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PerPlate

Free template · Invoice

A catering invoice clients take seriously

A clean, fillable catering invoice as a PDF: per-person line items, staffing and rentals, service charge, tax, deposit, and balance due, with your business and invoice number up top. Fill it in any PDF reader and send it the same day.

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What a catering invoice needs that a generic one misses

A catering invoice carries more than a list of products: per-person pricing tied to a guest count, staffing and rentals as their own lines, a service charge kept separate from gratuity, a deposit already paid, and the balance that's actually due. A generic invoice buries those or leaves them off, and that's where the payment questions start. This template gives every one of them a labeled field on a branded page, so the invoice reads as professional, not improvised.

The four numbers clients dispute (and how the template prevents it)

  • Service charge vs. gratuity. The template gives the service charge its own clearly-named line, and leaves gratuity off unless you add it. Clients pay what they can see and understand.
  • The deposit.A “deposit received” line with the date paid sits right above balance due. Nobody emails “didn't we already pay something?” when the answer is printed on the invoice.
  • Tax on the right base.Most states tax catering food and service charges, but rules differ on rentals and delivery. Tax gets its own line, so you apply your state's rate to the right base and show it plainly instead of folding it in.
  • Changes after the contract.Added a cheese course on a Tuesday call? It goes on as its own line, a “change order,” matching your contract's scope language, so extras read as agreed additions, not padding.

A clean invoice workflow for independent caterers

  1. Quote with the quote template; on acceptance, collect the deposit against a deposit invoice.
  2. At final headcount (7–14 days out), duplicate the quote numbers into the invoice (they should match line for line) and send with balance due before event day.
  3. Log payment date and method on the invoice file itself. Your BEO's billing block should point at this invoice number.

That's three documents describing one event, which is exactly the problem PerPlate exists to solve. In PerPlate the quote, BEO, and invoice are one connected record: change the headcount once, everything updates, deposits and balances track themselves. Join the waitlist for early access.

Common questions

What should a catering invoice include?

Your business details and the client's, an invoice number and date, the event name and date, line items (per-person menu items, staffing, rentals, delivery), service charge, tax, deposit already received, balance due, the due date, and how to pay. The template has a labeled field for every one of these.

Can I edit the PDF, or do I need special software?

It's a fillable PDF. Open it in any free reader (Mac Preview, Adobe Acrobat Reader, or your web browser), click into any field and type. Save a copy per event, then email it or print it. No spreadsheet or design software needed.

What's the difference between a service charge and a tip on a catering invoice?

A service charge is a mandatory percentage you set and keep to cover labor and admin. It's revenue, and in most states it's taxable. A tip or gratuity is voluntary and goes to staff. Label them clearly and separately; conflating them is the most common invoice dispute and, in some states, a legal problem.

When should caterers send the final invoice?

Best practice: issue the final invoice at your final-headcount cutoff (7–14 days before the event) with the balance due before event day. Invoicing after the event turns you into a collections agency with a chef's knife.

Does the template add up the totals for me?

Two versions ship together: the fillable PDF doesn't calculate (you type the figures in), while the Excel version does: enter quantities and rates and the subtotal, service charge, tax, and balance due update themselves. Want the whole chain to recalculate across your quote, BEO, and invoice at once? That's what PerPlate automates.