Invoice · General
Free invoice template
Free invoice template for contractors and trades: line items, deposit, sales tax and balance due. Download in PDF, Word or Excel, no email needed.
- Formats
- PDF · Word · Excel
- Paper
- Letter
- Currency
- USD
Quick answer
A contractor invoice shows an invoice number and date, your business name and contact details, the customer and job address, and the estimate it bills. Below that come line items with quantities and amounts, any sales tax, the deposit already paid, the balance due, the due date and how to pay. You send it once the work, or a stage of it, is done, usually as a PDF by email or text.
What to include
- Invoice number and issue date
- Your business name, phone and email
- Customer name and job address
- Number of the estimate this invoice bills
- Line items with quantity, unit price and amount
- Sales tax line, if the job is taxable in your state
- Deposit already received and the balance due
- Due date and payment terms
- How to pay: payment link or bank details
Example, line by line
| Item | Qty | Unit price | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Composite deck board, 12 ft (each) | 34 | $62.00 | $2,108.00 |
| Hidden fasteners (box) | 4 | $70.00 | $280.00 |
| Joist tape (roll) | 3 | $35.00 | $105.00 |
| Remove and haul old decking (sq ft) | 200 | $2.00 | $400.00 |
| Labor (hr) | 24 | $85.00 | $2,040.00 |
| Rotten joist replaced, agreed on site (each) | 2 | $95.00 | $190.00 |
| Total | $5,123.00 | ||
How to use it
- 1Download it, or fill it in online.
- 2Add your own prices and your customer's details.
- 3Send it, get it signed and collect the deposit.
Invoices, part by part
An invoice asks for money you have already earned, so it has to be easy to check. Your customer compares it with the estimate they signed, and you will compare it with your bank statement when the payment lands. Everything on this template is there for one of those two checks.
Start with the invoice number and date. A number that never repeats lets you match each payment to the right job. Then your business name and contact details, and the customer's name and job address, so there is no doubt which job this is.
Add the estimate number the invoice bills. If the customer signed estimate 1042, write "For estimate 1042". That one line answers most "what is this for?" questions before they are asked.
The line items should follow the estimate: the same names, the same quantities, the same prices. If something changed on site, add it as its own line with a short note rather than folding it into another price. Below the lines comes the sales tax line if the job is taxable where you work, then the total.
Finish with money already paid and money still owed: less deposit received, balance due, the due date and how to pay. A customer who has to text you to ask for bank details is a customer who pays later.
The IRS lists invoices among the documents a business keeps to support its records, so keep a copy of every invoice you send, in the same numbered order.
Set it up once, then reuse it
- Download the format you like below and save a blank master copy.
- Put in your business details once and save that version as your own starting file.
- For each job, add the invoice number, date, customer, job address and the estimate number.
- Copy the line items from the estimate, add any agreed extras as separate lines, then the tax line, deposit and balance.
- Set the due date, add how to pay, save as PDF and send it the same day the work is done.
Common jobs this template fits
This is the general invoice for any trade that bills by the job. Contractors use it for a repair visit, a fixed-price install, a stage payment on a bigger project, or the final bill after a remodel. If you want lines and wording set up for your trade, open the trade version: plumbing invoice, electrical invoice, HVAC invoice, cleaning invoice, landscaping invoice or handyman invoice.
Download it free
The invoice template comes as a PDF to print, a Word file to edit and an Excel sheet. Download any of them without giving an email address. Every file has the same sections, so you can switch formats without changing how your invoices look.
An invoice usually follows an estimate. If you have not sent the estimate yet, make it online with the plumbing estimate maker or the maker for your trade: fill it in, see what your customer gets, and send it for them to sign. When the job is done, copy the same lines onto this invoice.
Send it, get it signed, collect the deposit
Questions
What should a contractor invoice include?
An invoice number, the issue date, your business details, the customer and job address, and the estimate it relates to. Then the line items, any sales tax, the deposit already paid, the balance due, a due date and how to pay. Keep the line names the same as on the signed estimate so nothing looks new.
How do I number my invoices?
Use one running sequence and never reuse a number, for example INV-1001, INV-1002. A year prefix such as 2026-014 also works. What matters is that each invoice has its own number, so you and your customer can match payments to it and you can find it again at tax time.
How do I show a deposit already paid?
List the full job total first, then add a line such as "Less deposit received" with the date and amount, and show the balance due underneath. The customer sees that the deposit was counted and pays only what is left.
What payment terms should I put on an invoice?
Write a clear due date rather than a vague phrase: "Due on receipt" or a specific date. Use the same terms you agreed on the estimate. If you plan to charge for late payment, check your state's rules first and agree it with the customer before the job starts.
Can I send the invoice from my phone?
Yes. Download the Word or PDF version on your phone, fill in the blanks, save it as a PDF and attach it to a text or email. Name the file with the invoice number so the customer can find it later.
Is this template free to download?
Yes. The PDF, Word and Excel files are free and you don't need to give an email address. Use them for as many jobs as you like.