Was "What should I charge?" - how about invoicing software ?

[Rich Braun]

"Bill Horne" <bill at horne.net> wrote:
> Don't forget to add your tax number(s), your phone number(s), and your email
> address. Anyone who has your invoice must be able to get their questions
> answered quickly.

I don't think I'd put a tax number on an invoice, be it a corporate ID or a
personal SSN.  Corporate invoices don't have tax numbers on them:  it wouldn't
look "professional".  And the only invoices I've seen with a personal SSN on
them are from accountants and/or other professionals who are over 50 years old
and perhaps therefore less mistrusting of identity theft than those of us who
are younger.

To commit identity fraud, a con artist need only have your name, SSN, and
birthdate.  (They can often get the latter from anybirthday.com, so in fact
all they need is your SSN.)  From those they can pursuade financial
institutions that they are you and that new credit should be issued and/or
your old accounts be assigned new contact information.

Invoices in the hands of your clients' accounts payable department are
probably not going to be kept particularly secure.  Provide them your SSN once
at the beginning of the engagement, on a form that is clearly intended to be
kept under lock & key.

-rich