General Contractor Invoice Template
This general contractor invoice template is already filled in with the line items the job usually carries. Change the numbers, add your details, and download the PDF. Nothing is uploaded and no account is needed.
A contractor's invoice separates labour from materials, because the two are marked up differently, often taxed differently, and always questioned separately.
Your details
Bill to
Invoice details
Line items
Tax & discount
- Subtotal
- $10,470.00
- Total due
- $10,470.00
Notes & payment details
- Invoice no.
- —
- Issued
- —
- Due
- —
| Description | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labour: framing and drywall, stage 2 (hours) | 64 | $75.00 | $4,800.00 |
| Materials: lumber, board and fixings (at cost) | 1 | $3,850.00 | $3,850.00 |
| Equipment hire: scissor lift, 3 days | 3 | $190.00 | $570.00 |
| Change order CO-02: relocate doorway | 1 | $1,250.00 | $1,250.00 |
- Subtotal
- $10,470.00
- Total due
- $10,470.00
Progress payment for stage 2 of 4. Stage 3 begins on clearance of this payment. Materials are billed at cost with supplier invoices available on request. Change orders are priced and signed before work begins. CO-02 was signed on the date shown in the change order log.
Prefilled as a general contractor invoice. The rates shown are round placeholder figures to make the document readable, not rate guidance. Saved in this browser only.
Stop retyping the same invoice every month
A general contractor invoice is mostly the same document with new dates on it. PomoTodo keeps your clients, rates and line items, tracks the hours that feed into them, and tells you which invoices are still unpaid.
Free plan tracks unlimited focus time across unlimited tasks. No card required.
How general contractors usually bill
| Convention | Value |
|---|---|
| Billed by | Per stage of work, with labour and materials itemised |
| Usual payment terms | Due on receipt or Net 15, billed in progress payments |
| Money up front | Deposit to cover materials, then progress payments by stage |
| Also called | contractor invoice, construction invoice, builder invoice |
| These are the common conventions in the trade, not rules. The terms that matter are the ones in your own agreement with the client, and this template will carry whatever you set. | |
What belongs on a general contractor invoice
- Labour and materials on separate lines
- Clients scrutinise materials and accept labour, or the reverse, and a combined figure invites them to question all of it.
- The stage being billed, out of how many
- Stage 2 of 4 tells a client where their money is in the project. 'Progress payment' does not.
- Signed change orders by reference
- Every variation should have a number and a signature date, and the invoice should cite them. It is the difference between a priced variation and an argument.
- Licence number and insurance
- Many states require a contractor's licence number on the invoice, and clients paying large sums look for it whether or not the law does.
The mistake that costs general contractors the most
Starting work on a change order before it is signed
A verbal change on site is the single largest source of unpaid contractor work. The client remembers a conversation, you remember an instruction, and the invoice arrives with a number attached to neither. Price it, get a signature, then pick up the tools. A change order that takes ten minutes to document is the cheapest ten minutes of the job.
Sales tax on a general contractor invoice
Materials and labour are frequently treated differently for sales tax, and in some states a contractor is the end consumer of materials rather than a reseller. This is one of the areas where getting it wrong is expensive, so it is worth a conversation with an accountant who works with contractors in your state.
The template has a tax field with an editable label, so it will say VAT or GST if that is what you need, and it applies the rate to the subtotal after any discount. Leave the rate at zero if you are not registered to collect. Nothing here is tax advice, and a question about your own registration is one for your state's department of revenue or your accountant.
Templates for related work
Per hour or per job, plus materials and call-out
Per visit for maintenance, per project for installation
Quoting the job before you bill it is what the quote generator is for, and working out what to charge in the first place is what the freelance rate calculator does.
Questions about general contractor invoices
Should a contractor invoice separate labour and materials?
Yes, always. The two are marked up differently, are often taxed differently, and are questioned separately by clients. A combined figure makes every part of the invoice look negotiable, and in states where materials and labour carry different tax treatment, combining them can make the invoice wrong as well as unclear.
How should progress payments be structured?
By stage, with each stage defined before work begins and each payment clearing before the next stage starts. Billing by calendar month instead ties payment to time rather than to progress, which suits neither side when the schedule slips.
Does a contractor's licence number go on the invoice?
In many states it is required, and where it is not it still reassures a client writing a large cheque. Check your state's contractor board, because the requirement usually attaches to contracts and invoices rather than only to advertising.