A VA invoice has one job: get a person who was not in your daily conversations to approve and pay it without asking a question. That means a unique invoice number, who it is from and to, the period covered, each line of work with hours and rate, the total with the currency written out, a specific due date, and exactly how to pay. Agree the rate, billing schedule and due date with the client before the first invoice, so the invoice only confirms what you already agreed.

Below is a complete filled-in example you can copy, then the payment terms behind it.

A filled-in invoice

All names and figures are fictional.

INVOICE

From:         Maria Clara Santos
              MC Santos Virtual Support
              Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
              billing@mcsantos.example
              TIN: 000-000-000-00000 (if BIR-registered)

Bill to:      Harbor Point Realty LLC
              Attn: Jordan Lee, Office Manager
              Austin, Texas, USA
              accounts@harborpointrealty.example

Invoice no.:  MCS-2026-014
Invoice date: 30 September 2026
Period:       15 to 28 September 2026
Due date:     7 October 2026 (7 days)
Currency:     USD

Description                                       Qty      Rate      Amount
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inbox and calendar support, 15 to 19 Sep          11.5 h   $9.00     $103.50
Inbox and calendar support, 22 to 26 Sep          12.0 h   $9.00     $108.00
Lead tracker setup (fixed price, approved 16 Sep)  1       $45.00     $45.00
Weekend showing coordination, 27 Sep (approved)    2.0 h   $9.00      $18.00
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subtotal                                                             $274.50
Tax                                                                    $0.00
TOTAL DUE                                                        USD 274.50

Pay by:       Wise transfer to USD account
              Account holder: Maria Clara Santos
              [Account and routing numbers exactly as shown in your Wise account]
Reference:    MCS-2026-014

Terms: Payment due by 7 October 2026 under our service agreement dated
1 September 2026. Time log for this period attached.

What makes it work:

  • Each week is its own line, so the client can match it against the time log you attach.
  • Extra work is labeled “approved” with the date it was approved. Nothing surprising appears on the invoice.
  • The currency is written out (USD 274.50), not just “$”, which also means Australian, Canadian and Singapore dollars.
  • The due date is a date. “Net 7” alone makes the client do arithmetic.
  • The reference tells the client what to type in the transfer note, so you can match the payment.

Do not put passwords, one-time codes, a copy of your ID or your full home address on an invoice. City and country are enough unless your client’s accounting team or local rules require more.

Number invoices so they never repeat

Use a prefix and a running number: MCS-2026-001, MCS-2026-002, and so on across all clients. Never reuse a number. If an invoice is wrong, issue a corrected one with a new number and note which one it replaces, rather than editing a sent file.

Store everything per client:

Clients/
  Harbor Point Realty/
    2026-09-01_Service-agreement.pdf
    Time logs/
    Invoices/
      MCS-2026-014_sent-2026-09-30.pdf
      MCS-2026-014_paid-2026-10-06_Wise-receipt.pdf

Payment terms you can copy

Put these in your service agreement or first-week email, then repeat the short version on each invoice.

Billing: Invoices are sent every second Wednesday for hours worked in the
previous two weeks, with a time log attached.
Due date: Payment is due in USD within 7 calendar days of the invoice date.
Method: Wise transfer to the account on the invoice. Any sending fees are
paid by the client; the invoice total should arrive in full.
Questions: Please raise any question about an invoice within 3 business
days, naming the line in question. Undisputed lines remain due on the due date.
Late payment: If an undisputed invoice is more than 7 days overdue, work
pauses after written notice until it is paid.

Two choices in there are worth thinking about:

  • Who pays transfer fees. “The invoice total should arrive in full” puts sending fees on the client. If you agree instead to absorb them, build that into your rate. The rates guide shows how.
  • Late fees. Only charge one if the client agreed to it in writing beforehand. Adding a late fee after the fact damages the relationship and is hard to enforce across countries. A work pause is usually more effective.

Pick the right billing structure

Structure Use it when Example terms
Weekly, in arrears New direct client, hourly work Invoice every Monday for last week; due in 7 days
Every two weeks, in arrears Steady hourly client after the first month As in the terms above
Deposit plus balance Fixed project with a new client 50% before starting, 50% on delivery
Milestones Larger project in stages $30 test batch, then $90 for the rest
Monthly retainer, in advance Fixed hours each month Invoice on the 25th for next month; due on the 1st

For a brand-new direct client, keep the amount at risk small. Weekly billing on hourly work means you are never owed more than one week. On a fixed project, a 50% deposit means you are never working entirely on trust.

Retainer example

Monthly retainer: 40 hours of inbox, calendar and CRM support
Fee: USD 360 per month (40 h x $9.00), invoiced on the 25th, due on the 1st
Unused hours: do not roll over
Extra hours: $9.00 per hour, only with written approval, billed with the
next retainer invoice

Send it with a short email

Subject: Invoice MCS-2026-014, USD 274.50, due 7 October

Hi Jordan,

Attached is invoice MCS-2026-014 for 15 to 28 September: 25.5 hours of
support plus the lead tracker setup, USD 274.50 in total. The time log is
attached too. Payment is due on 7 October by Wise, using the reference
MCS-2026-014.

Thank you,
Maria

When payment is late

First check your side: was it sent to the right person, does it match what was agreed, and is it actually past the due date? Then follow a fixed sequence.

On the due date, if unpaid:

Subject: Invoice MCS-2026-014 due today

Hi Jordan, a quick reminder that invoice MCS-2026-014 for USD 274.50 is
due today. I have attached it again. Let me know if your accounts team
needs anything else from me.

Seven days overdue:

Subject: Overdue: invoice MCS-2026-014

Hi Jordan, invoice MCS-2026-014 (USD 274.50, due 7 October) is now
seven days overdue in my records. Could you confirm the date it will be
paid, or let me know if any line is in question? As in our agreement, I
will pause new work from Monday 19 October if it is still outstanding.

If it stays unpaid: pause work as stated, keep the tone neutral, and keep every message. On Upwork or Fiverr, use the platform’s dispute process instead; direct invoices have no platform behind them, which is why deposits and weekly billing matter.

Protect yourself from payment-detail fraud

Fraudsters sometimes send a client an email that looks like it is from you, with “updated bank details”. The reverse also happens: you get a message from a “client” asking you to send a refund to a new account.

  • Never change payment details by email alone. Confirm by a video call or a channel you already use with that client.
  • Tell clients in your terms that your payment details will not change without a call.
  • Do not refund an “overpayment” to a different account than the one it came from. That is a common scam pattern; see How to Spot and Avoid VA Job Scams.

Record payments in pesos

Keep a simple log so you, or your accountant, can work out your gross receipts for the BIR. A worked example with a hypothetical conversion:

Date paid Invoice Client Invoiced (USD) Arrived (USD) Rate used Pesos credited Notes
6 Oct 2026 MCS-2026-014 Harbor Point Realty 274.50 274.50 62.20 17,073.90 Converted in Wise, conversion fee shown on receipt

Save the provider’s receipt for every line. If you are registered with the BIR, the Ease of Paying Taxes Act made the invoice the primary sales document, and your BIR-registered invoice must follow Revenue Regulations 7-2024. The PDF you email a foreign client does not replace it. Freelancer Taxes and BIR Registration covers registration and invoicing, and How to Get Paid as a Virtual Assistant compares the payment routes.

Final check before sending

  • Invoice number is new and in sequence
  • Client’s legal or business name and billing contact are correct
  • Period, hours and rates match your time log
  • Extra work is marked with its approval date
  • Total recalculates correctly
  • Currency written out
  • Due date written as a date
  • Payment details copied from your provider, not retyped from memory
  • Time log attached

FAQ

What payment terms should a beginner use?

For small direct clients, invoices every one or two weeks, due in 7 days. For fixed projects, 50% upfront. For monthly retainers, invoice in advance. Larger companies may have their own payment cycle; agree it before you start rather than discovering it on the first invoice.

Should I charge in USD or PHP?

Charge foreign clients in their own currency or in USD, and Philippine clients in pesos. Write the currency on every invoice.

Do I need invoicing software?

No. A Google Docs or Sheets template, exported as PDF, works. Use software once you have several clients and want automatic reminders.

What if the client pays less than the invoice because of bank fees?

If your terms say the client covers sending fees, mention the shortfall on the next invoice as a separate line. If your terms say nothing, agree it now for future invoices.

Sources and further reading

Fees, limits and platform rules change. The date at the top shows when this guide was last updated, and the sources section links to the official pages it relies on. If something has changed, tell us and we will correct it.