Performer Invoice Guide: How to Create a Professional Gig Invoice

🧾 A performer invoice isn’t “look how aesthetic my brand is.” It’s routing info for payment.

When your PDF looks like what finance already approves → fewer weird questions → money moves.

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✅ What buyers actually skim for

Must-have	Why
👤 Who’s invoicing	Legal / trading name + registration bits if needed
🔢 Invoice # + dates	Issued + due — searchable threads
📝 Lines matching the booking	Mystery lumps = stalls
🧮 Tax lines	Only when your adviser says charge
🏦 Payment rails	Copy-paste friendly bank / portal details

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🛠️ One master template

Whatever you use (Docs, PDF app, etc.):

• readable on a phone screen 📱
• margins survive crappy printers
• blank slots for venue · city · gig date · fee · travel
• notes field for PO #

Number sequentially (INV-308, INV-309) — ambiguity is nobody’s friend.

The universal skeleton

Block	Contains
1️⃣ You	Legal / trading name (+ tax IDs only if applicable)
2️⃣ Them	Client legal name + accounts email
3️⃣ Paperwork	Invoice #, issue date, due date
4️⃣ Lines	Mirror the contract’s wording
5️⃣ Maths	Subtotal → tax if needed → total due
6️⃣ Pay	Bank / BACS / IBAN details
7️⃣ Notes	PO, sponsor codes, portal IDs

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📊 Example lines that map to real life

Description	Amount
Performance fee — headline — 12 Apr 2026	£800.00
Travel — rail per confirmation (cap £120)	£96.40
VAT @ 20% (if registered — confirm with adviser)	£179.28

Split beats “??? total” energy.

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🎚️ Adapt it by gig type

Finance teams aren’t genre snobs — the skeleton stays the same, only the line stories change:

Gig pattern	What changes	Go deeper
🎸 Venues / festivals	Fee + rider-linked extras	musicians’ guide
🎧 DJ corporate vs private	PO emphasis vs plain totals	DJ payments
🎭 Rehearsals vs shows	Separate lines for each	rehearsal invoicing
📸 Photo + usage	Split shoot labour from licence	photographer invoicing
🎤 Comedy in the UK	Spot fees, promoters, VAT thresholds	comedian invoicing UK

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🚫 Approval killers

Oops	Fix
Mystery lump hiding travel	Split the lines
Missing corporate PO	Chase the digits before you send
Tax folded into “artist fee”	Separate it cleanly, as your adviser says

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📎 Filename flex (actually matters)

INV-412-VenueName-Apr2026.pdf

Not invoice_final_FINAL_fr_this_time.pdf — finance greps filenames.

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✅ Before you hit send

Cross-check what to include on a gig invoice.

Send it fast — late invoices are typo magnets → fast post-show invoicing.

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❓ FAQ

Logo?

Nice-to-have — legibility + correct maths matter more.

Multiple gigs one invoice?

Only if buyer asked — otherwise one gig / one billing moment = cleaner books.

Charity or mate’s rates?

Still invoice the full fee and show the discount as its own line — ambiguity ages badly.

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Templates save hours — StagePay features is basically duplicate-button energy; rules above work everywhere.