The Art Commission Invoice Template uses a predetermined structure to present the material required to seek the commission payment owed when artwork is sold. Since it is a template, it can be used by Sales People, Art Galleries, Art Dealers, Auction Houses, and any other Entity that has sold a piece of art on behalf of its Owner. In this document, the Owner or the Entity responsible for the artwork will usually be targeted as the Payer of the commission. Naturally, some information regarding the sale will need to be posed along with material defining both Parties and the paperwork itself. It is recommended that you fill out every section of this template that requests your input since these represent the basic topics that must be covered in all such paperwork. If needed, you may add additional sections or expand on the ones that are presented.

How to Write in PDF and MS Word

Download: Adobe PDF & Microsoft Word (.docx)

Step 1 – Download The Paperwork Necessary To Issue An Art Commission Invoice

When it is time to request a due commission for an art sale, download the “PDF” or “Word” version of the Art Commission Invoice using the buttons presented with the preview picture to do so.

Step 2 – Introduce The Art Agent As The Commission Payment Seeker

The first field of this invoice presents its contents for replacement. Remove the phrase “Company Name” from this field then produce the full “Company Name” the Agent selling the artwork operates under. This can be the legal identity of a gallery, freelancer, or even an auction house (if appropriate). Regardless of the type of entity issuing this invoice the full “Company Name” of the entity he or she operates under or works for must be displayed at the top of the page.  The “Name” line at the beginning of this document makes a reference to the handler of this paperwork (Preparer) or the Contact Person who will speak with the Customer should an inquiry be made. Furnish this material as requested.  The address where the Art Agent or Gallery may be reached should also be delivered to this document for display. The three lines marked with the labels “Street Address” then “City, State, Country,” and “Zip Code” will accept this report. Make sure the address you record using these spaces is a reliable mailing address for the Art Agent or Gallery generating this invoice.  The “Phone” number used by the Art Agent or Gallery for Client inquiries and payment arrangements is the next piece of information that we shall be concerned with. Look up this number in then transcribe it to the next line down.  This area shall close out with the Art Agent or Gallery’s formal “E-Mail” information. Thus, place the Art Agent or Gallery’s email address on this line so that it is available to the Client.

Step 3 – Define This Invoice By Its Reference Material

The invoice we are working on should always be an easily recognizable document even in a database. The best way to reach this goal is to assign it a specific filing or reference number to act as an “Invoice #.” Seek out the first labeled space in the dividing bar then furnish this number to its contents. 

Follow the divider you are currently in across the page to the right. Here, on the space attached to the “Date” label, an official first calendar day of activity (or effect) must be documented. Standard procedure will request the current day you are working to be reported here, however, some entities will postdate an invoice as a means absorb delivery time and allow the Client a chance to pay this bill on time. 

Step 4 – Appropriately Target The Client As The Payer

The next section of this paperwork shall seek the identity of the Art Seller. This can be another Art Dealer, Agent, Gallery, or any entity that has agreed to sell a piece (or artwork) with the Invoice Sender’s service and must now pay an agreed-upon commission. His or her “Name” should be reported on the first available space under the “Bill To” title.  The billing section shall continue requesting information pertaining to the Client through the “Street Address” line, its counterpart “City, State, Country” line, and the concluding “Zip Code” line. Use these lines to define the Art Seller, Dealer, or Gallery’s mailing address.   

Step 5 – Discuss The Art Work Or Contract Obligating Commission Payment

This paperwork shall seek an adequate “Description” of the sale that occurred and the reason for the financial obligation being named upon the Client. Details such as the sale date or the sale agreement that has caused this document’s generation should be displayed in the first column of this document’s invoice table. You may discuss as many sales as required. 

Step 6 – Deliver The Commission Totals Owed

The second column, carrying the word “Amount” as its heading seeks the commission amount to be recorded in its contents. Notice there will be enough room to list more than one commission owed.  The art commission “Subtotal” should represent the sum of all values that you entered in the previous field you tended (“Amount”). If only one commission payment is requested, then you may re-enter the same value as the “Subtotal” for this invoice.    If any sales taxes apply to this commission then they must be dispensed in a distinct area for review. The “Tax/VAT” field in this table will accept this information for display.  The art commission “Total” should present the sum of its “Subtotal” and applicable taxes. Calculate this value with the information you supplied above then document the result as the full “Total” owed. 

Step 7 – Present The Commission Payment Request With A Deadline

In addition to the owed amount we should make sure the Client is aware of the exact number of “Days” he or she must remit payment before additional measures are taken. This number of days will be discussed in the sentence immediately following the invoice table above. Seek the blank space after the term “Due Within” then input this number accordingly. 

Step 8 – The Art Commission Request May Continue With Additional Topics

A couple of blank lines are on display after the terminology “Comments Or Special Instructions.” Use them to name any attached documents or discuss additional topics. 

How to Write in MS Excel

Download: Microsoft Excel (.xlsx)

Step 1 – Save the Art Commission Invoice In An Excel Spreadsheet Format

The “Microsoft Excel (.xlsx)” link in this section enables a direct download of the Art Commission Invoice. This document will print as it displays but you will be able to use your version of Excel to fill it out or customize it if needed. First, select either the link or the appropriate button then saves this spreadsheet.

Step 2 – Introduce The Art Dealer, Agent, or Gallery Seeking The Commission Payment

Open your invoice then select the first cell in column A (otherwise known as cell A1). Once you have selected this field replace the image it contains with the Art Seller or Agent’s logo. This must be the image that the Sender of this invoice presents his or her Company with on its official paperwork or advertisements. 

Cell A2 allows the full “Company Name” used by the Art Seller, Agent, or Gallery expecting the commission payment while cell A3 shall require the “Name” of the Contact Person for this entity. It should be noted that in the case of a Freelance Seller, these two cells may be populated with the same information.  The formal mailing address of the Art Seller, Dealer, Gallery must be attached to the Sender’s identity. Thus, use cell A4 to record the “Street Address” where mail is received and cell A5 to document the “City, State,” and “Country” of this address. Place the Art Seller, Dealer, or Gallery’s “Zip Code” in cell A6.  The “E-Mail” number and “Phone” address the Art Sales Agent prefers his or her Clientele to use when initiating contact should be recorded for the Client’s convenience in cell A7 and A8. 

Step 3 – Attach This Paperwork To A Specific Filing Number

To properly request the concerned commission be paid, this paperwork should identify itself to the Client and in any filing system it is stored in. For this effect, the Art Seller or Agent should assign it a unique document ID number then record this number in cell F4 under the “Invoice #” title.  Adjacent to the invoice number you dispensed is cell H4. Notice your desktop’s calendar “Date” populates this field. Usually, an invoice will consider its “Date” of generation as its effective “Date.” If this is inappropriate and you wish to post-date this request, you may do so by replacing cell H4’s contents with the preferred information. 

Step 4 – Directly Address The Art Seller Or Selling Gallery As The Payer

The full name of the Client (Patron, Gallery, or Art Dealer) that is obligated by the sale to pay the commission to the Invoice Sender must be documented. Cell A11 is reserved for the Commission Payer’s full “Name.”  In addition to this, cell A12 seeks to continue this report with the Commission Payer’s “Street Address” leaving this Party’s “City, State, Country,” and “Zip Code” to be entered in cells A13 and A14, respectively.    

Step 5 – Detail The Sale Or Agreement Requiring The Commission Payment

The “Bill To” section continues with a request for material that accounts for the commission payment request. You may enter as much or as little information as needed but it should definitively explain the basis for the commission. Thus, you may cite a sales agreement and the specifics of the sale that occurred in addition to the rate that is applied. 

Step 6 – Discuss The Owed Art Commission

The next field on the row being tended is named “Amount.” This refers to the dollar value of the commission the Invoice Recipient (Art Dealer, Seller, Gallery) must pay. Supply the commission “Amount” expected in cell H17.  The “Subtotal” of the concerned art commission is the sum of all amounts owed that were reported in the previous field. Add these values or, if only one commission is discussed, re-enter the dollar value of the commission above.  In some states, the burden of sales, use, service taxes may apply. In some circumstances, the Invoice Recipient may be required to pay a value-added tax. If any of these taxes must be billed to the Client with the “Subtotal” then document how much is owed in taxes in cell H19 (“Tax”).  Our final task in requesting the concerned commission to be paid will be to define it for the Client. Add the commission “Subtotal” in cell H18 to the applicable taxes reported in cell H19 then display the resulting figure in cell H20 as the full commission payment owed. 

Step 7 – Document The Art Commission Payment Deadline

Cell A21 of this sheet shall continue with one final definition request. A statement containing the language needed to instruct the Client to pay the commission within a predetermined grace period populates this field. To employ this to the commission request, report the number of “Days” after the invoice “Date” when the Art Seller will consider the Commission Payer delinquent should this invoice remain unpaid or unanswered.   

step 8 – Additional Details On The Commission Or Payment May Be Submitted

Cell A22 is an optional field that will call attention to itself by label “Comments Or Special Instructions.” If any additional sales, invoice, or art piece information is needed to complete this request for the concerned commission payment, then you may use this field to include such material for the Client’s review.