An invoice is the fastest way to get paid for a completed job. You create it in your account, send it to your client, and the money reaches your Mellow balance as soon as they pay.
How to create an invoice
In your account, open the Invoicing section, go to the Invoices tab, and select Create new.
Step 0. Choose a commercial proposal (if you have one)
If you and your client have already agreed on the terms through a commercial proposal in Project Radar, you can build the invoice straight from it.
A commercial proposal is a non-binding way to settle the details with a potential client before any work begins. You create one in Project Radar, and once both sides are happy with it, it becomes the starting point for your invoice.
Once your client has accepted it, select the proposal in the Commercial Proposal field and the invoice fields fill in automatically. Just review them and adjust anything that needs it.
If you don’t have a proposal – because you don’t use Project Radar, or you settled the terms with your client directly – skip this step and fill in the invoice manually, as described below.
Step 1. Add a client
Pick the client from the list if you’ve worked with them through Mellow before. If this is their first payment to you, select Add client.
For a new client, fill in:
The country where the company is registered
The company’s name
The email address for the invoice link and verification codes – check with your client in advance that it’s the right one
The client’s currency – you won’t be able to change this once the client is added
Step 2. Fill in the invoice
Then fill in the rest of the invoice:
The service category
The work period
The invoice issue date
Who pays the fee – you or your client
The service description – it appears in the closing documents, along with the timeframe and type of work
The number of services
The price of the work
Important! Card payment isn't available for every invoice. If the amount is over 3000 EUR or USD, it has to go through bank transfer instead. The same applies to any invoice created before September 8, 2026 — card payment isn't an option there. And right now, clients based in Cyprus, Turkey or Indonesia can only pay by bank transfer, not by card.
Mellow reserves the right to restrict card payments for specific freelancers or invoices at its own discretion.
Step 3. Review and send the invoice
Select Save deal. You can save it as a draft or send the link straight away – once it’s sent, the status changes from Draft to Sent.
You can also copy the invoice link and pass it to your client through any channel you like.
How your client pays the invoice
Note:
For now, invoices can only be paid by businesses. We’re working on payments from private individuals.
Your client gets an email with a payment link. It opens a page with the work description and the price.
If their company is already registered with Mellow, the invoice also appears in the Invoicing section of their account, where they can accept and pay it.
When your client selects Confirm details, we ask them to verify their email and send a code to the address you provided.
Once they enter the code, they fill in their company’s details and we run an automatic check.
Company check
When a company pays for the first time, we check whether it’s already among our active clients. If it’s new, we confirm the company name, address, registration number, and VAT/EIN, if it has one. Companies based in the US also fill in a W-9 form and give their operating address.
The check usually takes anywhere from a few minutes to one business day, and we may ask your client for company documents along the way.
Once a company is verified, it can download and pay future invoices right away.
Payment methods
Your client can pay an invoice by bank transfer or by card.
By bank transfer, your client receives a PDF invoice from Mellow, issued by one of our companies in the US, Cyprus, or Hong Kong, depending on where the client is based. The money arrives within one to three business days of the transfer.
By bank card, your client is taken to a secure payment terminal, where they enter their email and card details. When they confirm the payment, the invoice amount is held on their card and stays unavailable for other transactions while we review it — which takes up to four business days.
Once the review clears, the amount is charged and the invoice is marked as paid.
What’s next
You get an email as soon as the payment clears, and the money goes to your Mellow balance, ready to withdraw however you like.
You’ll find your closing documents – work completion certificates and invoices – in the Documents section.
Questions and answers
How is an invoice different from a secure deal?
A secure deal is built around prepayment: your client deposits the money before the work starts, and Mellow releases it to you once they accept the result. That makes it a good fit for new clients and long projects.
An invoice is a bill for work that’s already finished, and your client can settle it by bank transfer or card.
Our guide to choosing between a secure deal and an invoice goes into more detail.
Can I invoice private individuals?
Not yet – at the moment only businesses can pay invoices, though support for private individuals is planned.
What is Mellow’s fee?
The fee is 5% for a bank transfer and 8% for a card payment. Either side can cover it:
You, the freelancer – the fee comes out of the amount you receive. For a bank transfer, that's the 5%. For a card payment, you still only cover 5% of the 8% — the remaining 3%, a card processing charge, is always on your client.
Your client – the fee is added on top of the invoice amount
How can my client pay the invoice?
By ordinary bank transfer, with a 5% fee, or by card, with an 8% fee.
What documents do the two sides receive?
Your client receives:
An invoice for their accounting
A work completion certificate, if they need one
You receive:
A work completion certificate
An invoice
All the documents are sent by email to both sides.
Does my client need to register in order to pay the invoice?
No. For the first payment, they just complete a company check by providing:
The company name
The address
The registration number
VAT/EIN – for companies in the EU and the US
A W-9 form and operating address – for companies in the US
What can I tell a client who’s unsure about Mellow?
Here are a few facts about Mellow:
More than 10 years on the market
More than 1000 clients, including Sumsub, Joom, G2G, and Appnext
High ratings on Trustpilot and Capterra
An audit by Baker McKenzie
Partnerships with Revolut, Unlimit, and Ecompay
Our own infrastructure, with offices in the US, the UK, Cyprus, and Hong Kong
A team spread across 19 countries
Coverage in Forbes, Business Journal, Spiceworks, Benzinga, and Supermoney
An official public offer agreement that guarantees service quality and compliance with international law
If you still have questions, message us through the chat in your Mellow account or at [email protected].