Contractor invoice template
Bill a finished job (or a stage of it) with labour, materials and extras on separate lines, any deposit taken off and the balance due at the bottom. For builders, plumbers, electricians, painters and handymen. Free, no signup.
- Labour and materials
- Deposit and balance due
- 152 currencies
- PDF download
In India? Not registered for GST? This invoice without GST is for you.Registered? Use the GST invoice generator
How it works
How to invoice a job
- 1
Your business
Your trading name, phone, email and address. Add your licence or registration number and your logo if you use them.
- 2
The customer and the job
Who pays the bill, and where the work was done if that is a different address. Add their PO or job number.
- 3
Labour, materials, extras
Hours and rate (or a fixed price) for labour, then materials, then extras such as disposal or equipment hire.
- 4
Deposit and balance
Enter any deposit under Amount paid: the invoice shows the balance due. Download the PDF and send it.
Example
The sample items, explained
A new invoice on this page starts with the lines below, with the prices left for you. Here they are priced as an example, with a $500.00 deposit the customer paid before the work started.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
Labour Bathroom renovation · 16 hrs × $55.00 | $880.00 |
Materials Tiles, adhesive and fittings | $740.00 |
Waste removal | $90.00 |
| Total | $1,710.00 |
| Paid | −$500.00 |
| Balance due | $1,210.00 |
- Labour
- Hours as the quantity and your hourly rate as the rate, with the job named underneath. For a fixed-price job, make it one line with a quantity of 1.
- Materials
- One line with the total, or one line per item when the customer wants to see them. Keep your supplier receipts in case they ask.
- Waste removal and other extras
- Skip hire, disposal, equipment rental, call-out fees: give each its own line, so they don’t look hidden in the labour.
- Terms and notes
- The template starts with “Net 7” payment terms, the note “Work is guaranteed for 12 months.” and the term “Materials remain our property until paid in full.” Change them to match what you actually offer: a guarantee or a title clause only means something if it matches your contract and the law where you work.
Checklist
What to include on a contractor invoice
A clear invoice gets approved without phone calls. These details answer the questions customers and their accounts teams ask most.
- Your business name, contact details and logo
- Your licence or registration number, where your trade or region expects it
- The customer’s name and billing address
- The job address, if it is not the billing address
- The job, in words the customer recognises, with the dates of the work
- Labour, materials and extras on separate lines
- The estimate, quote or PO number the job was agreed under
- Any deposit or progress payment already received, and the balance due
- Tax, if you charge it, and the total
- A due date and how to pay: bank transfer, card link or cheque
Licence numbers, tax and what an invoice must show differ by country, state and trade. Check with your trade body, tax office or an accountant.
Getting paid on bigger jobs
Deposits and progress payments
Before the work: the deposit
Ask for the deposit with a proforma invoice or a short invoice for the deposit alone. When it arrives, send a receipt if the customer wants one.
During the job: stage invoices
On longer jobs, invoice each stage you agreed, for example first fix, second fix and completion. Name the stage on the invoice and say which part of the job it covers.
At the end: the final invoice
List the whole job, then enter everything already paid under Amount paid. The customer sees the total, what they have paid and the balance due.
Agree the deposit and the stages before you start, in the estimate or the contract, so each invoice holds no surprises. More on due dates and deposits in the guide to payment terms.
When the job changes
Extra work and changes
- Get extras agreed first, ideally in writing (a message or a signed change order) with the price.
- Bill each change on its own line, named and dated, so the customer can match it to what they approved.
- Credit what you did not do. If part of the estimated work was dropped, leave it off or show it as a discount, so the total matches the job.
Questions, answered
Should I show labour and materials separately?
It usually helps. Customers can see what they paid for, and you can show hours and rates for labour while materials go on one line or one line each. If you agreed a single fixed price, one line for the job is fine. Describe what it covers.
How do I show a deposit the customer already paid?
Enter it under Amount paid in the totals. The invoice then shows the total, the amount paid and the balance due, so the customer pays only what is left. Say in the notes when the deposit was received.
How do I bill extra work that was not in the estimate?
Put each agreed change on its own line, such as “Extra work: replace subfloor (agreed 12 May)”, so it is clear what was added and when. It is easier to get paid for extras the customer approved in writing before you did them.
Can I turn my estimate into the invoice?
Yes. Open the estimate, change the document type to Invoice, update anything that changed and set a due date. Your customer and items stay as they were. Estimate template
Where is my invoice stored?
In your browser, on this device. The invoice you are working on is saved automatically as you type, and every invoice you download is kept under My invoices so you can open or copy it later. Its client and line items are kept too, as saved clients and saved items you can pick on your next invoice, edit or delete. Nothing is uploaded to our servers. Clearing your browser data removes it, so keep your PDFs and download a backup from My invoices now and then.
Can I add VAT or sales tax?
Yes. Add up to two taxes, each with its own name and rate (for example VAT 20% or GST 5% + PST 7%). Tax is worked out on the amount after any discount. You choose the rate: the generator doesn’t know the tax rules of your country, so check what applies to you.
I’m in India and registered for GST. Which tool should I use?
Use the GST invoice generator. It checks GSTINs, splits tax into CGST + SGST or IGST from the place of supply and adds the details a tax invoice needs. The simple invoice is not a GST tax invoice. GST invoice generator