What should you write when emailing an invoice?
State which invoice you are sending, what work it covers, the amount and currency due, and the agreed payment deadline. Attach the reviewed invoice and identify the payment instructions. A short message is enough when the document contains the detail. Sending the invoice is different from chasing an overdue balance: use the original agreed terms, without adding urgency or new fees.
Confirm where the invoice should go
Ask your project contact whether they approve invoices themselves or forward them to accounts payable. Some customers require a supplier portal, purchase order or specific billing address. Follow that process instead of assuming a PDF sent to the person who ordered the work will reach the payment team. Confirm the recipient through your established customer contact; avoid including unnecessary people or private project details.
Use a subject line the customer can find again
Include the invoice number and a recognizable business or project name. Add the due date if useful. Avoid putting bank details or confidential customer information in the subject. These examples are naming suggestions, not a promise that an email will avoid spam filters.
Invoice INV-2026-057 — Example Design — due 14 October September consulting invoice INV-2026-058 — Project Cedar Copy of invoice INV-2026-057 — same invoice, not a new charge
Template: sending a completed-project invoice
Replace every bracketed field and check that the amount and date match the attachment. If a deposit has been applied, state the remaining balance rather than asking for the full project price again.
Subject: Invoice [number] — [project] — due [date] Hi [name], Attached is invoice [number] for [completed work or service period]. The amount due is [currency and amount], payable by [agreed date]. Payment instructions are included in the invoice. Please use [invoice number] as the payment reference. Please let me know if your accounts team needs any additional information to process it. Thank you, [your name] [your business]
Download and check the actual PDF
In Free Invoice Generator, review the invoice and choose Download PDF. Open the downloaded file before attaching it: check the customer, reference, dates, currency, totals and payment instructions. A local draft or the website homepage is not a shareable copy of your completed invoice. The app does not host a private invoice URL or send email for you.
- Use a recognizable filename such as INV-2026-057.pdf.
- Confirm that long descriptions and payment notes are readable in the PDF.
- Attach the final PDF, not a JSON backup containing editable document data.
- Open your email draft’s attachment once more before sending.
Template: resending a missing invoice
If the customer cannot find the email, resend the same reviewed document and identify it as a copy. Do not create a second invoice number for the same charge just because the attachment was missed. If the original has an error, use your correction process instead.
Subject: Copy of invoice [number] — [project] Hi [name], As requested, I have attached another copy of invoice [number] for [currency and amount], due [date]. This is the same invoice, not an additional charge. Could you confirm that it has reached the right person for processing? Thank you, [your name]
Keep a record and follow up on the right issue
Retain the PDF, sent message, recipient and sending date with your invoice register. A sent email is not confirmation of receipt, approval or payment. If it bounces, correct the address through your known contact. If it is rejected, resolve the stated problem. Once payment is overdue, check for incoming payments before using a reminder.
Further reading
Australian government guidance describes several invoice delivery methods and recommends keeping retrievable records. Local tax and record-keeping requirements are separate from these practical email examples.