Free resource

A free invoice template built for interpreters

Not a generic freelancer form. Line items for assignments, travel time, and mileage. A late cancellation line. Payment terms an agency will recognize. Download it, fill it in, get paid.

Word (.docx)Easy to edit and save per clientExcel (.xlsx)Totals calculate themselvesPDF (.pdf)Print and fill by hand

Free to download and use. No signup, no email required.

What’s on the template

Interpreting work does not fit a generic invoice. A plumber does not bill travel time. You do. This template is laid out around how interpreter work actually gets billed:

  • Your details and an optional business ID / EIN line, ready for agencies that 1099 you.
  • Invoice number, invoice date, and payment due date, so nothing is ambiguous.
  • A line per assignment: date of service, description, hours, rate, and amount.
  • Separate lines for travel time, mileage, and parking or tolls, itemized the way agencies expect.
  • Payment terms with a late cancellation policy already written in. Edit it to match yours.
  • The Excel version calculates each line and the total for you.

Three habits that get interpreters paid faster

Number every invoice.A simple running sequence works: 2026-001, 2026-002, and so on. When an agency’s bookkeeper asks which invoice a check covers, a number answers in one email instead of five.

Agree on the extras before the job. Travel time, mileage, minimum billing hours, late cancellation. The invoice is where those agreements get honored, not where they get negotiated. Confirm them up front and the invoice never becomes an argument.

Send it the same week. The longer an assignment sits unbilled, the harder it is to reconstruct hours and miles, and the later you get paid. Invoice while the details are fresh.

Invoicing questions interpreters ask

What should an interpreter invoice include?
Your name or business name and contact information, an invoice number, the invoice date and payment due date, who you are billing, a line for each assignment with the date of service, a short description, hours, and your rate, plus any travel time, mileage, or parking. End with a clear total and your payment terms. This template has a place for all of it.
How do I bill for travel time and mileage?
Bill them as their own line items so the agency can see exactly what they are paying for. Travel time is usually billed as hours times an agreed rate. Mileage is miles driven times a per-mile rate, and many interpreters use the current IRS standard mileage rate. Confirm both with the agency before the assignment, not after.
Should I charge a late cancellation fee?
Most working interpreters do, because a late cancellation is time you held and cannot sell twice. A common policy is to bill the full scheduled amount when a job cancels within 24 to 48 hours of the start time. Whatever your policy is, put it in writing on the invoice and agree on it with the agency up front.
What payment terms should I use?
Net 30, meaning payment is due within 30 days of the invoice date, is the most common starting point with agencies. Some interpreters use Net 15 for direct clients. State the due date on the invoice itself, and always include your invoice number so payments are easy to match up.
Do I need a business ID or EIN on my invoice?
It is optional on the invoice itself, but agencies that pay you more than $600 in a year will ask you to fill out a W-9 for their 1099 reporting. Having an EIN keeps your Social Security number off those forms. The template includes an optional line for it.
Is this template really free?
Yes. Download it, edit it, and use it for every invoice you send. No signup required. If you get tired of filling in invoices by hand, OneTerp's Freelance HQ tracks your jobs, mileage, and expenses and builds the invoice for you, and the core interpreter tools are free too.

Or never fill in an invoice again

This template works. But every job you log in OneTerp’s Freelance HQ already knows its date, hours, rate, and mileage. One click turns them into the invoice. Track your jobs, your expenses, and your CEUs in one place, built by a working interpreter who was tired of doing this by hand.

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