The contract pilot invoice: a line-by-line template
Every block of a contract pilot invoice that flight departments accept without questions, what goes in each line, and the mistakes that delay payment.
A flight department pays invoices that are easy to approve. That is the whole secret. The invoice that gets paid in nine days has the same information in the same place every time, matches the trip the scheduler remembers, and gives accounting nothing to ask about. Here is the template, block by block, with what belongs in each. If you want to fill one in right now, the free printable template follows this layout.
1. Header
- Your name as the payee, exactly as it appears on your W-9. If you invoice through an LLC, the LLC's name, with your name below it.
- Invoice number. Sequential and unique. INV-0042, not "Sept invoice". Accounting systems key on it, and so does the conversation when something is wrong.
- Issue date and due date. The due date is the issue date plus your terms (Net 15 is common, Net 30 is the default most departments assume if you say nothing).
2. Bill to
The legal entity that owns or operates the airplane, not the owner's first name. Most aircraft are held in an LLC or trust; the flight department knows which. Include the attention line they gave you ("Attn: Flight department" or the controller's name) and their email. If you do not know the entity, ask once and save it. n1099 stores it with the client so you never ask again.
3. Trip block
One short block that lets the scheduler match the invoice to the trip from memory:
- Aircraft registration and type: N350CL, Challenger 350.
- Route: KTEB–KPBI–KTEB. Airport identifiers, not city names.
- Dates: Sep 12–14, 2026.
- Your role: PIC or SIC.
If the invoice covers several trips in a month, give each trip its own block or its own invoice. Mixing two trips into one line is the single most common reason an invoice gets sent back.
4. Service lines
One line per billable category, with quantity, unit rate and amount. Use the same category names every time:
| Line | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| PIC day rate, Sep 12–14 | 3 | $1,800.00 | $5,400.00 |
| Per diem | 3 | $100.00 | $300.00 |
| Travel day, Sep 11 (airline to KTEB) | 1 | $1,080.00 | $1,080.00 |
Other categories you may need: half day, standby day, training day, flight hour (if your arrangement is hourly), overnight allowance, international surcharge, cancellation fee. Keep the description short and put the dates in it. "Day rate × 3" is fine; "Day rate × 3 (Sep 12–14)" is better.
5. Reimbursable expenses
A separate section, clearly labelled, with one line per receipt:
| Expense | Amount |
|---|---|
| Hotel, West Palm Beach, 2 nights (receipt attached) | $418.20 |
| Rideshare, KPBI to hotel and return (receipt attached) | $31.40 |
| Airline, positioning to KTEB (receipt attached) | $312.60 |
Attach the receipts. Not "available on request": attached. A photo from your phone is fine. Reimbursables are the lines that get questioned, and a receipt ends the question before it starts. Keep them out of your services subtotal so the owner can see at a glance what is your fee and what is pass-through.
6. Totals
- Services subtotal.
- Reimbursables subtotal.
- Payments received, if any, with the date.
- Balance due, in bold, with the due date repeated next to it.
Whether sales tax applies to pilot services depends on your state, but if you are in one where it does, show it as its own line. When in doubt, ask your CPA, not the internet.
7. Payment instructions and terms
How you want to be paid, in two lines. ACH details (bank name, routing, account, or a link to where you keep them if you would rather not print them), or the address for a check. Then terms: "Net 15. Please reference the invoice number on payment." If you charge a late fee, state it here, and it should already be on the rate card the owner confirmed before the trip.
8. A footer that does one job
Thank you, your email, your phone. Nothing else. No logos from other companies, no legal paragraph you copied from a contractor template that mentions "the Contractor shall".
What delays payment
- Missing invoice number or a reused one.
- Owner's personal name instead of the entity that holds the aircraft.
- Dates in the header that do not match the dates in the lines.
- Expenses without receipts.
- Two trips on one line.
- An invoice sent three weeks after the trip, when the scheduler has moved on.
- A PDF named "invoice.pdf". Name it with the number: INV-0042-castellanos.pdf.
Numbering and revisions
Never edit a sent invoice silently. If a line was wrong, issue a revision with the same number and a revision mark (INV-0042 R1) or void it and issue a new number. The owner's accounting has already keyed the first one. n1099 does this automatically: sent invoices are immutable, revisions are versioned, and the owner link always shows the current one with the history underneath.
If you would rather not maintain this by hand, n1099 drafts each invoice from the trip and your rate card, attaches receipts from your phone, numbers it, sends it with an approval link, and chases it for you. Free for pilots, and the template is free whether you sign up or not.