Edge cases
Professional looking text invoice examples
A professional text invoice is specific, short and complete. It names you, the work, the total and the due date, and it links to a page with real lines.
Professional is specific, not long
People try to look professional by adding adjectives. The examples that read as professional do the opposite. They use the trading name, a quantity, a setup fee if there was one, a total that matches the lines, and a due date. Two hundred cards at 0.40 plus a 45 setup is $125. The message says $125. That match is the whole tone. A link with no amount looks casual. A paragraph about your passion looks unpaid. The page the link opens is itemised, and a PDF can be downloaded from it. There is no gold seal and no certificate that makes a text “official”. Official, for a small job, is a bill a stranger could pay without asking what the number means.
Ellison Print — 200 cards and the design setup, total $125, due in 14 days. Lines and a PDF: https://invoicetxt.com/i/your-link
Open with the trading name
The customer should not have to remember who “me” is.
Use quantities when you sold quantities
200 cards is clearer than “print work”.
Make the message total equal the page total
A rounded number in the text and a different number on the page looks careless.
Stop after the link
A second bubble of slogans does not make the first one more serious.
What to put on this invoice
- Trading name
- Quantity, rate and any setup fee
- The total, repeated in the text
- Due days and one link
Questions about this job
Do I need letterhead in the SMS?
No. Letterhead belongs on the PDF. The text is the covering note.
What about emojis?
One is harmless. A row of them makes a bill look like an advert. The example above uses none.
Can I copy this wording for another trade?
Copy the shape: name, work, total, due date, link. Change every fact. A printer’s cards should not appear on a plumber’s text.
The professional example is the one a finance clerk can pay without a follow-up question.
Related guides
Legal requirements for text invoices
A text can deliver an invoice. Whether that invoice meets the rules depends on your country, your tax registration and what you put on the bill. This is a checklist, not legal advice.
Open guide →How to make text invoices look official
An official-looking text invoice uses your trading name, itemised lines, a due date and a PDF. An acknowledgement on the page is a name and a time, not a certified signature.
Open guide →Scale your service business with text invoicing
Scaling a service business with text invoices means the same clear bill goes out after every job. It does not mean the product sends those texts for you.
Open guide →