AvoAccounting & Bookkeeping Invoice Template (Free Fillable PDF)
Accountants and bookkeepers bill a mix of fixed monthly packages, hourly cleanup and advisory work, per-form tax preparation and per-run payroll, often to the same client in the same month. The client, who hired you to make their numbers clear, expects the invoice to be the clearest document they receive. This template keeps each billing basis on its own line with the period, the task and the basis stated, and passes software subscriptions through separately.
Free, fillable, US Letter. No email, no sign-up. Fill in your firm details once. Each month change the client, the period and the lines.
What the PDF looks like. The hints in the line table show the lines a accountant typically bills; type over them.
Why accounting invoices get paid late
Package and hourly blurred
If the monthly package is $450 and cleanup was $85/h, the client needs to see both bases, or they assume the package went up.
Tax prep as one number
“Tax return, $900” is questioned. “Form 1040 with Schedule C and two states” is not.
Software passed through without naming
QuickBooks, Gusto, Dext: name the subscription, the period and the amount.
What to include on a accounting invoice
- Firm name, address, contact, and CPA, EA or PTIN credentialsCredentials reassure; the PTIN belongs on tax-prep work.
- Client name, business name and period“Ridgeline Carpentry LLC, March 2026”.
- Invoice number, date, due date and engagement letter referenceThe engagement letter defines the package.
- Monthly package line with what it includes“Monthly bookkeeping: transaction coding, reconciliation of 3 accounts, monthly P&L and balance sheet”.
- Hourly work by taskCleanup, catch-up, advisory calls, with hours and rate.
- Tax preparation by form and entity“Form 1120-S, 2025, with K-1s (2)” or “Form 1040, Sch C, 2 states”.
- Payroll processing per run or per employeePlus year-end forms as lines.
- Software subscriptions passed through, retainer applied, termsDue on receipt for packages; Net 15 for project work.
Example accounting invoice
Lines a typical job produces. Labor and materials are separate, and anything already paid is a negative line so the total is the balance due.
| Description | Qty × rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly bookkeeping package, March 2026: coding, 3 reconciliations, monthly financials | 1 month | $450.00 |
| Catch-up bookkeeping, Q4 2025 cleanup, per engagement addendum | 6.5 h × $85.00 | $552.50 |
| Form 1120-S, tax year 2025, with 2 K-1s, e-filed | 1 | $1,250.00 |
| Payroll processing, March: 2 runs, 4 employees | 2 × $65.00 | $130.00 |
| QuickBooks Online Plus subscription, March (pass-through) | 1 | $90.00 |
| Total due | $2,472.50 | |
How to use the template
- Download the PDFIt is a fillable form: open it in any PDF reader, on a computer or a phone.
- Fill in your details onceBusiness name, contact, license number, terms. Save it as your master copy.
- Add the job and sendChange the client, the lines and the invoice number for each accountant job. Export and send by email or text.
Fill it on your iPhone in a minute instead
Avo keeps your clients and your usual line items, so the next invoice is three taps. Your first three documents are free, full-quality PDF, no watermark. Premium from $59.99/year if you invoice often.
Scan the code with your iPhone camera to open Avo in the App Store, or email yourself the link.
Questions
How do bookkeepers usually bill: hourly or monthly?
Monthly fixed packages for ongoing work, scoped in the engagement letter, with hourly billing for cleanup, catch-up and advisory outside the package. The invoice keeps the two apart so the client sees the package price staying constant.
How should tax preparation be itemized?
By form and tax year with the schedules and states that drive the price: “Form 1040, Schedule C, Schedule E, 2 states”. Entity returns (1065, 1120-S) list the number of K-1s. Clients compare prices by form; make the comparison easy.
Can I bill the client for their accounting software?
Yes, as a pass-through line with the product and the period, if the subscription is in your firm's wholesale account. Many firms include it in the package instead; either way the invoice should say which.
When should a tax preparer be paid?
Before filing. The terms should state that returns are e-filed on receipt of payment; it is standard and prevents the post-filing collection problem.
Is a retainer common for accounting work?
For advisory and cleanup projects, yes: an upfront retainer applied against hourly work, shown as a credit on the invoice with the remaining balance. Monthly packages usually do not need one.