Free template · Excel · Invoices by trade
Free web design invoice template
A web design invoice for milestone projects and ongoing care: the milestone reached, extra pages or features, and hosting and renewals passed through.
Web design invoice template
Excel workbook (.xlsx) · 22 KB · 4 sheets
| Item | Description | Qty | Rate | Amount | Tax? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milestone 3 | Launch: final 40% of $7,500 website project | 1 | 3,000.00 | 3,000.00 | Y |
| Change | Two extra pages: events and gift cards | 2 | 350.00 | 700.00 | Y |
| Feature | Booking widget set-up and testing | 1 | 480.00 | 480.00 | Y |
| Care plan | Monthly updates, backups and support: November | 1 | 95.00 | 95.00 | Y |
| Domain | Domain renewal, 1 year, at cost | 1 | 24.00 | 24.00 | Y |
| Subtotal | 4,299.00 | ||||
| HST (PEI) | 644.85 | 15% | |||
| TOTAL | 4,943.85 |
Why a web design invoice needs its own layout
Website projects are billed in stages: a deposit to start, a payment at design sign-off, the balance at launch. After launch there's often a monthly care plan and yearly renewals. Each invoice should say which stage it is and what's been billed so far.
This template bills a milestone as a line, adds extra pages or features as change items, and has lines for hosting and renewals. The example is the launch invoice for a small business in Prince Edward Island.
What to include on a web design invoice, and why
- Milestone and billed to date. The client sees where the project stands and what's left.
- Changes outside the proposal. Extra pages and features are the usual source of scope creep. Price them on their own lines.
- Renewal dates. Hosting and domains renew every year. The invoice is a good record of when.
- Who owns what. Say when the site, code and content belong to the client, often on full payment.
How to price it
Fixed price by milestone
The usual model. A deposit (often 30% to 50%), a payment at design sign-off, and the balance at launch.
Hourly after launch
Changes outside a care plan are billed by the hour, with a minimum.
Care plans
A monthly fee for updates, backups and a set amount of support time.
Typical payment terms
- Deposit before work starts
- Each milestone due in 7 to 15 days
- Care plans billed monthly in advance
- Site goes live, or ownership transfers, on payment of the launch invoice
Whatever terms you use, put them on the invoice itself. A due date printed on the page is easier to enforce than one mentioned on the phone. See how to collect overdue invoices for what to do when a customer is late.
Sales tax, GST/HST and PST on web design work
United States
Web design is taxed in some states and not others. Some states tax it as a service, some tax software or digital products, and hosting is treated differently again.
If you have clients in several states, look at where you have to collect tax (sales tax nexus), not just where you are.
Canada
Web design, care plans and resold hosting are taxable for GST/HST once you're registered, at the rate of the client's province.
Work for clients outside Canada can often be zero-rated. Check the conditions.
Check a rate with the US sales tax calculator or the GST/HST calculator, then set it beside the tax lines in the template. Both tax lines can be renamed, so one invoice works for sales tax, HST, or GST plus PST or QST.
The example, filled in
The Invoice sheet opens filled in with the example in the preview: a PEI web designer billing the launch milestone, invoice WD-0507 for an example customer. The lines come to a subtotal of $4,299.00 and a total of $4,943.85. Payment terms are 15 days. The figures are made up to show the layout; they are not market rates.
In Prince Edward Island, a registered web designer charges 15% HST on the project, changes, the care plan and renewals.
The notes box reads: “Milestone 3 of 3. Project billed to date: $7,500 plus changes. Care plan bills monthly from November. Payment due in 15 days.”
Lines on the price list sheet
The Price list sheet starts with the lines web design businesses usually charge for. Add your rates once and copy them onto each invoice.
| Line | Unit | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Project milestone | % of project | Deposit, design sign-off, launch. |
| Extra page | each | Beyond the pages in the proposal. |
| Feature or integration | flat | Booking, store, forms. |
| Hourly development | per hour | Small changes after launch. |
| Care or maintenance plan | per month | Updates, backups, support. |
| Hosting | per month or year | If you resell hosting. |
| Domain renewal | per year | At cost or with a fee. |
| Content writing or photos | per page or flat | If you provide them. |
What's in the file
| Sheet | What it holds |
|---|---|
| Invoice | The printable web design invoice, filled in with the example on this page: your details, bill-to, project, 15 lines, two tax lines, deposit received and balance due. Fits one letter page. |
| Price list | The lines web design businesses usually charge for, with the unit for each. Enter your own rates once and copy them onto each invoice. |
| Invoice log | One row per invoice: payments as they arrive, balance, status (Open, Overdue, Paid) and days overdue. |
| Instructions | How to fill it in, plus the notes on this page about what to include. |
Pale yellow cells are for your entries; white cells calculate. Nothing is locked, so you can rename lines or change the layout. The Instructions sheet repeats the steps and the notes on this page.
Download the web design invoice template (.xlsx)
Or send it from AcboBooks
Need one invoice today? The free invoice generator makes a PDF in your browser. Sending them every week? AcboBooks keeps your web design price list, turns estimates into invoices, tracks what each customer owes and adds up the tax you collected. It's Windows desktop software, bought once; try it free for 15 days.
Sources
Checked October 25, 2026. Tax rules change and differ by state and province; confirm with the tax agency or your accountant.
- Canada Revenue Agency: input tax credits (information an invoice needs)
- CRA RC4022, General Information for GST/HST Registrants
- CRA: GST/HST rates by province
- IRS Publication 583, Starting a Business and Keeping Records
- Federation of Tax Administrators: links to every state tax agency
Questions
How do I invoice a website in milestones?
One invoice per milestone, each with the milestone name, its percentage of the project and the amount. Put the billed-to-date figure in the notes.
Should hosting be on the same invoice?
It can be. Many designers put the first month of the care plan and any renewals on the launch invoice, then bill the care plan monthly.
How do I charge for extra pages?
At a per-page price set in your proposal, as a separate line. If you didn't set one, quote it in writing before you build it.
When should the site go live?
Many designers launch on payment of the final invoice. Say so in the proposal.
Related
- Graphic design invoice template
- Progress invoicing (glossary)
- Sales tax nexus (glossary)
- How to collect overdue invoices
- Accounting software for marketing agencies
- General invoice template
- All invoice and estimate templates by trade
General information, not tax, legal or accounting advice. Check with your accountant or the tax agency before relying on a template for tax.
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