Free contractor invoice template

How to invoice a job

1. Start from the estimate. Use the same job address and the same wording for the work, so the client recognises what they agreed to.
2. List the labor. One line for each kind of work, with hours as the quantity and your rate as the price. Labor and helper hours usually have different rates.
3. List the materials. What you bought for the job, at cost. If you add a markup, put it on its own line.
4. Add equipment and extras. Rentals, dump fees or permits, if you pass them on. A change order gets its own line with a short description.
5. Take off the deposit, set the terms and send it. The amount due is what is left. Add the due date and how the client can pay.

What a contractor invoice should include

• Your business name, address, phone and email, and your license number if your state or trade requires it on documents
• The client's name and the address where the work was done
• An invoice number and the dates of issue and payment due
• Labor: the kind of work, the hours and the rate
• Materials, with a separate line for markup if you charge one
• Equipment or rentals charged to the job
• Sales tax where it applies, a deposit already received and the amount due
• Payment instructions: whom to make the check out to, or a transfer detail

Construction invoice template and other trades

People search for a construction invoice template, a contractor invoice and a job invoice as if they were different documents. For most small jobs they are the same thing: a list of labor and materials with a total. The template here works for carpentry, painting, plumbing, electrical work, landscaping, roofing and general remodeling. Rename the lines to suit your trade. Large commercial projects sometimes use a pay application form set out in the contract. If yours does, use that form; this one is for ordinary invoices between you and your client.

Labor, materials and markup

Clients read an invoice most closely at the labor and materials lines, so keep them clear. Put hours and rates where the client can see them, and keep materials separate from labor. If you charge a markup on materials, show it as its own line, such as Materials markup, 15%. A line that explains itself prevents most of the calls you would otherwise get after sending the invoice. Work out the markup amount yourself and type it in; the maker adds the lines up but does not apply a percentage to part of the list.

Estimate first, then invoice, then receipt

Send an estimate before the work so the client agrees to the price. When the job, or an agreed stage of it, is done, send this invoice. When the money arrives, a payment receipt or a regular receipt shows the client that the invoice has been paid (the guide receipt vs invoice explains when to use which). If a client pays you in cash, the receipt matters more than usual, because no bank record exists. For the general version of this page, see the invoice maker. For a crew paid by the hour, the timesheet template adds up the week.

Keep a copy and follow your local rules

Keep a PDF of every invoice with the estimate and any change orders for the job. Rules on licensing, deposits and the notices a contractor must give differ between states and cities, so check yours. This page is not legal or tax advice.