Use this general contractor invoice template to itemize labor, materials, change orders, retainage, and progress billing on one job. The fields below cover what belongs on the invoice, the three formats GCs actually send (standard, progress, T&M), and how payments flow into a business checking account.

What should a general contractor invoice include?

A construction invoice has more moving parts than a typical service invoice because the work has more moving parts. At minimum, every general contractor invoice should carry:

• Your business info: legal business name, address, phone, email, and your contractor license number.
• Client info and job site address: the client may own three properties. The job site address tells their bookkeeper which property the cost belongs to.
• Invoice number, issue date, and due date.
• PO or contract reference number: essential for commercial clients and property managers running multiple jobs.
• Itemized sections: keep labor, materials, equipment, and subcontractor work on separate lines, not lumped into one "construction services" total.
• Payment terms (net 15, net 30), accepted payment methods, and your late fee policy stated in plain English.
• Sales tax on materials where state law applies. Sales tax treatment for construction materials varies by state. Confirm whether tax belongs in the invoice, in your material cost, or in a separate gross-receipts-style tax calculation.

The job site address line matters more than people think. A property management company with twelve buildings will reject an invoice that doesn't tell them which building to charge. Same for an HOA, a landlord with a small portfolio, or a homeowner with a rental property. Make it easy to route, and you reduce the back-and-forth that can delay payment.

A general contractor invoice should include the license number, job site address, itemized labor and materials, change orders, and payment terms.

Where can I get a free invoice template for general contractors?

Download the general contractor invoice template as a PDF, Word document, Google Doc, or Excel spreadsheet, or open the fillable browser version to edit it before sending. The plain-text version below covers the standard residential or light-commercial job. For progress billing or T&M, see the variants further down.

─────────────────────────────────────────────
INVOICE

[Your Company Name]
[Street Address, City, State ZIP]
[Phone] · [Email]
Contractor License #: [LICENSE NUMBER]

Bill To:                    Job Site:
[Client Name]               [Job Site Address]
[Billing Address]           [City, State ZIP]
[Email / Phone]

Invoice #: [0001]           Issue Date: [MM/DD/YYYY]
PO / Contract #: [____]     Due Date:   [MM/DD/YYYY]
─────────────────────────────────────────────

LABOR
Description                   Hours   Rate     Amount
Framing crew (3 days)          72    $65/hr   $4,680.00
Electrical rough-in             8    $95/hr     $760.00
                                              ─────────
                              Labor subtotal: $5,440.00

MATERIALS
Description                   Qty   Unit       Amount
2x6 lumber, pressure treated   40   $14.20     $568.00
Romex 12/2 wire, 250 ft         1   $89.00      $89.00
Misc fasteners & hardware       1   $145.00    $145.00
                                             ─────────
                          Materials subtotal:  $802.00
                          Sales tax (6.5%):     $52.13

EQUIPMENT / RENTAL
Skid steer rental, 2 days       2   $310/day   $620.00

SUBCONTRACTORS
Plumbing rough-in (ABC Plumbing)            $2,400.00

CHANGE ORDERS (signed)
CO-01: Added pantry framing (approved 5/12)   $685.00

─────────────────────────────────────────────
Subtotal:                                   $9,999.13
Less retainage (10%):                        -$999.91
─────────────────────────────────────────────
AMOUNT DUE:                                 $8,999.22

Payment Terms: Net 15
Late fee: 1.5% per month on balances past 30 days
Pay by: ACH, check, or card at [pay link]
Make checks payable to: [Your Company Name]
─────────────────────────────────────────────
Thank you. Questions? [phone / email]

Tip: you can use ChatGPT or Claude to draft the fields and formulas, then paste the output into Word, Google Sheets, Excel, or a PDF editor and test the calculations before sending it to a client. A prompt like "Turn this template into a fillable spreadsheet with auto-calculating subtotals, sales tax, retainage, and amount due, keeping the section headers and labeling every input field" gets you most of the way there.

Customizing the template

Three changes turn the generic template into yours:

1. Drop in your logo at the top left and your license number directly under your business name. On commercial jobs, AP departments expect it.
2. Set your default payment terms (net 15 for residential, net 30 for commercial is a common split) and your late fee in the footer. Print the late fee on every invoice, not just overdue ones.
3. Connect the payment link to the account where you want deposits to land. If you send invoices through Novo, accepted payments can deposit into your Novo business checking account, which keeps invoice payments and deposits in one place.

What are the main types of general contractor invoices?

Not every job bills the same way. Three formats cover almost everything a GC sends.

Standard invoice

One invoice at job completion. Best for small to mid-size jobs with a fixed scope: a bathroom remodel, a deck build, a panel upgrade. You may collect a deposit up front and bill the balance at completion, or split it 50/50 deposit and final.

Progress billing invoice

For multi-month projects, you bill in phases. Each invoice covers either a percentage of the contract complete (say, 25% at foundation, 50% at framing, 75% at drywall, 100% at punch list) or specific milestones spelled out in the contract. The progress invoice shows the contract value, the percent complete this period, the amount billed to date, retainage withheld, and the current amount due.

Progress billing invoices are used on multi-month projects and bill based on percent complete or milestones reached.

Some commercial projects require AIA-style G702/G703 payment applications, so confirm the billing format with the owner or architect before work starts. If AIA forms are required, that changes your software requirements.

Time and materials (T&M) invoice

For cost-plus or open-scope work such as emergency repairs or remediation, where you can't quote a fixed price. The T&M invoice shows actual labor hours at the agreed rate, actual material costs (often with a markup percentage stated in the contract, commonly up to 20%), and equipment. Attach receipts. The transparency is the point.

How to invoice for a construction project step by step

Step 1: Confirm scope and contract terms before you bill. Pull up the signed contract. Match what you're billing to what's in writing. The fastest way to a payment dispute is invoicing for work the client doesn't think they ordered.

Step 2: Itemize labor, materials, and signed change orders. Labor by trade or crew, materials with quantities, equipment rental by day, subcontractor work by trade. Change orders go on their own line with the CO number and approval date, never folded into labor.

Step 3: Apply retainage if the contract requires it. Subtract the agreed percentage (typically up to 10%) from this invoice's subtotal. Show it as a negative line so the client sees what they're holding back.

Step 4: Send the invoice with a clear due date and payment options. Email it as a PDF with a pay-online link. Mail a paper copy too if the client's AP department still cuts checks.

Step 5: Follow up at 7 and 14 days past due. A short written reminder, attached to the original invoice, with the late fee clock now ticking. At 30 days past due, pick up the phone.

How should general contractors invoice change orders and retainage?

Change orders and retainage are where contractors lose money quietly, one job at a time.

Change orders

Get every change in writing before you do the work. A signed change order should state: what's changing, the cost impact (materials and labor), the schedule impact (extra days), and a signature line for the client. State rules vary for electronic approvals, late fees, lien deadlines, and notice requirements. Confirm the rule in your state or with a construction attorney before relying on an emailed approval.

Change orders should be documented in writing and signed by the client before being added to an invoice.

On the invoice, show change orders as their own section under labor and materials. Label each one with its CO number ("CO-03: relocated kitchen island, approved 6/18") and the approved amount. Listing each approved change separately, with its CO number and approval date, gives the client a clear paper trail to match against their own records.

Retainage

Retainage is a percentage of each invoice the client withholds until the job is finished and the punch list is signed off. The point is leverage: the client keeps a financial reason for you to come back and fix the squeaky door.

Retainage is a percentage, often 5% to 10%, of each invoice that the client withholds until project completion or punch list signoff.

Common terms:

• Residential: sometimes 0%, sometimes up to 10% on larger remodels.
• Commercial: typically 5% to 10%, often reduced to 5% at 50% completion (called "retainage reduction").
• Public works: governed by state law, which caps the percentage and sets release deadlines.

When the job closes, send a final retainage release invoice for the accumulated retainage balance. List the original contract value, total retainage withheld across all prior invoices, and the amount now due. Reference the punch list signoff date.

How can general contractors improve invoice payment terms?

Set terms in writing before the job starts. Net 15 is common on residential; net 30 is the commercial default. Whichever you pick, it lives in the contract and on every invoice.

Take a deposit on material-heavy jobs. A deposit of up to 50% covers your material outlay so you're not financing the client's project on your credit card. State the deposit in the contract and invoice it as a separate "deposit invoice" before work starts.

Accept ACH and card. Checks still rule commercial AP departments, but residential clients increasingly want to tap a card. Card payments usually cost more than ACH transfers, so check your processor's current pricing before deciding whether to absorb or pass through the fee.

Print the late fee on the invoice. "1.5% per month on balances past 30 days" is a common figure, subject to state caps on commercial interest rates. Printing the late fee on the invoice puts the policy in writing for both sides, so there's no surprise when you charge it.

How can general contractors use Novo to send invoices and get paid?

Novo business checking lets general contractors send invoices, accept payments, and track deposits from one account. For general contractors, the relevant pieces:

• Unlimited invoices at no cost sent directly from your Novo account (payment processing fees may apply on card or ACH payments accepted through integrated processors). Novo lets general contractors send unlimited free invoices directly from their Novo business checking account.
• $0 monthly fee, $0 to open, no minimum balance. Novo business checking has no monthly fees and no minimum balance requirements.
• No fee on incoming wires or incoming ACH. When a commercial client sends a $40,000 progress draw via business wire transfer, Novo does not charge an incoming wire fee.
• Stripe integration for card and ACH payments on invoices. Accepted payments deposit into the same Novo checking account you sent the invoice from, so reconciliation stays in one ledger.
• QuickBooks integration so invoice activity and deposits flow into your books without manual entry.

Novo integrates with Stripe for card payments and QuickBooks for bookkeeping, so ACH and card payments land in the same checking account used to send the invoice.

The honest tradeoff: Novo does not accept cash deposits, so general contractors who collect cash on side jobs will need a supplemental option. That could be a local bank account for cash deposits or a money-order workaround. For contractors who get paid by check, ACH, wire, or card, Novo keeps invoicing and deposits in the same account with a $0 monthly fee. For a broader look at account features, see Novo's guide to the best bank for general contractors.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I write an invoice as a general contractor?

Start with your business info and license number, add the client and job site address, then itemize labor, materials, equipment, subcontractors, and any signed change orders on separate lines. Subtract retainage if your contract requires it, state your payment terms and late fee, and include accepted payment methods with a pay link. Number every invoice sequentially and tie it to the PO or contract number.

What's the difference between a progress invoice and a final invoice?

A progress invoice bills for a portion of a multi-phase job, usually a percentage of contract complete or a milestone hit, while the project is still running. A final invoice closes the job: it bills any remaining contract balance, releases retainage withheld on prior invoices, and references the punch list signoff. On commercial jobs using AIA G702/G703 forms, the same form covers both, with the "this period" and "to date" columns showing where you are.

Do I need to include my contractor license number on every invoice?

Check your state's contractor licensing rules. California, for example, requires the license number on written contracts, subcontracts, bids, and advertisements, and many commercial AP departments expect it on invoices as well. Even when an invoice-specific rule does not apply, adding your license number helps clients and AP departments verify the business. Put it directly under your business name.

How long do clients have to pay?

Whatever your contract says. Net 15 is common on residential jobs, net 30 on commercial. If the contract is silent, state law usually fills the gap. Many states have prompt-payment statutes for construction that set a default (often around 30 days from invoice receipt) and authorize interest on overdue amounts. Check your state's prompt-payment act.

When can I charge a late fee?

When it's in the contract and printed on the invoice. A common figure is 1.5% per month (18% annualized) on balances past 30 days, but your state may cap the maximum interest rate on commercial debts. Put the late fee in the contract, restate it on every invoice, and you have the standing to charge it.

Can I invoice for materials before I've installed them?

On a progress billing schedule, yes. "Stored materials" is a standard line on AIA G703 and on most commercial progress invoices. The client pays for materials delivered to the site or to a bonded storage location, often with proof of delivery and insurance. On residential work, this usually shows up as a material deposit billed at contract signing.

What if a client refuses to pay an invoice?

Send a written reminder at 7 and 14 days past, then a formal demand at 30 days that cites the contract, the unpaid invoice, and the accruing late fee. If the balance is significant, a mechanic's lien is the construction industry's main collection tool. Every state has a lien statute with specific deadlines and notice requirements. Talk to a construction attorney before the deadline passes.