A clear invoice gets you paid and makes you credible. Here is what it must contain, a template to copy, the tax basics and the question of platform payment.
Why good invoicing changes everything
Because an invoice is the only document the accounts department reads, and it knows neither your work, nor your contact, nor the context. If one mention is missing, the invoice goes into a holding pile and nobody tells you. A complete invoice is therefore less a formality than a shortcut to payment.
What an invoice must contain
Seven blocks, all mandatory in most cases.
Your full details and your business identifier.
The brand's details, with its exact registered name.
The invoice number and the issue date.
The breakdown of services, line by line.
The usage rights granted, with their duration.
The amount before tax, the applicable tax and the total.
And the due date, dealt with above.
A template to copy
Header
Your name or your business name, address, identifier, contact.
Recipient
The brand's registered name, billing address, order reference if there is one.
Service lines
Video production, with the number of videos and their length.
Usage licence, with the media and the duration in months.
Paid advertising, if granted, on a separate line.
Category exclusivity, if it was agreed.
Footer
Total before tax, applicable tax, total due, bank details, due date and any late-payment penalties provided for.
Should you charge tax
That depends on your status, your country and the brand's, and this remains general information: the applicable rule is checked with an accountant, and a cross-border invoice follows particular mentions. What is constant, though, is that an invoice must clearly state whether tax applies or not, and on what basis.
How to organise your bookkeeping
Seven habits that are enough, with no complicated software.
One folder per year, one subfolder per month.
Continuous numbering, never reset mid-year.
A table with date, client, amount, due date and status.
A copy of every accepted quote, next to the invoice.
A systematic set-aside for taxes.
A monthly thirty-minute review.
And keeping the supporting documents for the legal period, to check with an accountant.
Invoicing before or after delivery
Six markers for deciding by client.
New client and a large order: deposit at ordering.
New client and a small order: invoice on delivery.
Regular client: invoice on delivery, no deposit.
Long order with several videos: invoicing per batch.
Renewed licence: invoice on the renewal date.
And an accepted rush: deposit every time, no exception.
What to add when the licence is limited
Six mentions that protect you a year later.
The permitted media, named one by one.
The exact duration, with the end date.
The territory, if it is limited.
The exclusivity, if any, with its end.
The sentence stating that any use outside the scope is invoiced anew.
And the mention of the raw files, granted or not.
How to send an invoice so it gets read
Seven sending precautions, often more decisive than the content.
Send it to accounts and to the person who ordered.
Attach the invoice, never paste it in the message body.
Use a universal format, readable without particular software.
Name the file with the brand name and the number.
Restate the order reference in the message.
State the due date in full.
And ask for an acknowledgement of receipt, politely.
What to put in the subject line
Five elements, in this order.
The word invoice, first.
The invoice number.
Your business name.
The order reference.
And the due date.
What to do about a late payment
Seven steps, in order, without ever raising your voice.
Check the invoice actually reached the right department.
Send a neutral reminder on the due date, the same day.
Follow up at seven days, attaching the invoice.
Contact the person who ordered, not only accounts.
Restate the penalties provided for, in writing.
Suspend new orders in the meantime.
And, as a last resort, send a formal notice, whose form is checked with a lawyer.
The mistakes that delay a payment
Six details that send an invoice back.
An approximate registered name.
A missing order number.
A service description that is too vague.
A billing address different from the delivery address.
A file sent in a format accounts cannot open.
And an invoice sent to one person only, who is on leave.
What changes when you go through a platform
On UGC MATCH, the brand pays at ordering, the funds are not released straight away, and payment goes out on approval. The platform is free to join and has no subscription: it retains 10% of the price on the creator side, who therefore keeps 90%, and charges the brand a 6% service fee, with a minimum of 1.50 EUR. Your own declaration obligations remain yours and are checked with an accountant.
What appears on a correct invoice
| Line | What it contains | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Both parties' identity | Name, address, company number | Without it the invoice is not valid |
| The service | Number of videos, formats, rights assigned | It defines what is being paid for |
| The amount | Net, tax, total | It must be broken down |
| The terms | Due date and late-payment penalty | They make a claim defensible |
What is kept with every invoice
The accepted quote, proof the files were delivered and the written approval. That trio turns a disagreement into a file, and its absence turns a file into one word against another.
What is confirmed with an accountant
The mandatory mentions, the applicable tax regime and the retention period. These rules depend on your place of establishment and the type of client; they are not copied.
What to keep even with a platform
Six documents to keep on your side.
The summary of every order.
The detail of the rights granted.
The amounts received, month by month.
The exchanges that change the scope.
The proofs of delivery.
And the licence end dates, for your renewal follow-ups.
One last marker: an invoice does not need to be beautiful, it needs to be complete and dated. Those are the only two things accounts looks at.
Sources
- Portal do Empreendedor (MEI), Brazilian government
- Receita Federal, Brazilian tax authority
- Simples Nacional, official portal
- Urssaf, official auto-entrepreneur portal
- Service Public, how to become a micro-entrepreneur
- Service Public, crossing the micro-entrepreneur turnover thresholds
- Agencia Tributaria, Spanish tax authority
- Spanish Social Security, self-employed registration (RETA)
- SPF Economie, business registration in Belgium
- SPF Finances, Belgian tax authority
- Belgian social security portal
- Ministry of Finance, Costa Rica
Checked on 4 September 2026. Thresholds and rates change: where this guide and the official source disagree, the official source is right.
