Design and Development Invoices: Scope, Revisions and Approval Evidence

Choose the billing model before formatting the invoice

Hourly billing measures approved time at an agreed rate. Fixed-price billing charges for a defined result or stage. A retainer may reserve capacity or cover a recurring service. Mixing the models without explaining the allocation creates disputes even when the arithmetic is correct.

Start in the quotation generator with a scope the client can evaluate: deliverables, assumptions, exclusions and approval steps. Keep evidence of acceptance separately. A polished quote is not proof that every later request was included.

Example A: hourly implementation with a cap

A fictional developer agrees to an 80.00 hourly rate and a maximum of 12 billable hours without further approval. The work log shows 7.5 hours of implementation, 2 hours of agreed testing and 1 hour of client-requested revisions. Total approved time is 10.5 hours, so the pre-tax charge is 840.00.

Client-facing time summary

Work	Hours	Rate	Amount
Approved contact-form implementation	7.5	80.00	600.00
Agreed browser and submission testing	2	80.00	160.00
Approved field-label revisions	1	80.00	80.00

If the actual time reaches 14 hours, the invoice should not quietly exceed the 12-hour approval cap. Identify whether extra time was approved, non-billable or requires a scope discussion. Use the time-card calculator and time-card-to-invoice tool to prepare the record, then verify breaks, rounding and billable status.

Example B: fixed deliverable with revisions

A fictional 1,800.00 brand package includes two initial concepts and one consolidated revision round. The client approves a separate 250.00 adaptation for a new format. The invoice can show the agreed package and the approved addition as two distinct lines, totaling 2,050.00 before any applicable tax.

Do not describe the package as “18 hours” unless the agreement actually bills that way. Internal time tracking can help assess profitability without changing a fixed-price promise into hourly billing after delivery.

For staged payments, use the deposit and milestone workflow. A final-stage invoice should not charge again for stages already separately invoiced.

Make the revision boundary observable

“Unlimited small changes” is hard to administer because neither “small” nor the decision-maker is defined. Before work begins, identify included rounds, what counts as a new direction, who consolidates feedback and how additional scope is approved.

A change record can be short: request date, requested result, effect on price and delivery, approving person and approval evidence. Link its reference from the invoice description. Do not paste a private chat transcript into a document forwarded through a client’s finance department.

Separate pass-through costs from your service

A license, hosting purchase, stock asset or subcontracted expense may have different approval and tax treatment from your own labor. State whether the client purchases it directly or you buy it and recharge it under the agreement. Keep the supplier evidence and any approved markup distinct.

Do not assume a reimbursement is automatically tax-free, or that you can transfer a license merely because you paid for it. Check the supplier’s terms and applicable accounting treatment. This guide does not establish legal ownership or intellectual-property transfer.

Build an approval packet, not an attachment pile

Send the invoice, a concise delivery or time summary, the relevant purchase-order reference and only the approval evidence needed to process it. Use descriptive filenames and confirm the actual finance recipient. The client-facing description should answer what was supplied, for which period or milestone and under which agreement.

Australian government invoicing guidance provides a jurisdiction-specific reference for invoice preparation. Your local invoice and tax requirements may differ, so check them rather than relying on a generic template alone.

Finish in SunnyBill

Enter clear lines in the invoice generator, verify quantity and rate, and inspect the PDF at normal zoom. Keep the accepted scope and delivery evidence outside the browser draft. Use the pre-send checklist and project worksheet before sending.

If a client challenges the bill, return to the specific scope and evidence. A better-looking invoice cannot resolve an unapproved change; a documented conversation can.