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Freelancer Invoice + Payment Safety

Printable one-pager · Pakistan edition · maahir.io cheat sheets

MAAHIR
CHEAT SHEET

🧾 Invoice + Payment Safety Template (Pakistan freelancers)

Copy-paste invoice template

INVOICE # Date: Due:

From: Your name · CNIC-registered address · phone · email
To (client): Company / person · address · contact person

#	Description of work (exact scope)	Amount
1
2
TOTAL

Terms: 50% advance before start · 50% on delivery · payment via [bank transfer / Payoneer / Wise — never a friend's account] · 2 revisions included · extra revisions billed separately · work transfers to client only after full payment.

✅ Payment-safety checklist (before you start work)

Written scope agreed in chat/email — deliverables, revisions, deadline, price
Advance received (30–50%) BEFORE starting — a client who won't pay advance is telling you something
Client identity verified: company website, LinkedIn, a video call, or escrow (Fiverr/Upwork) for new clients
For marketplaces: all communication + payment stays ON the platform
Watermark drafts; send final files only after payment clears

🚩 Client red flags

"Do this small free sample first" (a full task, not a portfolio sample)
Wants to move off-platform "to avoid fees" (you lose all protection)
Urgent deadline + refuses advance + pushy on WhatsApp at midnight
Paying from a third person's account with a story attached
Asks for your bank login, OTP, or CNIC photos — never share these

🪜 If payment is stuck (escalation ladder)

Day 1 past due: polite reminder with invoice attached
Day 7: firmer message — reference agreed terms, ask for a payment date
Day 14: final notice — pause all future work, mention recovery via legal notice
Keep ALL chats + invoice + delivery proof: this is your evidence (legal notice / small claims / NCCIA if fraud)

Freelancer basics: register with PSEB and check the current export-income tax rules with FBR (rates and thresholds change — verify on official sites). Keep every invoice numbered and stored for tax season.