Month-end checklist for freelancers: 4 jobs before the 1st

Short answer: this end of month checklist has four jobs, done on the last working day of the month. Open your list of unpaid invoices and remind each client, asking only for the balance where they paid part. Photograph the month's last receipts. Write down the total money received and spent. If you send the same invoice every month, set it to repeat.

1. Go through every unpaid invoice

List every invoice that is sent but not fully paid, oldest first. For each one, decide one thing: remind today, or wait because the client said when they will pay. Write that date next to it.

If a client paid part, ask only for the balance and say what you received:

Hi Sara, thank you for the USD 600 on INV-2026-0042. The balance of USD 400 is still open. Pay here: [link]

For the wording of a first, second and final reminder, see payment reminder templates.

2. Photograph the month's last receipts

Collect every receipt for work spending this month, from your wallet, bag and email, and take a photo of each. Write one line for each: date, what, category, amount. Receipts left for next month get mixed into the wrong month's totals.

3. Write down money received and money spent

Add up what clients actually paid you this month, and what you spent on work. Take one from the other.

• Received: USD 2,400
• Spent: USD 310
• Left after expenses: USD 2,090

Count income on the day it arrived, so a partly paid invoice counts only the part that came in. The full method, and how long to keep the records, is in how to track business expenses and income.

4. Set repeat invoices for regular clients

A retainer, a monthly fee or rent is the same invoice every month. Set it to repeat once. Next month's invoice is then ready on time, even in a busy week. It has its own number. Check the amount still matches what you agreed before the first one goes out.

If you have ten more minutes

• Match your records to your bank statement. Every payment you wrote down should be on the statement, and every work cost on the statement should be on your list.
• Put money aside for tax. Move a fixed share of this month's income to a separate account, so the tax bill is already waiting. Ask an accountant what share fits where you live.

The same checklist in Inbill

Inbill is an invoice and expense app, so the four jobs happen in one place. On the invoice list, filter by Sent, Part paid or Overdue, or use Collect now on the dashboard, which lists what is overdue and due in the next 7 days. The reminder message you send on WhatsApp or by email already uses the balance still due.

Receipts go on the Expenses page, where a photo fills in the details for you to check. Once you have an expense, the dashboard shows this month's money received, spent, and left after expenses.

On any invoice you can turn on Recurring and pick every week, month, 3 months or year. It can end after a number of invoices, on a date, or never. Each new invoice waits as a draft for you to send, unless you turn on emailing it automatically. More on recurring invoices.