An invoice app for South African freelancers
Quote and invoice clients in rands, bill the small jobs you would otherwise forget, and let clients pay by card or EFT. No monthly subscription.
Short answer
Pick an invoicing app that prices in rands, numbers invoices without gaps, handles 15% VAT if you are registered and lets clients pay by card or EFT. ZELF does that with no monthly fee: quotes are free and an issued invoice costs 1 credit, and the jobs you ran for the client drop onto the invoice so small work does not slip through.
Freelancers in South Africa usually pick one of two bad options: a spreadsheet that is easy to forget, or an invoicing app with a monthly fee in dollars and a learning curve for features you will never use.
ZELF puts invoicing where the work already happens. Each client's jobs, quotes and invoices live together, so a logo fix from three weeks ago still lands on this month's invoice instead of slipping through. You pay one credit per invoice issued; quotes are free.
How to quote, invoice and get paid as a freelancer
- 1 Set up your business details and banking details once.
- 2 Quote the work. When the client accepts, convert the quote to an invoice in one click.
- 3 Add any client jobs you ran — upscales, restores, headshots, QR codes or pages — as line items next to your time.
- 4 Send it and let ZELF remind the client before and after the due date. Record the payment when it lands.
Billing set-ups freelancers use
Retainer freelancer
A monthly retainer that issues itself, emails the client and reminds them automatically.
Project freelancer
A quote, then a single invoice carrying every job and hour for the project.
Job-based billing
Bill the small image and QR jobs you would otherwise write off.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to be VAT-registered to use it?
No. Non-vendors get clean, complete invoices with no VAT line. If you are registered, add your VAT number and ZELF shows 15% VAT and the words "Tax Invoice".
Can clients pay by card without me having a merchant account?
Card payments run through your own Yoco account. If you do not use Yoco, paste any payment link and the invoice shows a Pay online button, with your banking details for EFT.
Is there a monthly fee?
No. Quotes are free, an issued invoice costs one credit, and credits never expire.
Sources
Invoices
Quote the job, invoice the client, get paid by card or EFT.
The client-work letter
One email a month: practical guides, product updates and what other South African solo agencies are charging. No spam, unsubscribe in one click.