Free contractor invoice generator
Bill labor, materials, permits and equipment on one document, apply sales tax where it belongs, and download a PDF a general contractor or homeowner can pay without questions.
Build your contractor invoice
Prefilled with a typical progress bill for a residential job. Replace the details, adjust the tax rate for your state, and download.
| Description | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|
What is a contractor invoice?
A contractor invoice requests payment for work performed under a construction contract or work order. It differs from a simple service invoice in what it has to carry: labor separated from materials, a reference to the contract or change order that authorised the work, and often a progress-billing position such as “draw 2 of 4”.
Trades invoices are also the ones most often read alongside other paperwork — the signed estimate, the purchase order, material receipts, lien waivers. Every reference you put on the invoice removes a reason for it to sit in someone’s inbox awaiting clarification.
If you are a subcontractor, your invoice usually has to satisfy the general contractor’s own billing cycle before it reaches the owner. Sending it early in their cycle, with the PO number visible, is often worth more than shortening your payment terms.
What to include
Everything below is already in the generator above — this is what each part is for.
License and business details
Your legal business name, address, phone, and contractor license number where your state requires it on billing documents.
Job site and contract reference
The property or project address plus the contract, work order or change order number the work was performed under.
Labor separated from materials
Crew hours and rates on their own lines, materials on theirs. Many states tax materials but not labor.
Permits and pass-through costs
Permit fees, dump fees, equipment rental and delivery charges, billed at cost or with your stated markup.
Progress position and retainage
Which draw this is, and any percentage held back under the contract, so the balance reconciles with the schedule of values.
Payment terms and methods
Due date, who to make payment out to, and accepted methods. Net 30 is common in construction; say if yours is shorter.
Three steps to a finished PDF
Enter the job details
Your business and license info, the client or general contractor, the job address, and the PO or contract number.
Bill labor, materials and fees
Add crew hours, material costs and permits as separate lines, then set your state’s sales-tax rate for the taxable portion.
Download and submit
Download the PDF and send it with receipts or lien waivers if the contract requires them.
Getting paid on construction work
Bill in progress, not at the end
Long jobs invoiced only on completion put the entire float on you. Agree a schedule of values up front — mobilisation, rough-in, finish, closeout — and invoice each stage as it completes. Name the draw on the invoice so the owner or GC can match it to the schedule.
Know what your state taxes
Sales tax on construction work varies sharply by state. Some treat the contractor as the end consumer of materials, so tax is paid at purchase and never appears on the invoice. Others require tax on materials billed to the client, or on the full contract price for certain repair and maintenance work. Set the tax rate for your situation and confirm the treatment with your accountant rather than copying another trade’s invoice.
Document change orders separately
- Never fold extra work into an existing line — it reads as a price increase.
- Reference the signed change order number on its own line item.
- If the change was verbal, get written confirmation before it appears on an invoice.
Protect your lien rights
Mechanics lien rules are state-specific and deadline-driven, and they usually run from the date work was performed or materials supplied — not from the date you invoiced. Keep dated invoices, delivery tickets and receipts together for every job, and note on the invoice that lien rights are reserved until payment is received in full.
Three mistakes that delay payment
Lumping labor and materials
One combined figure makes tax treatment impossible to verify and slows approval.
No PO on subcontractor bills
A GC’s system cannot route an invoice without the purchase order number.
Undocumented extras
Extra work with no change order reference is the most common reason a construction invoice is short-paid.