Skip to main content
industry

Web Design Invoice Template

A web design project rarely ends in one invoice. The usual pattern is a deposit at kickoff, a payment when the client approves the design, and a final payment before the site goes live, with change orders and third-party costs added along the way. So a web design invoice has to answer more than 'how much': which stage of which project this is, how much of the agreed fee has already been invoiced, which extra design rounds or pages the client approved and when, and which costs belong to accounts in the client's name. This template has fields for all of that: project and site address, milestone, proposal reference, amount paid to date, design rounds used, numbered change orders, reimbursed costs with renewal dates, care-plan period, PO number and launch condition. It also includes the invoice number, dates, a line-item table and totals. The download is an editable HTML file you fill in your browser and print or save as PDF. Or describe the milestone, and InvoiceQuickly drafts an editable invoice for you to check before saving.

Start a free invoice draft
Preview this editable document

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

What This Template Includes

  • Project name and staging or live site address
  • Milestone this invoice covers
  • Proposal or contract reference and total project fee
  • Amount already invoiced and paid on this project
  • Design rounds included, and rounds used
  • Change orders: number, approval date, hours and rate
  • Domain, hosting, theme or plugin costs in the client's name, at cost, with renewal date
  • Care plan or maintenance period, if billed
  • Client purchase order number
  • Launch or handover condition

How to Create Your Web Design 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 each invoice to something the client can see: kickoff, design approval, staging approval or launch. Write the schedule into the proposal (for example 40% at kickoff, 30% on design approval and 30% before launch) and print the actual due date on each invoice. Seven days suits milestone invoices for small clients, because the next stage waits on payment. Corporate clients often pay net 30 after a purchase order. For them, ask for the PO number before the first invoice and agree the launch date separately from payment. Make the final invoice due before you switch the domain to the new site, and say so in the notes. Bill care plans and maintenance separately, monthly or yearly in advance, so a late care-plan payment never holds up the build balance.

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

Tax Information

United States: whether website design is subject to sales tax depends on the state. Some states tax website design or hosting as a service, some exempt design delivered electronically, and others treat themes, plugins or other digital products differently from labour. Check your state revenue department's guidance for design, hosting and any digital product you resell before adding a tax line. A US business client will usually ask for Form W-9, and one that pays you $2,000 or more for services in 2026 generally reports it on Form 1099-NEC. United Kingdom: charge VAT only if you are VAT registered (compulsory once taxable turnover passes £90,000 in a rolling 12 months). Selling to a business client in another country has its own place-of-supply rules. InvoiceQuickly applies one tax percentage per invoice, so a project that mixes taxable and non-taxable lines needs separate invoices or a different tool. It copies saved tax IDs to new invoice PDFs; check the saved IDs and PDF before sending when one is required. General information, not tax advice.

Industry context (2026)

Four official sources shape how web design work is invoiced. ICANN's registrant rights page says the person who registers a domain takes sole responsibility for its registration and use, which is why the domain should be in the client's name and not on your account. In the US, a transfer of copyright is valid only in a written instrument signed by the owner of the rights (17 U.S.C. section 204(a), Cornell Legal Information Institute), so 'the client owns the site' needs a written assignment, often triggered by the final payment. The Department of Justice's ADA Title II rule makes WCAG 2.1 Level AA the standard for state and local government web content. After an interim final rule published on 20 April 2026, compliance is due on 26 April 2027 for public entities serving 50,000 or more people and 26 April 2028 for smaller ones (ADA.gov). The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 18% of web developers are self-employed (Occupational Outlook Handbook, accessed October 2026), so many clients receive these invoices from one-person businesses. Sources checked 27 and 28 October 2026; this is general information, not legal or tax advice.

Worked example

Worked example (hypothetical project; rates are illustrative inputs, not market data): a freelance designer agrees a $6,400 fixed fee to design and build a five-template website for a bakery (home, menu, about, ordering information and contact). The schedule is 40% at kickoff, 30% on design approval and 30% before launch, each due in 7 days, with two design rounds included and extra work at $85 an hour. The kickoff invoice, INV-0038, was $2,560.00 and has been paid. In October the bakery asks for a third round on the homepage design, approved in writing as CO-02 on 28 October. It also needs food photos, bought on a stock licence in the bakery's name for $58.00. Invoice INV-0042, dated 9 November 2026 and due 16 November, is the design-approval invoice. Line 1: design approval milestone, 30% of $6,400, $1,920.00. Line 2: CO-02, third homepage design round, 4 hours × $85.00 = $340.00. Line 3: stock photo licence in client's name, at cost, receipt attached, $58.00. Subtotal $2,318.00, tax 0% after checking the designer's state rules, total due $2,318.00. Notes: 'Project fee $6,400.00. Invoiced to date, including this invoice, $4,480.00. Remaining $1,920.00, invoiced before launch. Design rounds: 2 included, 3 used. Domain and hosting are in the client's accounts.' The final invoice, $1,920.00, falls due before the domain points to the new site. A $120 monthly care plan then starts on its own invoice.

Common mistakes to avoid

Final invoice after launch

Once the site is live, a small client has little reason to pay quickly. Issue the final invoice when staging is approved and launch once it is paid, unless a corporate PO process makes that impossible.

Unnumbered extras

Extra pages and design rounds added without a change-order number and approval date are the lines clients dispute. Number them and get approval in writing before the work.

Domain in your account

Registering the client's domain in your own registrar account turns any disagreement into a transfer dispute. Keep third-party accounts in the client's name.

Silent plugin renewals

Annual theme and plugin licences that renew on your card are easy to forget to rebill. List each licence with its renewal date on the invoice that first charges it.

Care plan mixed into the build

Putting the first month of maintenance on the launch invoice blurs the two agreements. Start the care plan on its own invoice and schedule.

Invoicing Tips

  • 1Number change orders (CO-01, CO-02) and quote the approval date on the invoice line. 'Extra work, $340' gets queried; 'CO-02, third homepage design round, approved 28 October, 4 hours × $85' does not.
  • 2Print the running total in the notes: project fee, amount invoiced to date and what remains. The client's accounts team can then check the milestone without opening the proposal.
  • 3Have the client buy the domain and hosting on their own card and add you as a user. If you must buy something, buy it in their name and rebill it at cost with the receipt and the renewal date.
  • 4Put the design-round limit in the proposal and track rounds on each invoice ('Design rounds: 2 included, 3 used'). That is what makes the extra round billable.
  • 5If a state or local government client is involved, price accessibility testing against WCAG 2.1 Level AA as its own line. The US ADA Title II rule sets that standard for their web content.
  • 6Write the handover in the final invoice notes: which accounts, logins and files transfer, and that copyright in the design is assigned on full payment, if your contract says so.

Related Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

What should a web design invoice include?

Your details and the client's, an invoice number, the invoice and due dates, the project name and site address, the milestone being billed, the total project fee and what has already been paid, any approved change orders with hours and rate, third-party costs at cost, tax if it applies, the amount due and how to pay. Add the client's PO number if they use one.

How do I invoice a web design project in stages?

Agree the stages in the proposal, then issue one invoice per stage. A common split is a deposit at kickoff, a payment on design or staging approval, and the final payment before launch. Each invoice names the stage, quotes the proposal and shows the amount paid so far, so the client can see where the project stands.

Should I charge hourly or a fixed price for web design?

Most designers quote a fixed price for an agreed scope, worked out from the hours the templates and tasks need, and charge hourly for anything outside it. The invoice mirrors that: the milestone as a percentage of the fixed fee, and change orders as hours times rate.

How should I bill domains and hosting on an invoice?

Ideally you don't: the client buys them in their own name and adds you as a user. If you paid for one on the client's behalf, add it as a separate line at cost with the receipt and renewal date. Avoid holding the client's domain in your own account, because the registrant is responsible for the registration.

When does the client own the website design?

When your contract says so. In the US, copyright in work you create as a contractor stays with you unless it is transferred in a written document signed by you, under 17 U.S.C. section 204(a). Many web contracts assign it on final payment; note that condition on the final invoice.

Do web designers charge sales tax?

It depends on the state and on what you deliver. Some states tax website design or hosting, some exempt design delivered electronically, and digital products such as themes may be treated differently from design labour. Check your state's revenue department guidance before you add tax.

Can I quote and invoice a website in InvoiceQuickly?

Yes. On Pro ($9 a month) you can send an estimate the client accepts in their portal and convert it into a draft invoice. Each milestone is then billed as its own invoice, because there is no built-in deposit or milestone schedule. Pro also includes email delivery, reminders, recurring invoices for care plans and payment links through your own Stripe or PayPal account. Free covers 5 invoices and 3 AI drafts in total.