can be, as its own line or lines showing the number of runs, the pay dates and employees per run. Only your processing fee goes on the invoice. The wages and payroll taxes are the client's; the IRS says the employer remains ultimately responsible for federal employment tax deposits even when a provider runs payroll.

When should a bookkeeper send the invoice?

With the month-end close, so the client receives the reports and the bill together. Cleanup work is billed at each milestone and payroll monthly in arrears. Advance billing on the 1st suits new clients or clients who have paid late before.

Is a bookkeeper invoice different from an accountant's?

Usually. A bookkeeper bills recurring processing measured by volume, accounts and payroll runs. An accounting firm more often bills tax returns, financial statements and advisory time under an engagement letter. Use the accounting services template for that kind of work.

Can InvoiceQuickly keep my clients' books?

No. InvoiceQuickly sends invoices for your own fees; it has no ledger, bank feeds or reconciliation and does not work inside your clients' books. Business ($19 a month) can export invoices you select and review to your own QuickBooks Online company or Xero organisation, one way, without recording payments. On Pro, a recurring schedule can bill the monthly package (one line, the saved tax rate and saved payment terms (30 days by default)), and the CSV export moves your invoice data into your own records.