Accounting and invoicing for social media agencies
Content plans, community management, campaigns and reporting: a social media agency lives on monthly contracts and jobs on top. Saldiqo creates the retainer invoices on schedule, re-invoices ad budgets and freelancers and shows per client what the care really earns.
What comes up for social media agencies
Many retainers in parallel
20 clients with a monthly contract mean 20 invoices on the same day. Price changes and pauses come on top.
Ad budget and freelancers
Clients release an ad budget, freelancers deliver graphics or video. Both run through you and have to be assigned to a client.
Campaigns on top
A launch, a giveaway, a creator deployment: jobs outside the retainer need a quote, a deposit and a final invoice.
How Saldiqo helps
- Recurring invoices per clientSaldiqo creates retainers on a fixed date. If you change a package, you adjust the series.
- Re-invoice with receiptsYou record ad budgets and freelancer invoices as expenses with the client’s cost centre and re-invoice them as a line.
- Cost centre per clientThe report shows income, costs and result per client.
- Campaigns with a depositQuote, deposit invoice and final invoice for one-off jobs.
Typical invoice lines
Examples that often appear on invoices in this industry. You set the prices yourself.
- Social media care, November, three channels
- Community management, 20 hours
- Creator campaign, concept and management
- Re-invoiced ad budget as per receipt
- Freelancer video editing, passed through
- Monthly report and strategy call
Tax and invoicing in the UK
What applies to invoices in the UK, in short. As of October 2026.
- VAT
- Standard rate 20 %, reduced rate 5 % and zero rate 0 %. Saldiqo calculates each invoice line with the rate you pick.
- VAT registration
- You must register once your taxable turnover passes £90,000 over any 12 months, or you expect to pass it within the next 30 days. You can deregister below £88,000. Until you are registered, your invoices show no VAT, and Saldiqo adds up your 12-month turnover for you.
- What goes on an invoice
- If you are VAT registered: your VAT number, the tax point, unit prices and the VAT total in pounds. A limited company shows its registered name on every invoice, and its company number, registered office and part of the UK on letters, order forms and the website.
- E-invoicing
- There is no mandate today. From April 2029 e-invoicing is planned for all B2B and B2G sales that carry VAT, through Peppol. The exact date and standard are not yet in law, and the government’s roadmap follows with the Budget on 28 October 2026.
- VAT returns
- VAT returns go to HMRC through Making Tax Digital, usually quarterly, due one month and seven days after the period. Saldiqo shows sales and VAT per rate and exports CSV. It does not submit to HMRC, and for Making Tax Digital you need software recognised by HMRC.
- Record keeping
- Keep VAT records for 6 years.
- Late payment
- Statutory interest on late business payments is the Bank Rate (3.75 % in the second half of 2026) plus 8 points, so 11.75 %. On top comes fixed compensation of £40, £70 or £100, depending on the amount owed (under £1,000, from £1,000, from £10,000). Consumers have no statutory interest.
- Getting paid
- Your sort code and account number are on every invoice. Customers pay by Faster Payments or Bacs, and banks check the account name with Confirmation of Payee. There is no QR standard in the UK.
Frequently asked questions
Can I bill many retainers at once?
Yes. A recurring invoice per client creates each invoice on a fixed date.
How do I see which client pays off?
With cost centres per client. Income, ad budget and freelancer costs then appear in one report.
Do social media agencies in the UK have to charge VAT?
Only once they are VAT registered. Registration is required when taxable turnover passes £90,000 over any 12 months, or is expected to within the next 30 days. Below that you may register voluntarily. If you are not registered, you must not show VAT on your invoices.
Do social media agencies in the UK need e-invoicing?
Not today. A mandate for B2B and B2G sales with VAT is planned from April 2029, and the details were still open as of October 2026. You can keep sending PDF invoices for now.
How long should social media agencies keep invoices?
Keep VAT records for 6 years. You can store receipts digitally in Saldiqo. The legal duty to keep records stays with you.
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As of October 2026. General information, not legal or tax advice, without guarantee. For your case ask your tax adviser.