Get Paid Faster on Your Invoices
You send an invoice. It has your banking details at the bottom. Your client means to pay. But they are in a taxi. They will do it later. Later becomes tomorrow. Tomorrow becomes next week. Next week you send a polite follow-up. They say "sorry, I forgot." You smile and say "no problem." You are lying.
The problem is usually not your client. The problem is friction. An EFT payment means opening a banking app, typing in your details, getting the reference right, and confirming. Every missing detail on your invoice, an unclear account number, no reference, no due date, is one more reason to leave it for later.
Getting paid should not be harder than doing the work. You cannot make the payment for your client, but you can make the invoice impossible to misunderstand.
How a clear invoice changes this
Your client opens the invoice PDF on WhatsApp. The amount due is in bold. Under it: the bank, account number, branch code, the exact reference to use and the date it is due. They copy the details into their banking app, pay, and send you the proof of payment in the same chat. No back-and-forth asking "what is your account number again?"
wabill does not collect payments and there are no payment links. It is a free generator that puts your payment instructions on a professional invoice. The client pays you directly.
Create the invoice with full payment details.
In the free invoice generator, fill in the banking and payment details field, set a due date, and put your terms in the notes.
Send the PDF to your client.
Download it and attach it on WhatsApp as a Document, or email it. Send it the day the work is done, while the job is fresh.
Confirm the payment and send a receipt.
Check that the money has reflected in your account, then send a receipt marked PAID so the client has their proof.
Make an invoice with your payment details
Banking details, due date and terms on a clean PDF. Free, no signup.
How your clients can pay
EFT
The standard for South African invoices. List account holder, bank, account number, branch code and account type.
Payment reference
Ask for the invoice number as the reference, for example "Ref: INV-0042", so you can match the deposit on your bank statement.
Cash
If you accept cash, say so on the invoice and always hand over a receipt. It protects you as much as the client.
Mobile money
M-Pesa, MTN MoMo, Airtel Money, EcoCash, Orange Money. Type the number and registered name in the payment details field as payment instructions.
Payment terms, due dates and deposits
Always set a due date. An invoice without one reads as "whenever". The generator has a due date field next to the invoice date. For once-off jobs, "due on receipt" or 7 days is common. For regular business clients, 14 or 30 days. Whatever you choose, agree it before the work starts so the invoice is not the first time the client hears it.
Write the terms on the invoice. Use the notes field for a line such as "Payment due within 7 days by EFT. Please use the invoice number as reference and send proof of payment." Short, specific and polite works better than a paragraph of small print.
Take a deposit on bigger jobs. If you need to buy materials, ask for a deposit before you start. Send a pro forma invoice or a deposit invoice for that amount, issue a receipt when it is paid, and show the deposit on the final invoice so the balance due is clear.
Double-check your banking details. One wrong digit sends the money somewhere else. Because the generator does not save anything, keep your details in a note on your phone and paste them in each time, then read the account number back from the preview before you download.
Changed your bank account? Tell clients directly, in a call or a message they can verify, and not only on the next invoice. Clients are rightly cautious about new banking details on a document.
After your client pays
Wait for the money to reflect. A proof of payment shows that a payment was made or scheduled. It is not the same as cleared funds, and transfers between different banks can take a day or two. Check your own account before you release goods or mark the invoice as settled.
Send a receipt. The free receipt generator makes a receipt marked PAID with who it was received from, the payment method, the date and a reference. Put the invoice number in the reference field. Clients need receipts for their own records, and it closes the job on a professional note.
Partial payments. Client pays R500 against a R1,000 invoice. Send a receipt for the R500 and note the R500 still owed. When the rest arrives, send a second receipt. Do not edit and reissue the original invoice with a new total.
Statements. When a client has several invoices and payments, a statement of account lists them all with an opening balance and a running balance. It is the clearest way to show what is outstanding without arguing over individual invoices.
Reminders. If the due date passes, reply to the invoice in the same chat a day or two later. State the invoice number, the amount and the due date, and ask if anything is holding it up. Most late payments are forgetfulness, not refusal.
Keep your own records. The generators do not store anything or track who has paid. A simple list of invoice number, client, amount, due date and date paid, plus a folder of the PDFs, is enough for most small businesses.
The cost of friction
Your client keeps meaning to pay. You keep meaning to follow up. The money sits in limbo. You cannot plan because you do not know what is coming in. And every follow-up message chips away at the relationship you worked hard to build. A clear invoice, a due date and a prompt receipt remove most of that before it starts.
Who this is for
Someone tired of typing banking details into a chat and hoping for the best.
Someone who wants the invoice sent on the same day they finish the job.
Someone with clients across Africa who pay by M-Pesa or MTN MoMo.
Someone who spends more time chasing payments than doing paid work.
FAQ
What payment details should I put on an invoice?
For EFT in South Africa: the account holder name, bank, account number, branch code and account type, plus the reference you want the client to use (normally the invoice number). The free invoice generator has a banking and payment details field for this. If you accept mobile money such as M-Pesa, MTN MoMo, Airtel Money, EcoCash or Orange Money, type the number and registered name in the same field.
Can my client pay the invoice online by card?
Not through wabill. The generator creates a PDF invoice and does not process payments or add payment links. Your client pays you directly, for example by EFT into the bank account shown on the invoice. If you already have a payment link from your own bank or payment provider, you can paste it into the payment details or notes field.
What if my client pays half?
Send a receipt for the amount received, quoting the invoice number, so both of you have a record. Keep a note of the balance still owed. If the client has several invoices or payments, a statement of account showing each transaction and the running balance makes the outstanding amount clear.
How do I send a payment reminder?
Reply to the original invoice in the same WhatsApp chat or email thread so the client can see the document, and keep the message short: the invoice number, the amount, and the date it was due. For accounts with more than one open invoice, attach a statement of account instead. You write and send reminders yourself. Nothing is sent automatically.
Do I need a payment processor account to get paid?
No. Most small business invoices in South Africa are paid by EFT straight into a bank account, which only needs your banking details on the invoice. A payment processor is only necessary if you want to accept cards, and that is a separate service you would arrange yourself.
Free to use. No signup. Nothing leaves your browser.