Who sends a contractor invoice
Three groups send contractor invoices, and each one is read by a different person. An independent contractor bills a company for services. A trade subcontractor bills a general contractor for part of a project. A contractor working directly for a homeowner bills the owner. Write for whoever approves the payment.
- Company client: the accounts team wants a PO number, dates and hours they can match to a timesheet.
- General contractor: the project manager checks your work against the subcontract and the schedule.
- Homeowner: wants plain words and to see what is left to pay.
How contractors usually charge
Contractors usually charge by the day, by the hour, or at a fixed price split into stages. Time based billing, often called time and materials, suits work where the scope may shift. Fixed price suits a clearly drawn job. Whichever you agreed, the invoice should use the same units your contract does.
A day rate invoice lists the days and crew size. An hourly invoice attaches or summarizes the timesheet. A fixed price job bills each stage as it is reached, such as 30% at rough in and the rest at completion, with every earlier payment listed. Larger staged projects with a schedule of values are covered on our construction progress invoice page.
Example lines for a contractor invoice template
Each line should tell the reader what was done, where and when. “Labor, 5 days” leaves questions. “Framing labor, Lot 14, week ending Oct 17, crew of 3” does not. These prices are examples only, meant to show how each type of line is often charged.
| Line item | How it is usually charged | Example price |
|---|---|---|
| Crew labor | Per crew day | $1,450 per day |
| Supervisor or lead hand | Hourly | $78 per hour |
| Equipment rental, telehandler | Per day | $385 per day |
| Signed change order | Fixed price per change order | $520 |
| Fasteners and connectors | Cost plus agreed markup | $84.60 |
| Mileage to a remote site | Per mile, if agreed | $0.70 per mile |
Billing a general contractor as a subcontractor
When you invoice a general contractor, match their paperwork. Show the project name, the lot or unit, your subcontract or PO number and the billing period. List signed change orders by their numbers. Many general contractors also ask for a lien waiver with each payment request, so check what yours expects.
Some subcontracts hold back a share of each payment, often called retainage or retention, until the job is finished. The subcontract sets the percentage and when it is released. Many subcontractors show the gross amount, the retainage held and the net due as separate figures, so their totals agree with the GC’s ledger.
Contractor invoice mistakes worth avoiding
Contract work invoices go wrong in ways a simple service invoice does not, mostly because more people review them and each one checks something different. Check for these before you send.
- Billing a change order nobody signed. Get written approval first, then bill it by its number.
- Mixing two sites on one invoice. One job per invoice keeps cost tracking clean for both of you.
- No timesheet behind the hours. Time and materials work needs dates and hours someone can check.
- Retainage math that does not match. If your net figure differs from the GC’s, the invoice sits in a queue.
- Vague materials. Name the item and quantity so a markup can be checked against a receipt.
Filling in the template and the generator
You can take this layout as a Word file, an Excel sheet or a PDF from the download buttons on this page. To fill it in online, open the contractor invoice generator with sample lines, which loads a framing subcontractor’s week of work that you can rewrite with your own job.
The generator lets you add your logo, set tax to none, added or included, and download a print ready PDF. Smaller repair jobs may suit the handyman invoice, and a business with mixed products and services the small business invoice template. For the full process read how to invoice as a contractor, or go back to all invoice templates. Need a price agreed first? WhizQuote is our free quote maker.
Fill it in on screen and download or email a real PDF. No sign up.