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Event Planning Invoice Template

An event planning invoice has to keep two kinds of money apart: your own fee, usually billed in instalments before the event, and vendor costs, which you either pay on the client's behalf or buy in your own name and resell. That split decides how each cost is taxed and whether you can add a margin, so it belongs on the invoice, not just in your spreadsheet. This template adds the fields event invoices need: the event name, date and venue, the contract reference, which instalment this is and what has been invoiced so far, day-of coordination hours, resold vendors, pass-through vendor costs with the vendor's own invoice number, and approved changes with who approved them and when. The download is an editable HTML invoice with invoice number, dates, a line table and totals. Fill it in your browser, then print it or save it as PDF. To create and send event invoices from an account, InvoiceQuickly drafts an editable invoice from a typed or spoken description that you review before saving.

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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

  • Event name, type, date and venue
  • Contract or proposal reference
  • Instalment number (for example 2 of 2) and amount invoiced to date
  • Planning and coordination fee
  • Day-of coordination: staff, hours and rate
  • Vendors you resell: supplier and your selling price
  • Vendor costs paid on the client's behalf, with the vendor's invoice number
  • Approved changes: what changed, date approved and by whom
  • Cancellation terms reference

How to Create Your Event Planning 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

Tie every instalment to a date before the event, not to the event itself, so you are never funding a client's vendors out of your own account. A common pattern is a booking payment when the contract is signed, one or more instalments in the months before, and the final balance before the event or within a short period after it for business clients. State the event date and the instalment number on each invoice ('Planning fee, instalment 2 of 2'). For vendor costs you pay on the client's behalf, ask for the money before you pay the vendor, and invoice it as soon as the vendor's invoice arrives. In the UK, if a business client pays late and your contract sets no other rate, GOV.UK says you can claim statutory interest of 8% plus the Bank of England base rate; with consumers, your contract terms decide what you can charge.

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

Tax Information

Tax follows who the vendor contracted with. In the UK, HMRC's VAT Notice 700, section 25.1.1, lets a VAT-registered planner leave a payment to a third party out of its own VAT calculation as a disbursement only if every condition is met: among them, you paid as the client's agent, the client was responsible for paying the vendor and received the service, you itemise the outlay separately and you recharge exactly what you paid. A vendor you book in your own name and resell is part of your own supply and carries VAT at your rate, including any markup. In the US, whether a planner's fee or resold items attract sales tax depends on the state, so check with your state revenue department before you set up the invoice. A template is only a layout: add your VAT or sales tax registration number if your rules require it. InvoiceQuickly applies one tax percentage per invoice and copies saved business and client tax IDs to new invoice PDFs on its PDF, so put pass-through costs on a separate 0% invoice and your VAT number in the notes. This is general information, not tax advice. Last reviewed October 2026.

Industry context (2026)

The rule that shapes event invoices most in the UK is the disbursement test. HMRC's VAT guide (VAT Notice 700, section 25.1.1) lists eight conditions that must all be met before a payment you make to a third party can be left out of your own VAT calculation, including that you acted as your client's agent, your client was responsible for paying the third party and authorised you to pay it, the outlay is separately itemised, and you recover only the exact amount you paid. Resold vendor costs also count toward your own turnover: GOV.UK says you must register for VAT if your taxable turnover for the last 12 months goes over £90,000, so a planner who resells suppliers on a few large events can cross the threshold where one recharging genuine disbursements would not. For late payment by business clients, GOV.UK says statutory interest is 8% plus the Bank of England base rate unless the contract sets a different rate. In the US, sales tax treatment of planning fees and resold items is set state by state.

Worked example

Worked example (illustrative figures, UK, VAT-registered planner, 20% standard rate): a planner runs a product launch evening for Northgate Analytics Ltd on 12 March 2027. The contract sets a £3,200 planning fee in two instalments of 50%. Invoice 1, issued at booking: planning fee, instalment 1 of 2, £1,600.00, VAT £320.00, total £1,920.00, paid. The venue contract is in Northgate's name, and Northgate asks the planner to pay the venue's £2,750.00 deposit for it. Invoice 2 carries only that cost: 'Venue deposit paid on your behalf, The Old Granary invoice 1187 addressed to Northgate Analytics Ltd, recharged at cost', £2,750.00 at 0%, total £2,750.00; the venue's own VAT stays on the venue's invoice to Northgate. Invoice 3, issued after the event: planning fee, instalment 2 of 2, £1,600.00; day-of coordination, 2 coordinators x 10 hours at £35 = £700.00; AV hire booked in the planner's name for £2,100.00 and resold with a 15% markup, £2,415.00. Subtotal £4,715.00, VAT £943.00, total £5,658.00. Across the three invoices Northgate pays £10,328.00: £6,315.00 of planner supplies plus £1,263.00 VAT, and £2,750.00 of venue cost. Putting the venue deposit on the 20% invoice would have added £550.00 of VAT that was not due from the planner; leaving the AV hire off the taxed invoice would have under-charged VAT by £483.00.

Common mistakes to avoid

One 'event services' total

A single figure hides your fee inside vendor costs and invites the client to question all of it. Keep the fee, day-of coordination, resold vendors and pass-through costs on separate lines or invoices.

Marking up a pass-through cost

A cost you paid as the client's agent must be recharged at exactly what you paid. If you want a margin, book the vendor in your own name and resell it, with the tax that follows.

Paying vendors before the client pays you

Covering a venue or caterer deposit from your own account turns you into the client's lender. Invoice pass-through costs as soon as the vendor bills, and pay once the money arrives.

Changes with no approval record

Extra guests and late finishes agreed by message are disputed on the final invoice. Write the date and the approver on each change line.

Instalments without numbers

Invoices that do not say '1 of 2' or 'final balance' leave a cancelling client unsure what has been billed. Number every instalment and show the amount invoiced to date.

Invoicing Tips

  • 1Write the event and the instalment on every invoice: 'Northgate product launch, 12 March 2027, instalment 2 of 2'. A client approving five invoices across six months should never have to guess which one is which.
  • 2Put the vendor's own invoice number beside every pass-through cost, and attach a copy. It is the quickest way to show you are recharging at exact cost.
  • 3Bill day-of coordination as staff x hours x rate, not as one 'on-the-day' figure, so extra hours on a late finish are easy to add.
  • 4Record every approved change as its own line with the date and the person who approved it, for example 'Extra 20 guests, approved by J. Patel, 3 March'.
  • 5Decide vendor by vendor whether you are reselling or paying as agent, and keep it consistent. Mixing the two on one taxed invoice gets the VAT wrong in one direction or the other.
  • 6Quote the cancellation clause number from your contract on the booking invoice, so the client sees the terms attached to the money they are paying.

Related Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

What should an event planning invoice include?

Your business details, the client, a unique invoice number, issue and due dates, the event name, date and venue, which instalment the invoice is and the contract it comes from, your fee and day-of coordination as separate lines, resold vendors, pass-through vendor costs with the vendor's invoice number, approved changes, tax, the total and how to pay.

Should vendor costs go on my invoice?

Only if you pay them. If the client contracts and pays vendors directly, the costs stay off your invoices. If you pay a vendor as the client's agent, recharge the exact amount on its own line or invoice. If you book a vendor in your own name and add a margin, that is your own sale and goes on your taxed invoice with your fee.

Do I charge VAT on vendor costs I pass on?

In the UK, if you are VAT registered, yes, unless the cost meets every disbursement condition in VAT Notice 700, section 25.1.1. A cost you buy in your own name and resell carries VAT at your rate on the full selling price.

How should I bill a planning fee in instalments?

Issue each instalment as its own invoice with the instalment number, the event date and the amount invoiced to date. The final invoice adds day-of coordination, approved changes and any resold vendors, so the client can reconcile the whole event from the invoices alone.

How do I invoice changes agreed close to the event?

Add each change as a separate line with the date it was approved and who approved it. If the change is large, send an estimate first and invoice it once accepted, so the client's memory of a quick message does not differ from the bill.

Can I make event planning invoices in InvoiceQuickly?

Yes. Type or say the event, the instalment and the vendor lines, and InvoiceQuickly drafts an editable invoice you check before saving. It applies one tax rate per invoice, so pass-through costs go on a separate 0% invoice. There is no deposit field or automatic payment schedule; bill each instalment as its own invoice and record partial payments on any plan. Pro ($9 a month) adds unlimited invoices, email delivery, estimates, credit notes, a client portal and payment links through your own Stripe or PayPal account.