Make sure your bill
includes
-
the purchase
order or contract number
-
the name of the
project
-
your company
name
-
your employer ID
(or social security number)
-
your address and
telephone number
-
the name of the
project
-
a detailed list
of products of services delivered (and the item numbers if
appropriate)
-
the invoice
price
Double check to be
sure that each thing on your invoice matches what was specified on the
purchase order.
If possible get your
contact to signoff that you have delivered the work as specified. Include
that note with your billing. It's also a good idea to include a copy of
the purchase order with your invoice.
If you offer a
discount for prompt payment (say a 2 percent discount for payment in 10
days) make that information prominently visible on your invoice. Big
businesses may act sooner on such invoices to keep costs down.
Submit the invoice
exactly as your contract specifies. If the contract says to submit the
bill to account payables, don't send it to your contact. It might sit for
weeks on his desk before he forwards it to the right department.
About the author
Janet Attard is the founder of
the award-winning Business
Know-How small business web site and information resource. Janet is
also the author of The
Home Office And Small Business Answer Book and of Business
Know-How: An Operational Guide For Home-Based and Micro-Sized Businesses with
Limited Budgets. Follow Janet on Twitter at
http://www.twitter.com/JanetAttard.