Free template
Free Contractor Invoice Template
Contractors live or die on cash flow, and a clear, professional invoice is how you get paid without the awkward follow-up calls. This free contractor invoice template separates labor, materials, and subcontractor work, leaves room to credit the deposit, and spells out your payment terms. Fill it in, then download as Word or PDF or copy it into Google Docs.
Click any field to fill it in. Line-item totals, discount and tax update automatically, and your work is saved in this browser as you type. Draw your signature at the bottom, then print, download, or copy.
| Invoice # | |
| Job / PO # | |
| Date | |
| Due date |
| Description | Qty | Rate | Amount | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $0.00 | ||||
| $0.00 | ||||
| $0.00 | ||||
| $0.00 | ||||
| $0.00 |
| Subtotal | $0.00 |
| Discount | $0.00 |
| Tax (%) | $0.00 |
| Less deposit received | |
| Retainage held | |
| Total due | $0.00 |
How to use this invoice template
- 1
Add your company details, the client, the job address, and an invoice number tied to the project.
- 2
Break the work into labor, materials, and subcontractor lines so the client sees exactly what they are paying for.
- 3
Credit any deposit the client already paid as a negative line so the balance due is correct.
- 4
Set your payment terms and a due date, then send it the day the phase or job wraps. Fast invoices keep the cash moving.
What a invoice should include
- Your company name, contact info, and license number
- The client's name and the job site address
- An invoice number tied to the project
- Itemized labor, materials, and subcontractor costs
- Any deposit or prior draw credited
- Subtotal, tax, and the balance due
- Payment terms, due date, and how to pay online
Common invoice mistakes to avoid
- Lumping labor and materials into one line the client can dispute
- Forgetting to credit the deposit, so the total looks wrong
- No due date, so payment drifts while your subs wait
- Not numbering draws, which turns a multi-phase job into a mess
- Sending the invoice weeks after the phase is done
What happens after you send it
A invoice does its real work after it leaves your hands, and that part is not on the document.
A draw gets reviewed before it gets paid
Unlike a one-off invoice, a draw is checked against the contract and against what is visibly built. Sending one that matches the schedule the client already agreed to is what keeps it moving. Sending one that is ahead of the work restarts the whole conversation.
Retainage is released by a document, not by finishing
The last five or ten percent comes back when the punch list is signed off, which means the final walkthrough is a billing event as much as a quality one. Contractors who treat it as an afterthought wait months for money they already earned.
Unbilled change orders are the money most often lost
Extra work gets agreed on site, done, and then never reaches an invoice because the paperwork lagged the pace of the job. By the time the project closes, nobody agrees it was extra. Billing approved changes on the very next draw is what keeps them collectable.
Stop filling in templates
On a multi-phase job, filling in a template for every draw is slow and error-prone. Smarfle generates contractor invoices from the work order, tracks deposits and progress draws, takes card and ACH payment online, and chases overdue balances, so you stay funded through the whole project.
Frequently asked questions
What should a contractor invoice include?+
The fields are above. What contractors leave off is the draw number against the contract amount, and retainage. A client who can see this is draw two of four, with ten percent held back, knows where the project stands financially. One who only sees a total assumes it is the whole bill and queries it.
Should a contractor invoice show labor and materials separately?+
Yes. Separating labor, materials, and subcontractor work builds trust, reduces disputes, and makes change orders easier to bill. This template gives you a line for each.
How do I bill progress payments or draws?+
Invoice each phase or milestone as it completes, crediting the deposit on the first invoice and billing the remaining balance across draws tied to your contract. Number them clearly (for example INV-0001, INV-0002).
Can I download this contractor invoice template in Word or Google Docs?+
Yes, free and without an account. Most contractors edit the downloaded file rather than the browser version, because the job number, draw number and retainage percentage change every month while the rest of the document stays put. Save your filled copy once and reuse it.
What is retainage, and should it show on the invoice?+
Retainage is a percentage the client holds back until the job is signed off, usually five to ten percent. Show it as a deduction so the client can see the contract amount, what is billed and what is withheld. Hiding it makes every draw look short and invites a query on each one.
More free templates
Run your whole business in one place
Smarfle handles estimates, invoices, payments, scheduling, and more, so the paperwork takes care of itself.
Start your 14-day free trial