Per-head pricing, guaranteed counts, staffing, rentals, and service charge — structured for events.
Start a Catering & Events Invoice →Opens with the catering & events lines already listed. Free, no sign-up, PDF download.
Catering invoices turn on one number that most people outside the industry have never heard of: the guaranteed count. You buy food and schedule staff against a headcount the client confirms a set number of days before the event, and you bill against that guarantee even if fewer people show up — because the food was purchased and the staff were booked. If the guaranteed count and its deadline are not on the contract and repeated on the invoice, every under-attended event becomes a negotiation you will partly lose.
The second is the difference between a service charge and a gratuity. A service charge is your revenue, covering event overhead, coordination, and administration. A gratuity goes to the staff. Clients routinely assume the service charge is the tip, and several states regulate how each must be disclosed. Two separate lines, clearly labelled, prevents both the awkward conversation and the compliance problem.
Per person for food and beverage against a guaranteed count, plus staffing by hour and role, rentals at cost or with markup, a service charge as a percentage, and optional gratuity. Deposit at booking, balance due before or on the event date.
These are the lines this trade actually bills, the unit each is measured in, and what each one prevents. Every line below is optional — use the ones that match the job.
| Line item | Billed as | Why it belongs there |
|---|---|---|
| Plated dinner — 120 guests @ per-person rate | per person | Per-head against the guarantee, not the actual attendance. |
| Guaranteed count: 120 (confirmed 8/6, 7 days prior) | record line | The count and the confirmation date. This line ends the post-event headcount argument. |
| Deposit received 6/2 — 50% | credit (negative) | Dated credit. Same rule as photography: show what was already paid. |
| Staffing — 6 servers × 6 hrs, 1 captain × 8 hrs | per hour by role | By role and hours. Staffing is a large cost clients underestimate until they see it. |
| Bar service — 2 bartenders, 5 hrs (client-supplied alcohol) | per hour | State who supplies the alcohol — it changes licensing and liability. |
| Rentals — linens, china, glassware, chafers | at cost or with markup | Note whether damage and loss are the client's responsibility. |
| Service charge — 20% (not a gratuity) | % of food and beverage | Label it explicitly. Clients assume it is the tip; several states regulate the disclosure. |
| Delivery, setup, and breakdown | per event | Load-in, setup, and a 1am breakdown are hours. Bill them. |
Nearly every unpaid or short-paid invoice in this trade comes down to one of these.
A downloadable template means fixing the layout, re-entering the formulas, and reformatting every time. This one fills in on screen, does the maths, and downloads a clean PDF — with the catering & events lines already listed.
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How to invoice for catering and events →The full guide — rates, payment terms, deposits, and what to do when the invoice goes unpaid.
Business name, contact details, and any health permit or catering license number; client and event details including date, venue, and time; the guaranteed guest count with the date it was confirmed; per-person food and beverage pricing; staffing by role and hours; rentals; delivery, setup, and breakdown; the service charge clearly labelled as not a gratuity; any separate gratuity; the deposit already received shown as a dated credit; subtotal, tax, total, and payment terms. The guaranteed count and the deposit credit are the two lines that prevent nearly all catering billing disputes.
It is the headcount the client confirms by a contractual deadline — commonly 7 to 10 days before the event — and it is the number you bill, regardless of how many people actually attend. Food is purchased, prepped, and staffed against that number, so the cost is incurred whether or not the guests arrive. Put the guarantee and its confirmation date on the invoice as a record line. If more guests attend than were guaranteed, you bill the higher actual count; the guarantee is a floor, not a cap.
No, and the distinction matters legally as well as practically. A service charge is revenue to the business, covering event coordination, overhead, and administration; a gratuity is a voluntary payment intended for the staff. Clients very commonly assume the service charge is the tip and that staff have therefore been taken care of. Several states require explicit disclosure of which is which, and some require service charges to be identified as not being gratuities. Two clearly labelled lines solves it.
A deposit of 25–50% at booking is standard, with the balance due either before the event or on the event date, depending on the size of the job and how long you have worked with the client. The reasoning is straightforward: booking an event date means turning away other work, and you incur substantial purchasing and staffing commitments before you see any further money. Whatever the split, show the deposit as a dated credit on the final invoice so the client can see the arithmetic without having to reconstruct it.
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