Websites are projects with moving parts
A website invoice usually mixes three kinds of money: your fee for designing and building, third-party costs you paid for the client, and recurring charges after launch. Clients approve invoices faster when these are kept apart. Your fee is tied to milestones; pass-through costs show the vendor and the term; recurring plans name the month.
The sample above follows that structure. Change the project name, milestones and rates, and save your care plan as an item.
Example: milestone 2 invoice
Project fee $6,000, split 30/40/30. The client also asked for two extra pages, and you prepaid the domain, hosting and a plugin license. All prices are editable examples.
| Description | Qty | Unit | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milestone 2 of 3: design approved, 40% of $6,000 | 1 | milestone | $2,400.00 | $2,400.00 |
| Additional pages: Careers, FAQ (approved Oct 3) | 2 | page | $250.00 | $500.00 |
| Domain registration, 1 year (pass-through) | 1 | year | $20.00 | $20.00 |
| Managed hosting, Nov 2026–Oct 2027 (pass-through) | 12 | month | $25.00 | $300.00 |
| Premium forms plugin license, 1 year | 1 | each | $79.00 | $79.00 |
| Total due | $3,299.00 |
The first milestone of $1,800 was invoiced at kickoff; the last $1,800 comes at launch. Add a line in the notes like “Paid to date: $1,800 of $6,000 project fee” so the client always knows where they stand.
Scope, revisions and content delays
Every website quote should state the page count, the number of design revision rounds and who supplies the content. When pages are added or the client wants a third design round, price it before doing it and bill it on its own line.
Content delays stall launches and payments. Many designers bill the launch milestone when the site is ready to go live, whether or not the client has delivered the final copy. If that is your policy, put it in the contract and mention it in the invoice notes.
Pass-through costs and ownership
Domains, hosting, premium themes, plugins and font licenses are bought from third parties. Show them separately, with the term. If you add a handling fee, show that on its own line. Make it clear in the notes who owns each account. Clients who own their own domain registrar login can never be locked out of their site.
Handover terms belong on the final invoice too: “Upon payment in full: admin access, source files and full rights to the custom code and design.”
Care plans and recurring invoices
After launch, a monthly care plan keeps income steady. Bill it in advance on the first of the month. After you download the first one, use Duplicate to create the next month’s invoice with a new number, and add a calendar reminder for the due date. My documents keeps every month in one list.
Getting started
Price the project with the quote template, then turn it into an invoice when it is accepted; the client and lines copy over. Print payment terms and the due date; see Net 30 explained. When payment arrives, mark it paid and create a receipt.
Related: graphic design for logos and print, hourly billing for support work, and freelance invoices for general projects. If you bill clients abroad, the editor adjusts required fields by country, for example for the UK.