Fixed Price Invoice

What is a fixed price invoice?

A fixed price invoice is a billing document for project work quoted at an agreed flat rate — not calculated from hourly time logs. It shows the project name, the agreed deliverables, the payment schedule (upfront deposit, milestone payment, final balance), and the amount due for each payment. It's the invoice format for agencies and studios that quote projects as a total price and bill against that total.

Melororium's Fixed Price Invoice template stores the project price and payment schedule in the CRM client card. When a payment installment is due — whether it's a 50% deposit at kickoff, a 25% payment at design approval, or a 25% balance at launch — one click generates the installment invoice with the correct amount and deliverable reference. No calculation, no Word template to update.

Why fixed-price billing is gaining ground over hourly billing

Fixed-price billing shifts the risk from the client to the agency. The client knows exactly what they'll pay before work begins. The agency carries the risk if the work takes longer than estimated. This arrangement often commands a premium — clients pay more for certainty than for hourly transparency.

The challenge for agencies moving from hourly to fixed-price is the disconnect between how work is tracked (hours, tasks) and how it's billed (a flat amount). The Project Budget Tracker helps agencies manage internal cost tracking against the fixed price. The Fixed Price Invoice handles the billing side — presenting the agreed amount in a professional format regardless of internal hour tracking.

How agencies manage fixed-price project billing

Payment schedule set at contract signing

The payment structure is agreed in the contract and entered in the project record: 40% on contract signing, 30% on design approval, 30% on final delivery. Each payment is a scheduled invoice. When the payment date arrives or the milestone triggers, generate the installment invoice with one click.

Installment invoices reference the deliverable

Each installment invoice includes the project name, the specific payment installment ("Design approval payment — 30% of project total"), the amount, and the cumulative payments to date. The client always knows where they are in the payment schedule.

Overages billed separately from the fixed price

When a client requests work outside the agreed scope, the fixed price invoice handles the base project. Scope additions are billed as separate line items at the hourly rate. The client sees: fixed project fee (agreed) + additional scope hours × rate (separate and clearly labeled). This structure maintains the integrity of the fixed-price agreement while allowing for scope changes.

Payment history tracks the complete project billing

The client CRM card shows the full payment history for a fixed-price project: installment 1 paid on date X, installment 2 outstanding, installment 3 scheduled. The project is only fully paid when all installments are received. Outstanding installments appear in the payment tracking dashboard.

Fixed price invoice vs. invoice generator tools

Online invoice generators (Invoice Ninja, Wave, Zoho Invoice) offer free or cheap fixed-price invoice generation. The limitation: they're disconnected from project management, time tracking, and client CRM. When the project scope changes, updating the invoice requires manually editing a document that has no connection to the project board.

Melororium connects the fixed-price invoice to the project, the client CRM, and the payment tracking dashboard. Agency plan for 10 users is $59/mo.