Video production invoices often follow signed bids and cash-flow milestones. Everhour keeps project reporting tied to billable work.
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A video production invoice should turn a signed bid, contract, or purchase order into a bill the client can review without rebuilding the project history. The invoice should identify the production company, client, project, invoice date, invoice number, payment terms, payee details, and the work being billed. It should also reference the approved bid or purchase order when the client uses formal procurement.
For production work, the invoice usually needs more detail than a generic services bill. Common line categories include prep crew, shoot crew, talent, locations, art department, equipment rental, media, insurance, editorial, VFX, and music contacts. A simple one-line "video services" charge hides the cost structure and creates avoidable disputes when the buyer compares the invoice to the approved production package.
Video production work commonly uses either a firm bid or cost-plus-fixed-fee structure. Under a firm bid, the accepted proposal becomes the contract price unless specifications change. Under cost-plus-fixed-fee, the client pays actual direct costs plus the agreed fixed fee. The invoice should reflect that structure instead of mixing fixed totals, reimbursable costs, and fee lines without labels.
A clean firm-bid invoice can show "Commercial production, approved bid dated March 5, 2026, 75% deposit due on signing" with the agreed amount. A cost-plus invoice should separate direct costs from the production fee, such as equipment rental, location fees, post-production, and a fixed production fee. That separation helps the client confirm scope, approval status, and remaining balance.
Productions often need upfront cash because crews, locations, talent, rentals, and insurance create costs before shooting or delivery. AICP live-action guidance uses a sample 75-25 plan for firm-bid commercial production, with 75% due on contract signing and no later than 5 business days before the first shoot day. The remaining 25% is due on dailies approval, but no later than airing or 30 days from the final invoice, whichever comes first.
Change orders need their own invoice treatment. Major live-action specification changes are treated as contract addenda in AICP guidance, with 75% of the overage due on execution and before delivery of the elements. Your invoice should name the approved change, date, amount, and remaining balance. Late-payment interest also belongs in the contract first; AICP uses Prime + 2% as an example for payments more than 30 days late from the contract due date.
A free invoice template is enough for a one-off shoot, a small edit package, or a single client bill where the bid, deposit, and final payment are easy to track manually. It is also enough when your only goal is to produce a clear PDF with the client, project, invoice number, terms, line items, taxes where applicable, and payment instructions.
A managed workflow becomes necessary when tracked billable time, production costs, change orders, and invoice status need to stay connected across projects. Everhour Reporting can group work by project, client, member, task, date range, invoice status, billable time, labor cost, revenue, and profit. That gives production teams a reporting layer before the invoice goes out and an audit trail after billing.
This content is for general information only, may not be fully up to date, and is provided without any warranty or liability.
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A video production invoice should include the production company, client, project name, invoice number, invoice date, payment terms, remittance details, approved bid or purchase order reference, and itemized work. Common line items include crew, talent, locations, equipment, media, insurance, editorial, VFX, and music contacts.
Yes. The invoice should follow the signed bid, contract, or purchase order because that document defines the commercial terms. A firm-bid invoice should show the agreed contract price and payment milestone. A cost-plus-fixed-fee invoice should separate actual direct costs from the fixed production fee.
A deposit should appear as a payment milestone tied to the contract, such as 75% due on signing or before the first shoot day. The invoice should show the full project amount, the deposit amount due, any payments already received, and the remaining balance so the client sees the full cash-flow picture.
United States invoices do not follow a national VAT or GST invoice regime. State and local sales and use tax rules decide whether tax applies, based on nexus, the place of sale, and the taxability of the product or service. Service taxability varies by state and service type, so the invoice should reflect the applicable state and local rule.
AICP guidance states that title or license to the work should not transfer until full payment is made, and production companies should consider requiring full payment before the work is used. Your invoice should match the contract language on usage, delivery, and payment timing instead of treating rights as automatic on delivery.
Everhour Reporting lets production teams build reports with 45+ columns, including client, project, task, member, billable time, labor costs, revenue, profit, and invoice status. Teams can group and filter those reports before billing, then export them in CSV, Excel/XLSX, or PDF for review.
Track production time, group project costs, and export billing reports before invoices go out. Everhour gives video teams clearer revenue, cost, and profit visibility.
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