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The Billbooks Blog

Practical guides on invoicing, getting paid, and running a small business. Written by the people who build the invoicing app.

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How to Calculate Electrical Load for a House (With a Worked Example)
Industry guides

A step by step walk through the NEC optional method for a house, with a worked example and what an EV charger does to the service size.

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Invoicing basics

What to include, terms, and getting invoices out the door.

107 guides

Freelancing

Rates, contracts, and getting clients to pay on time.

83 guides

Small business

The day-to-day of running a small operation, sorted.

64 guides

Running a business

Margins, cash flow, and the numbers that keep you afloat.

101 guides

Productivity

Work smarter, waste less time, get more done.

27 guides

Startups & growth

Burn rate, runway, and building something that lasts.

31 guides

Marketing

Find clients and win the work, without a big budget.

9 guides

Industry guides

Invoicing playbooks for specific trades and professions.

74 guides
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The getting-paid path

1 How to invoice as a freelancer: a simple step-by-step guideYou did the work. Now you have to ask for the money,… 3 min 2 What to put on an invoice: a complete checklistAn invoice does two jobs: it tells the client exactly what they… 3 min 3 How to get clients to pay on timeLate payment is the quiet killer of small businesses. The work is… 3 min 4 How much should you charge? A freelance rate guideSetting your rate is one of the hardest parts of going freelance.… 3 min 5 How to work out your burn rate and runwayBurn rate and runway are two of the most important numbers a… 3 min

Latest articles

Invoicing basics
Invoicing software that is not accounting software: how to tell which you need
If nobody keeps books in your software, you may be paying for a ledger you do not use.…
9 min readSep 23Read
Industry guides
The Tax Bill You Did Not Set Money Aside For
The message arrives on a Tuesday. You read the number twice, then do the sum you already know…
10 min readSep 22Read
Industry guides
Freelance Translator Invoice: What to Put On It and How to Get Paid
You delivered the files this morning. Now you have to turn 8,420 source words, two rounds of revision…
10 min readSep 21Read
Industry guides
One Client Is Half Your Income: How to Cut the Risk Without Losing Them
Your biggest client pays a week late and suddenly you are the one asking a supplier for more…
13 min readSep 20Read
Industry guides
Notary Invoice: How to Write One, With State Fee Limits
Most trades can charge whatever the market will bear. Notaries cannot, at least not for the notarial act…
10 min readSep 19Read
Industry guides
How to Price Carpentry Jobs: Labour, Materials and a Worked Example
Most carpentry quotes go wrong in the same place: the materials list is accurate to the last box…
10 min readSep 17Read
Industry guides
How Much to Charge for Bookkeeping Services
There is no standard price for bookkeeping. What you can charge depends on how much work the engagement…
13 min readSep 16Read
Industry guides
What Is a Billback? Card Fees, Trade Deals and Cost Recovery Explained
A billback is a charge or a credit that settles after the original sale has already been invoiced.…
11 min readSep 15Read
Industry guides
Bill Rate vs Pay Rate: How to Calculate a Bill Rate That Covers Your Costs
Pay rate is what you pay the person doing the work. Bill rate is what you charge the…
10 min readSep 14Read

Latest from our socials

Fresh from the feeds: the last couple of posts on each channel.

X @BillbooksApp

Late payment isn't a cash-flow problem, it's a terms problem. 3 wording changes that get invoices paid faster.

2 days agoView post

New on the blog: the lowest-fee invoicing tools of 2026, compared on what you actually pay to get paid.

5 days agoView post

LinkedIn Billbooks

What makes a good profit margin for a small business? We broke down the benchmarks by industry, and how to read yours.

3 days agoView post

Freelancers: your rate isn't just "market rate." Here's the break-even math most people skip.

6 days agoView post

Facebook Billbooks

Sending your first invoice? Our step-by-step freelancer guide takes you from blank page to paid.

4 days agoView post

Electricians: deposits, materials markup, job line items. The invoicing guide built for the trade is live.

1 week agoView post

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