With no invoice, your market is limited to brands willing to pay without a document. The status is not an administrative formality: it is what decides your clients.
Why the invoice decides your client base
That is the tipping point, and it comes sooner than people think.
A company cannot book an expense without a compliant document. With no invoice, a structured brand cannot hire you, even when it wants to.
You therefore stay on the segment of very small brands and informal payments, that is exactly the one where rates are lowest and delays longest.
The question is not "do I have enough income" but "how many jobs have I already turned down for lack of being able to invoice".
Registration in practice
Three steps, all done online.
The declaration of start of activity, with the choice of the exact nature of the activity, which determines the applicable regime.
Obtaining the identification number, which will appear on all your invoices.
And the choice of how often turnover is declared, monthly or quarterly, along with the tax options offered.
That choice of frequency looks trivial: it is not. Monthly declaration makes the deduction predictable; quarterly concentrates three months of charges into one payment, often at the worst moment.
The VAT exemption threshold
That is the subject producing the most mistakes, and it is prepared in advance.
Below a threshold, the activity invoices without VAT. Above it, VAT must be charged, which changes the price displayed to your clients and imposes additional reporting obligations.
Two points matter as much as the threshold itself: the date on which the change takes effect, and the treatment of invoices already issued.
The amounts, thresholds and rules evolve regularly. They are checked on the official sites or with an accountant, never on a forum or on a colleague's recollection.
What your invoice must carry
Seven elements, and forgetting one makes it unusable for the client.
Your name, address and identification number.
Those of the client.
An invoice number belonging to a continuous series, and a date.
The precise description of the service, with the number of videos and the rights transferred.
The amount, and the VAT mention corresponding to your situation.
The payment terms and the late penalties.
And, where relevant, the particular mentions applicable to your activity.
Contributions, the real trap
It is not their amount that causes trouble, it is their calendar.
They are calculated on the turnover collected, and paid afterwards. A good quarter therefore produces a heavy charge in the following quarter, often when activity slows.
The rule that avoids the accident holds in one line: move the corresponding percentage out of the account as soon as the transfer arrives, into a second account, and stop looking at it.
What is set up before the first invoice
| Step | What it unlocks | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Registration | The right to issue an invoice | A few days |
| A dedicated account | Readable bookkeeping | One hour |
| Quote and invoice templates | An immediate send | One evening |
What is noted at each payment received
The date, the client, the amount, the payment method. Four columns are enough in the first year and make the return mechanical.
What to ask a professional
The applicable regime, the thresholds, the contributions, the tax question and the treatment of clients abroad, to be confirmed with an accountant.
When to start
The signal is not an amount, it is a sentence.
The day a brand asks you for an invoice and you answer that you do not issue any, registration is already one job late.
Make an appointment with an accountant before that day. A consultation costs less than a lost contract.
Sources
- Urssaf, official auto-entrepreneur portal
- Service Public, how to become a micro-entrepreneur
- Service Public, crossing the micro-entrepreneur turnover thresholds
Checked on 26 August 2026. Thresholds and rates change: where this guide and the official source disagree, the official source is right.
