Video production billing ties invoices to bids, deposits, overages, and rights. Everhour keeps project rates organized.
Fill in your details, add line items, hit Print when ready.
| Description | Qty | Rate | Tax | Amount |
|---|
The calculator gives you the number — Everhour takes it from there.
One click and you're timing. Start a timer, add an entry, edit the details. This is exactly how it feels in Everhour.
Set a budget, assign rates, and get alerted before you're over.
Measurement
Track your budget through time or costs
Every report you need — configured your way, always up to date.
Tracked hours flow straight into a polished invoice — no copy-paste, no manual math.
Video production invoices usually start from a signed bid, contract, or purchase order. The invoice should connect the bill to that source, then show the project name, invoice number, issue date, payment terms, client details, production company details, and a clear remittance method. A commercial shoot, animation project, or post-production job needs enough context for the client's finance team to match the invoice to the approved scope.
The invoice also needs to reflect the billing model. A firm-bid project usually invoices the accepted proposal amount unless the specifications change. A cost-plus-fixed-fee job bills actual direct costs plus the agreed fixed fee. For a video production company, that distinction affects line items, supporting detail, and how much backup the client expects before approving payment.
A practical invoice follows the same cost structure the client approved. AICP bid materials commonly organize production costs around crew, talent, locations, art department, equipment rental, media, insurance, editorial, VFX, and music contacts. You do not need every bid category on every invoice, but the invoice should preserve the categories that explain the charge.
A simple live-action invoice can show a production deposit line, a shoot crew line, equipment rental, location expenses, post-production editing, and approved overages. A VFX or animation invoice can separate concept, design, production, revisions, and final delivery. Clear grouping prevents a generic "video services" line from turning into a payment delay.
Production invoices need stronger payment controls than ordinary service bills because large costs arrive before shooting or delivery. AICP's sample live-action 75-25 plan makes 75% due on contract signing and no later than 5 business days before the first shoot day, with the final 25% due on dailies approval, airing, or 30 days from the final invoice, whichever comes first.
Overages need their own line and approval reference. AICP guidance treats major live-action specification changes as a contract addendum and makes 75% of the overage due on execution and before delivery of the elements. Rights also belong in the payment conversation: AICP guidance states that title or license should not transfer until full payment is made.
A free invoice works for a one-off project when the scope is simple, the client has already approved the bid, and you only need a clean document for payment. It is enough for a small edit, a fixed-fee shoot, or a single post-production milestone when the invoice mirrors the contract and stores the right backup.
A managed workflow becomes necessary when multiple people log time, different crew members have different rates, or the same project mixes billable labor, non-billable revisions, expenses, and overages. Everhour can price work by project, member, or task, while preserving dated rate history so older reports keep the rates that applied when the work happened.
This content is for general information only, may not be fully up to date, and is provided without any warranty or liability.
High Performer
G2
Summer 2026
Best Ease Of Use
Capterra
Summer 2026
Rated in the top time trackers across G2, Capterra, and TrustRadius — with consistent praise for ease of use, integrations, and support.
A video production invoice should include production company and client details, invoice date and number, project or job name, contract or PO reference, payment terms, remittance details, and itemized charges. Common line items include crew, talent, locations, equipment, media, insurance, editorial, VFX, music, approved overages, and production fee.
The invoice should track the approved bid closely enough for the client to verify the charge. A firm-bid invoice can summarize the accepted contract price, while a cost-plus-fixed-fee invoice needs clearer support for direct costs and the agreed fixed fee. Category names that match the bid reduce approval friction.
Deposits should appear as scheduled payments tied to the contract, not as vague partial charges. For live-action firm-bid commercial production, AICP's sample 75-25 plan uses 75% due on signing and no later than 5 business days before the first shoot day, then the remaining 25% by the stated final-payment trigger.
The United States has no national VAT or GST invoice regime. Sales and use tax depends on state and local rules, nexus, the place of sale, and whether the specific product or service is taxable. California generally taxes retail sales of tangible personal property and only some service or labor charges, while Texas defines 16 broad taxable service categories.
The common mistake is sending a generic invoice that does not connect to the approved bid, contract, PO, or change order. Finance reviewers need a clear match between the invoice and the authorized scope. Overages, license terms, late-payment interest, and final delivery triggers should point back to the contract language.
Everhour separates internal cost rates from client-facing billable rates and supports default per-person rates with per-project overrides. A production team can price a job by project, member, or task, then apply dated rate changes so prior reports keep the correct historical rate.
Track crew, editor, and producer time against the right project rates, then use Everhour to keep billable work, dated rates, and invoice-ready totals connected.
14-day free trial · No credit card · Cancel anytime
