Create a high quality invoice now!
Make an Invoice NowA self-employed hours invoice is for professionals, such as freelancers, that charge their clients on an hourly basis for their services. If using logging or time-tracking software, a report should be generated and attached to the invoice for additional documentation.
Table of Contents
Tracking Self-Employed Hours
There is nothing new to professionals who charge for their services by the hour. Attorneys and lawyers have been doing it for years and continue to use this method until today. Up until recently, tracking the number of hours worked by self-employed persons hired for a job was no easy task. Tracking hours relied heavily on the trust system, which is far from efficient. In the freelance market, there are now plenty of tools to help clients keep a good eye on their hired freelancers and the number of hours worked.
Helpful tip: Tracking hours of a self-employed person can only be done for those that work on their computer. For other self-employed professionals, such as carpenters and painters that work in the physical world, it’s typically only possible to track hours if they are working on-site or at a location that can be observed.
Software for Tracking Work Hours
Freelance websites such as Upwork offer freelancers the ability to toggle work logging on and off time while completing tasks for clients. When logging is turned on, the software takes six (6) screen captures per hour, which allows clients the ability to see the freelancer in action working. Clockify, an app, allows self-employed professionals to earn trust with clients by showing them a detailed breakdown of their work and the time spent on individual tasks.
Self-Employed Hourly Rate and Taxes
A self-employed person’s hourly rate is calculated off their area of expertise, experience, and the market’s demand. For freelancers, the amount and quality of reviews received will allow that freelancer to charge more for their services as time goes on. Self-employed professions can charge as much as the people in the market are willing to pay. After receiving payment from a client, the self-employed professional is responsible for paying their own taxes. The self-employment tax rate is 15.3%, which is a result of Social Security and Medicare taxes. Wages up to $128,400 are subject to this tax rate. Depending on the state where the self-employed individual works, additional taxes may apply. Self-employed professionals must pay self-employment tax and file Schedule SE (Form 1040) with the IRS.