Invoicing is one of the most important parts of the job and small businesses. So you definitely don’t want to make any mistakes.

Unfortunately that’s not always the case, as creating invoices in large volumes can leave you open to a multitude of mistakes.

Here are the most common invoicing mistakes to look out for and how to avoid them.

1. Not including a due date

One of the most common mistakes is failing to put a due date on invoices.

Without a payment deadline, customers assume they can pay it whenever; not ideal when you’ve got a house to heat.

Rather than opting for the standard ‘30 days after receipt’, choose a specific date. This will alert your customers and show that you’ll easily be able to chase them up.

When creating an invoice, Pandle won’t let you continue without including a due date for payment. Handy for forgetful freelancers!

2. Failing to chase them up

If you’ve included a payment due date on your invoice, you need to make sure you chase up customers who don’t pay by the deadline.

Failure to do so makes it seem like you’ve forgotten about the payment, which will send out all the wrong messages concerning your level of professionalism.

You can include automated reminders to chase up those forgetful customers. If they still fail to pay, make sure you chase them up with personalised reminders.

You can easily see who hasn’t yet paid you for invoices in the ‘View Transactions’ section of Pandle.

3. Having only one payment method

Making it harder for customers to pay you won’t motivate them to part with their cash.

Have as many payment methods as possible to make it easier for customers. This is also a great form of marketing, as if you don’t accept certain cards it will put off some people from hiring your services and force them onto your competition.

4. Sending an unprofessional looking invoice

Online invoices make it easier for professionals to keep invoices as business-like as possible. However, there are still some ways you can seem unprofessional.

You might not be sending it on the back of a postcard you had lying around, but you may still be making some major mistakes.

If you’re adding unnecessary graphics and images that clutter your invoice but that you think look ‘fun’, you’re distracting your customers.

Keep it clean and give your invoices a good proofread if you want to your customers to stay focused on what matters.

All of Pandle’s invoices look professional; it’s impossible to send one that isn’t!

5. Forgetting to include payment information

You’ve done everything, great! And after you hit send, it dawns on you; you’ve not provided any payment details.

No account number or sort code, only an address at the other end of the country – and do you really want to risk posting your income across the UK?

If you want to be paid as quickly as possible by your customers, the best thing to do is make it easy. Include all the relevant information, and point a big red arrow at the payment details alongside the words “YOU CAN PAY ME HERE”.

Well, maybe not, but you see the point; make it as easy as possible for them to pay you and you’ll get your money more quickly.

Are you committing any of these invoicing sins? Or maybe you’re the one who’s been sent a shocking invoice scrawled on a dirty napkin? Let us know about your invoice experiences in the comment section below!