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Motion Graphics Invoice Template

A motion graphics invoice has to show a client three things their finance team will ask about: which stage of the project is being billed (concept and storyboard, styleframes, animation, final delivery), what the agreed fee covered (length, cutdowns, revision rounds), and what was added on top (extra rounds, rush work, music or stock you licensed for them). It also has to say what the client is getting: the delivery formats, whether project files are included, and the usage license the fee buys. This template keeps those apart, so a $4,800 explainer fee is one line tied to the agreement, an extra revision round is its own line with the date it was requested, and a music license is billed at cost with the license holder named. The download is an editable HTML invoice with invoice number, dates, a line-item table and totals; fill it in your browser and print it or save it as PDF. Or type or say what you did and InvoiceQuickly drafts an editable invoice for you to review before saving.

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What This Template Includes

  • Project title and agreement or estimate reference
  • Client purchase order number, if they use one
  • Production stage billed: concept and storyboard, styleframes, animation or final delivery
  • Deliverable spec: running time, resolution, frame rate and aspect ratios
  • Cutdowns and versions, each on its own line
  • Revision rounds included, and rounds used so far
  • Extra revision rounds or out-of-scope changes, with date requested
  • Licensed music, fonts or stock, billed at cost with license holder named
  • Delivery formats, and whether project or source files are included
  • Usage license: media, territory and term
  • Deposit already invoiced, and balance due

How to Create Your Motion Graphics 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

Motion projects usually run for weeks, so most motion designers bill in stages rather than once at the end: a deposit (often a third to a half of the fee) on signing, which also books the production slot, and the balance on delivery, or a three-way split across storyboard approval, animation and final delivery for longer jobs. Whatever split you use, put it in the agreement and make each stage its own invoice that names the stage and the total fee. Net 14 or net 30 is common for business clients; agencies may pay on their own client's schedule, so agree the terms before you start rather than on the first late invoice. If your agreement says the usage license or project files transfer only once the invoice is paid in full, repeat that sentence in the invoice notes. Late fees are allowed only where your contract and local law permit them.

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

Tax Information

United States: whether you charge sales tax on animation depends on your state and on what you deliver. Many states do not tax design or video services, but some tax digital products or certain digital services, and the answer can change if you deliver on physical media, so check your state revenue department instead of assuming 0% or assuming it is taxable. A business that pays you $2,000 or more for services in 2026 generally reports it on Form 1099-NEC (the threshold was $600 for payments made before 2026), so clients ask for Form W-9 before the first payment; card and payment-app payments are reported on Form 1099-K instead. United Kingdom: charge VAT only if you are VAT registered, which is compulsory once taxable turnover for the last 12 months goes over £90,000. InvoiceQuickly applies one tax percentage per invoice and copies saved tax IDs to new invoice PDFs; check the saved IDs and PDF before sending when it must appear. General information, not tax or legal advice.

Industry context (2026)

Two rules sit behind the license and tax lines on a motion graphics invoice. First, ownership: under the US Copyright Act's definition of a work made for hire (17 U.S.C. § 101), a commissioned work belongs to the client from the start only if it falls in one of the listed categories, which include 'a part of a motion picture or other audiovisual work', and both parties sign a written agreement saying it is a work made for hire. Any other transfer of copyright must be in a writing signed by the owner (17 U.S.C. § 204(a)). Without either, the client has the license your agreement describes, which is why the invoice notes repeat the usage terms. Second, reporting: the IRS says businesses report payments to contractors on Form 1099-NEC once they reach $2,000 for payments made after 31 December 2025, up from $600 (IRS Form 1099-NEC FAQ, last reviewed 16 October 2026). No official body publishes motion graphics rates, so this page gives none; the worked example's figures are illustrative. Checked 28 October 2026; general information, not legal or tax advice.

Worked example

Worked example (illustrative rates, not market data): a US freelance motion designer agrees a $4,800.00 fixed fee for a 30-second product explainer (1920 x 1080, 25 fps, two revision rounds included, project files not included) and invoices a 50% deposit of $2,400.00 on INV-0031 when the agreement is signed on 1 September 2026. The client pays it. On delivery, final invoice INV-0034 is dated 20 October 2026, net 14, so it is due 3 November. Line 1: 'Product explainer, 30 s, per agreement of 1 September: fee $4,800.00 less deposit invoiced on INV-0031 $2,400.00', 1 × $2,400.00. Line 2: social cutdowns, 15 s and 6 s, 9:16 and 1:1, added by email on 2 October, 2 × $450.00 = $900.00. Line 3: third revision round, requested 14 October (two included), 4 hours × $85.00 = $340.00. Line 4: stock music track, standard web license bought in the client's company name, at cost, 1 × $59.00. Subtotal $3,699.00, tax 0%, total due $3,699.00. Notes: 'Usage: worldwide, online and social media, 24 months from delivery; broadcast not included. License granted on payment in full. Delivered as ProRes 422 and H.264 MP4; project files not included.' Check: the client pays $2,400.00 + $3,699.00 = $6,099.00 in total, which is the $4,800.00 fee plus $1,299.00 of agreed extras, so the fee is charged once. Because the year's payments pass $2,000, the designer sent a W-9 with the deposit invoice. The 0% tax is a checked decision for this designer's state and a file-only delivery, not a default.

Common mistakes to avoid

Billing the deposit twice

If the final invoice shows the full $4,800 fee without subtracting the deposit already invoiced, the client either overpays or rejects the invoice. Name the deposit invoice number and show the balance.

Free extra rounds

A third or fourth round of changes absorbed without a line on the invoice teaches the client that rounds are unlimited. Show the count and bill extras as agreed.

Music licensed in your name

A track licensed to you for the client's ad may not cover the client once your involvement ends. Check the license terms and name the license holder on the invoice.

No usage terms

An invoice that says only 'animation' leaves open where and how long the client may use it. Repeat the media, territory and term from the agreement in the notes.

Handing over project files unbilled

Source files let a client edit the work without you. If they were not in the agreement, quote them as a separate line before sending them.

Invoicing Tips

  • 1Name the stage in the first line ('Stage 2 of 3: animation, per agreement of 1 September'). The client's approver checks it against the payment schedule, not against your hours.
  • 2Write the spec into the description: '30 s explainer, 1920 x 1080, 25 fps, 16:9'. It settles later arguments about what the fee included.
  • 3Count revision rounds on the invoice ('Rounds used: 3 of 2 included') and bill the extra round as its own line with the date the client asked for it.
  • 4Bill licensed music, fonts and stock at what you paid, and say whose name the license is in. If it is in yours, the client may not be covered once the project ends.
  • 5Spell out the usage license (for example 'worldwide, online and social, 24 months from delivery') and list what is not included, such as broadcast or paid cinema use.
  • 6Say whether project files (.aep, .c4d) are part of the deliverables. If they are an extra, quote them as a separate line rather than handing them over unbilled.

Related Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

What should a motion graphics invoice include?

Your details and the client's, a unique invoice number, the invoice and due dates, the project and agreement reference, the stage being billed, each deliverable with its length and format, extra revision rounds or changes on separate lines, licensed assets at cost, any deposit already invoiced, tax if you are registered to charge it, the total and how to pay. Add the usage license terms and the client's PO number if they use one.

How do I bill for revisions on an animation project?

State in the agreement how many revision rounds the fee includes, usually defined as one consolidated set of feedback per round. On the invoice, show how many rounds were used, and bill any extra round as its own line, either at hours times rate or at a fixed price per round, with the date it was requested.

Should I charge a deposit for motion graphics work?

Most freelancers and studios do, because the work is long and the production slot is reserved. Invoice the deposit on its own invoice when the agreement is signed, then on the final invoice show the total fee, the deposit already invoiced and the balance due, so the client pays the fee once.

Who owns the animation after the client pays?

It depends on your written agreement. In the US, a commissioned work can be a work made for hire only in listed categories, which include part of a motion picture or other audiovisual work, and only if both parties sign a written agreement saying so. Otherwise copyright stays with you unless you transfer it in a signed writing, and the client gets the license your agreement grants. Ask a lawyer about your own contract.

Do I put music licensing on the invoice?

If you bought a track, font or stock clip for the project, yes: bill it at cost on its own line and name the license holder and license type. If the client needs the license in their own name, have them buy it, or confirm the provider allows a transfer, before you bill it.

Do I need to send a W-9 with a motion graphics invoice?

US business clients usually ask for Form W-9 before the first payment so they have your taxpayer identification number on file. For payments made in 2026 they generally report you on Form 1099-NEC if they pay you $2,000 or more for services in the year.

Can I create a motion graphics invoice in InvoiceQuickly?

Yes. Type or say what you delivered and InvoiceQuickly drafts the client, lines, rates and due date into an editable invoice you review before saving. Free covers 5 invoices, 5 clients and 3 AI drafts in total, with PDF download. Pro is $9 a month for unlimited invoices, email delivery, reminders, estimates and payment links through your own Stripe or PayPal account.