THE INVOICE
You probably already know the basics of these, but just in case it's your first paid job... You will need to invoice the client for your work in order to get any money for it. They need official paperwork for all of their files and stuff. So that when they do their accounts at the end of the year (by the way, you are now a freelancer and you will have to sign up to do a tax return!) they will have something to look back on and go "Oh yes. I paid that person." Similarly you will have something that you can look at and go "Oh yeah, I got paid for that."
Your invoice should always be in line with the terms in your agreed contract. Your fee might be subject to hitting certain delivery dates so you may have to invoice more than once for a single project. These can vary from producer to producer. The Writers Guild of Great Britain have standardised agreements which cover when money is due, however these will only apply to those theatres which have signed up to the WGGB agreement. In my own experience, I have found the following to be both sensible and safe. 1/3 on signing of contract, 1/3 on completion of first draft and 1/3 on completion of rehearsal draft. Although now that I have an agent they have been better at negotiating and have insisted on 1/2 on signing of contract and 1/2 when the rehearsal draft is done.
It's important to get your invoices to producers as soon as possible and then follow up regularly in order to make sure it is being processed, sometimes (not always) it can take an age to get paid and you should take this into account when looking at when your rent is due. Don't wait! Invoice for stuff as soon as you possibly can, then at least you won't be able to blame yourself for any late payments.
Also it's important to remember that the larger producers/companies often have a large number of personnel to process through payroll and you can often get lost in the process. Don't be afraid to follow up on invoices in order to make sure you don't end up out of pocket. It's better to be annoying than to be in debt.
You may want to put a deadline for payment on your invoice (payment within 30 days is a standard request).
Feel free to make the invoice template below your own. This is what I used to use (prior to agent land) and was very effective in that I actually got paid what I asked for. Hooray!
Your invoice should always be in line with the terms in your agreed contract. Your fee might be subject to hitting certain delivery dates so you may have to invoice more than once for a single project. These can vary from producer to producer. The Writers Guild of Great Britain have standardised agreements which cover when money is due, however these will only apply to those theatres which have signed up to the WGGB agreement. In my own experience, I have found the following to be both sensible and safe. 1/3 on signing of contract, 1/3 on completion of first draft and 1/3 on completion of rehearsal draft. Although now that I have an agent they have been better at negotiating and have insisted on 1/2 on signing of contract and 1/2 when the rehearsal draft is done.
It's important to get your invoices to producers as soon as possible and then follow up regularly in order to make sure it is being processed, sometimes (not always) it can take an age to get paid and you should take this into account when looking at when your rent is due. Don't wait! Invoice for stuff as soon as you possibly can, then at least you won't be able to blame yourself for any late payments.
Also it's important to remember that the larger producers/companies often have a large number of personnel to process through payroll and you can often get lost in the process. Don't be afraid to follow up on invoices in order to make sure you don't end up out of pocket. It's better to be annoying than to be in debt.
You may want to put a deadline for payment on your invoice (payment within 30 days is a standard request).
Feel free to make the invoice template below your own. This is what I used to use (prior to agent land) and was very effective in that I actually got paid what I asked for. Hooray!
DOCUMENT DOWNLOADS
| template_invoice.pdf |
| template_invoice_1.docx |
