Skills / Invoice and get paid
Invoice and get paid
Invoice for finished work and chase it politely. What goes on the invoice, free tools, payment methods that fit their age. Use when they say "how do I invoice", "I finished a job, now what", or "they haven't paid me".
Use this skill. Nothing to install.
Don't have an agent? · Raw file: skills/invoice-and-get-paid.md
Watch the first two minutes
This is how a session goes, including the part where you have to ask for the money. Click through it.
Scripted example of a real session.
Feels rude to ask for money you earned?
That feeling is the whole reason invoices exist. An invoice is a normal, boring document that states the agreed facts: what was done, what it costs, how to pay, and by when. Once it exists, "asking" becomes "sending a PDF with two polite sentences", and following up becomes re-sending it. The skill drafts every message in the ladder with you, and you send them from your own account.
What you end up with
A numbered one-page invoice, sent as a PDF named invoice-001-alvarez.pdf,
with its due date tracked. Here is the whole thing.
- Numbered and dated. Numbers start at 001; nobody needs to know it is your first. The due date is explicit ("due on receipt" also works), and it goes somewhere you will actually see it again.
- Every line was agreed beforehand. The hedge trimming appears because it was discussed on the day. An invoice is a restatement of the deal that already happened.
- Payment spelled out exactly. "Check payable to Jordan Reyes" leaves nothing to figure out. If it were an app, this line would read like "Venmo @handle". No tax fields unless you were told to add them; tax rules vary by place, so those questions go to IRS.gov and, for minors, a parent.
Anatomy of an invoice line
Every line of work the skill writes follows this shape:
- A Plain description a stranger could understand. No jargon, no padding.
- B When it happened, or quantity and hours where those are the unit.
- C The price for that line, adding up to a total nobody has to hunt for.
- D The rule behind the line: it restates the agreement. Surprise line items are how first clients become last clients.
Questions people actually ask
Do I need a business, a tax ID, or a logo to invoice?
No. Your name and contact, the client's name, the lines of work, a total, how to pay, and a due date. A logo is optional decoration. Tax fields only go on if you were told to add them; sales tax and self-employment tax rules vary by place and situation, so those questions go to IRS.gov and, if you are a minor, a parent or guardian.
What do I actually make the invoice in?
The fastest honest options: a Google Doc or Word invoice template, or a clean
one-page HTML invoice built with the agent that prints to PDF. Free generators like
Wave and Zoho's free tool exist too; compare them on their official sites rather than
taking anyone's word for a pick. Either way the output is a PDF named like
invoice-001-clientname.pdf.
How do I receive money if I'm under 18?
Cash on delivery and checks work at any age. Peer-to-peer apps (Venmo, PayPal, Zelle and similar) usually require a parent on the account for minors, and rules vary, so check the app's own terms and ask your bank with a parent. If you have no way to receive money yet, that conversation happens with a parent and the bank.
What if they just never pay?
The ladder runs: nudge the day after the due date, a direct follow-up a week later, and at two weeks a parent gets looped in and the plain question gets asked by phone. For a first small gig, that is usually as far as escalation sensibly goes. The durable lesson is to take half upfront next time on anything big.
Is this financial or tax advice?
No. The skill teaches what goes on an invoice and how to follow up politely; it says so plainly in the session. The agent never handles payments or logs into anything financial, and specific tax questions belong with IRS.gov, your bank, and for minors a parent or guardian.
Where to go from here
No gig to invoice yet? These get you one, priced honestly:
Money arrived? Now make it do something:
Curious? Read the full skill — the exact instructions your agent gets
--- name: invoice-and-get-paid category: money description: Invoice for finished work and chase it politely. What goes on the invoice, free tools, payment methods that fit their age. Use when they say "how do I invoice", "I finished a job, now what", or "they haven't paid me". --- # invoice-and-get-paid Help someone invoice for real work they have already done, probably for the first time. The job ends when an invoice is sent to a real client. You draft with them; they send it and they receive the money — you never handle payments or log into anything financial. ## What goes on the invoice One page. It needs: - Their name and contact (email or phone — whichever the client has) - The client's name - An invoice number (start at 001) and today's date - A line per piece of work: plain description, quantity or hours if relevant, price. Numbers that match what was agreed beforehand — no surprise line items. - The total, clearly - How to pay, spelled out exactly (see below) - A due date: "due on receipt" or "due within 14 days" That is all. No logo required, no tax fields unless they were told to add them. Tax and invoice rules vary by jurisdiction, so use the current official tax or small-business source for their location and, for a minor, involve a parent or guardian. Do not provide tax or legal advice. ## Make it Fastest honest options: a Google Doc or Word template (search "invoice" in the template gallery), or build a clean one-page HTML invoice with them that prints to PDF — same technique as a resume. Free invoice generators exist too (Wave, Zoho's free tool, and others); if they want one, have them compare on the official sites rather than taking your word for a specific pick. The output is a PDF named like `invoice-001-clientname.pdf`. ## Getting paid The workable methods at their age, roughly in order of simplicity: cash on delivery, a check, or a peer-to-peer app tied to a bank account (Venmo, PayPal, Zelle and similar — availability and age rules vary; under 18 usually needs a parent on the account, so have them check the app's own terms and ask their bank). Whatever they pick, the invoice states it exactly: "Venmo @handle" or "check payable to Full Name". If they have no way to receive money yet, that conversation happens with a parent and their bank, not with you. ## Send it, then follow up Send the PDF with two sentences: thanks for the work, invoice attached, due date restated. Then put the due date somewhere they will see it. If unpaid at the due date, the follow-up ladder — each step drafted with them, sent by them: 1. After the due date: friendly nudge, one line, invoice re-attached. Most late payments are forgetfulness and this fixes them. 2. A week later: still polite, but direct — "Following up on invoice 001 for $N, due DATE. Can you let me know when to expect payment?" 3. If it remains unpaid, involve a parent or guardian for a minor and check the written agreement plus current official local guidance before any escalation. Do not threaten legal action, fees, or public exposure that the agreement and local rules do not support. ## Done - A numbered invoice PDF matches the written scope and price - It was sent by the person, with the due date and follow-up tracked - The payment route complies with current provider age rules; no financial credentials or payment were handled by the agent