You have delivered and the brand has approved the work. Payment can move once you send a clear invoice to the right entity, using the trigger both sides recognised and a due date you can follow up on.
When to invoice
Agree this before you shoot. Common triggers:
- on signature (part or full advance);
- on approval of the final draft;
- on the live post going up;
- net-15 / net-30 from invoice date.
If the trigger is “when the campaign wraps,” ask who decides that it wrapped.
Before the campaign starts
Payment problems are easier to prevent in negotiation than to repair after publication. Confirm these in writing:
- the legal entity that will pay;
- the accounts-payable contact and whether a purchase order is required;
- advance, milestone, or full-payment amounts;
- the event that permits each invoice;
- the number of days the brand has to pay;
- the currency and who bears transfer fees;
- what happens to remaining work if an overdue milestone is not paid.
“Net 30” normally means 30 days from a defined invoice date, not 30 days from whenever finance notices the email. Put the actual due date on the invoice and in your tracker.
What belongs on the invoice
- Your name / registered name and address
- Brand legal name (not just the Instagram handle)
- Invoice number and date
- Description of deliverables (format, count, campaign name)
- Amount, currency
- Payment details
- Due date
- Tax fields if you are registered
Copy the influencer invoice template rather than inventing a new layout every time.
Make the invoice easy to approve
The marketing contact recognises a campaign name; finance recognises a legal entity, PO, invoice number, amount, and due date. Include both worlds. Describe the work in the same language as the confirmed campaign so nobody has to decode “social media services” into the Reel they approved.
Use one invoice number once. If something changes after sending, follow the accounting process appropriate to your business rather than silently editing the old PDF. Keep the sent copy with its sent date.
A simple payment record
| Field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Invoice number | Gives every follow-up one unambiguous reference |
| Sent date | Proves when the payment clock started |
| Due date | Turns “soon” into an action date |
| Amount and currency | Avoids mixing quoted, invoiced, and received values |
| Brand/AP contact | Tells you where to escalate |
| Status | Draft, sent, partially paid, paid, overdue, or void |
| Received date and reference | Closes the record against the bank entry |
An invoice is not paid because someone replied with a thumbs-up. Mark it paid after the transfer is visible and retain the payment reference.
India notes (not tax advice)
Registered creators in India may need to issue a GST invoice, and brands may deduct TDS on professional fees. Exact thresholds and rates change. Use this page to prepare questions for a chartered accountant rather than as a filing guide.
What you *can* control without a CA: send the invoice promptly, keep the approval in writing, and record the due date.
The GST Portal's taxpayer welcome kit provides an official invoice-field checklist. The Income Tax Department maintains current TDS compliance guidance. Use first-party guidance as a starting point and ask a CA how the rules apply to your registration, service, and payment date.
Partial payments and deductions
Do not overwrite the invoice total when less money arrives. Record the received amount separately, ask for the remittance advice, and identify whether the difference is an agreed deduction, withholding, transfer fee, or unpaid balance. That separation matters when you later reconcile income or follow up.
When they do not pay
Handle a late invoice through a documented process. Use What to do when a brand doesn't pay and the payment follow-up template.
A sensible sequence is confirmation, dated reminder, accounts-payable escalation, pause on new work, and professional advice where the amount justifies it. Do not threaten an action you will not take, and do not publish private contacts or accusations as a substitute for documentation.
Monthly creator finance check
Once a month:
- Match every completed or published campaign to its invoice trigger.
- Send invoices that are ready but still in draft.
- Compare sent invoices with bank receipts.
- Follow up on overdue balances using exact dates and numbers.
- Save certificates or remittance records supplied by the payer.
- Ask your CA about anything you cannot reconcile.
The point is not to become an accountant. It is to make sure completed creator work becomes visible, collectible income.
When you are ready to run this in one place
Turn completed work into a tracked payment
An invoice is easier to follow when it sits beside the campaign, approved draft and due date instead of disappearing into a downloads folder.