Invoice clients for technical documentation, API guides, and user manuals. Get paid on time with Tidybill.
A technical writer invoice documents fees for creating user-facing and internal documentation including user manuals, API documentation, developer guides, help centre articles, SOPs, and compliance documents. Technical writers are essential in software companies, manufacturing, healthcare, and any sector where complex processes need to be clearly documented. Because technical writing requires deep subject matter familiarity and often close collaboration with engineers and product teams, day rates are higher than general content writing. Projects may involve significant knowledge acquisition time before writing begins — this discovery and research phase should be included in the invoice as a distinct phase. Technical documentation is often an ongoing need, making retainer arrangements common.
| Service | Typical Rate | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Technical Writing Day Rate | £300 - £700 | per day |
| User Manual (per page) | £80 - £200 | per page |
| API Documentation Project | £1,500 - £6,000 | per project |
| Help Centre Articles (per article) | £60 - £150 | per article |
| Documentation Audit & Restructure | £500 - £2,000 | per project |
| SOP Writing (per procedure) | £100 - £300 | per procedure |
For long-term documentation projects, invoice monthly at your day rate with a timesheet. For fixed-scope projects (e.g. rewriting a user manual), invoice in milestones. Tech companies often have Net 30 payment terms through their accounts payable team — request a purchase order before starting. For retainer work, invoice at the start of each month. API documentation projects command premium rates due to the technical depth required.