Free Contractor & Construction Invoice Generator
For general contractors, builders, subcontractors and trades. Invoice labor and materials on separate lines, add the Job Site Address, and download a finished PDF.
- 📍 Job site: a Job Site Address field that prints next to Bill To.
- 🧱 Labor vs materials: mark each line Material or Labor; tax can apply to materials only.
- ⚡ Staged billing: a Payment Schedule / Milestones box, and Deposit Paid turns the total into Balance Due.
Instant PDF Preview Prefer a blank contractor invoice template? Download it as PDF, Word (DOCX) — free, no signup, no email. Or fill it in online on this page and download a finished, calculated PDF.
What the contractor invoice editor above includes
- Your business and client details with line items that fit labor and materials
- Automatic subtotal, tax and total calculation
- A construction-style template with live preview and free PDF download
Free to use — no signup, no account. Unmetered for normal use, with an anti-abuse cap of 20 generated PDFs per device per day. Each PDF carries a one-line credit for this site, on by default — one free checkbox in the settings turns it off. Your draft autosaves in your own browser, and when you download, its content is sent over an encrypted HTTPS connection to our server, which renders the PDF.
Disclaimer: This tool is a document generator, not a tax advisor. Please verify your local tax rates for capital improvements vs repairs.
4 Costly Mistakes to Avoid on Contractor Invoices
Four errors that make a contractor invoice harder for the client to check and approve, and how to avoid them in this editor.
Vague Line Items
Writing 'Bathroom Renovation' is a red flag. Instead, list 'Demolition', 'Rough Plumbing', and 'Tile Installation' separately to justify costs.
No Job Site or Contract Reference
An invoice that names only the billing address makes the client guess which job it is for. Fill in the Job Site Address and put the contract or PO number in the Notes, so the bill matches the agreement it comes from.
Ignoring Retainage
The editor has no retainage field. If your contract withholds retainage, state the amount withheld in the Notes or the Payment Schedule / Milestones box. The price field does accept a negative number, but such a line prints inside the Materials or Labor block and, if tax applies to it, lowers the taxed amount too, so check that against your contract before you use it.
Taxing the Wrong Lines
If only materials are taxable where you work, taxing labor too overcharges the client. Mark each line Material or Labor and set the tax to 'Apply to Materials Only'; if both are taxable, choose 'Apply to All Items'.
Tailored for Every Trade
Whether you pull wire or pour concrete, here is how to use this tool for your trade. Prefer a blank to fill in by hand? There are free electrician and plumbing invoice templates with separate labor and materials blocks, and a general contractor invoice template.
- Plumbers & HVAC: Put equipment make, model and serial number in the line description, so the client can match the invoice to the unit that was installed.
- Electricians: Keep rough-in materials, fixtures and labor on separate lines, and mark each line Material or Labor so the PDF prints them in separate blocks.
- Roofers: Bill materials and labor per square or per job as your contract states, and list tear-off, disposal and decking repairs as their own lines.
✅ Pre-Send Checklist
- Did you include the Job Site Address?
- Is the contract or PO number in the Notes?
- Is every line marked Material or Labor?
- Is any deposit received entered in Deposit Paid?
- Did you set the due date?
General contractor and builder invoices: what to include
A general contractor's or builder's invoice has to let the owner (or the lender, or the GC above you) match every charge to the contract. Include:
- Who pays and where the work is. Bill To is the payer; the Job Site Address is the property. On a subcontract, the payer is usually the general contractor.
- The contract or PO reference. The contractor editor has no PO field, so put the contract or PO number in the Notes or the Payment Schedule / Milestones box.
- Labor and materials as separate lines. Mark each line Material or Labor; the PDF prints them in two blocks, each with its own total.
- Change orders as their own lines, each naming the signed change order it comes from, never folded into the original contract lines.
- Deposits received. Enter them in Deposit Paid and the PDF shows the Balance Due.
- Progress on a staged job. State the stage and the percentage complete (for example "Stage 2 of 4, 50% complete") in the Payment Schedule / Milestones box, and any retainage withheld, as the contract sets it.
Paying a contractor's invoice rather than sending one? The validation checklist for owners, GCs and AP teams in the contractor invoicing guide walks through what to check.
How to invoice labor and materials
- Add a line for each item or task and set its Type to Material or Labor. Materials usually read as quantity × unit price; labor as hours × hourly rate.
- Set the tax. The editor starts with a "Sales Tax (Materials Only)" line at 0%. Enter the rate that applies where the job is, then choose Apply to Materials Only if only materials are taxed, or Apply to All Items if labor is taxed too. Your state tax agency's guidance for contractors is the place to check which applies.
- Enter any deposit already received in Deposit Paid. The PDF then lists it and labels the last line "Balance Due" instead of "Total Due".
How the totals work (M = total materials, L = total labor, r = your tax rate, D = deposit paid):
Subtotal = M + L · Tax with "Apply to Materials Only" = M × r · Balance Due = M + L + (M × r) − D
Want to price the job first? Start with the Estimate Generator, then bill the accepted work here. How labor and materials are taxed state by state is covered in the contractor invoicing guide.
Construction invoice example
How a finished invoice from this generator is laid out. Names and figures are placeholders chosen to make the arithmetic easy to follow; they are not prices. No tax is charged in this example because the rate depends on where the job is; the PDF prints a tax line only when the tax comes to more than zero.
Your Company Name
100 Example Street, Anytown
INVOICE
# EX-001 · Date: [date] · Due: [date]
Bill To
Client Name
200 Billing Avenue, Anytown
Job Site Address
300 Job Site Road, Anytown
Materials Used
| Description | Unit | Qty | Unit Price | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Framing lumber | Piece | 20 | 10.00 | 200.00 |
| Drywall sheets | Sheet | 10 | 15.00 | 150.00 |
| Total Materials | 350.00 | |||
Labor & Services
| Description | Unit | Qty | Rate | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Framing labor | Hour | 10 | 50.00 | 500.00 |
| Change Order #1: extra doorway (signed [date]) | Job | 1 | 150.00 | 150.00 |
| Total Labor | 650.00 | |||
Payment Schedule / Milestones
Contract C-000. Stage 1 of 2 (framing) complete; stage 2 due at final walkthrough.
- Subtotal
- 1,000.00
- Deposit Paid
- −300.00
- Balance Due
- 700.00
Arithmetic: 350.00 + 650.00 = 1,000.00; 1,000.00 − 300.00 deposit = 700.00. With a tax rate r applied to materials only, a "Sales Tax (Materials Only)" line of 350.00 × r would appear under the subtotal, and the balance would be 700.00 + 350.00 × r.
How to Create a Contractor Invoice, Step by Step
- Enter your details, the client and the job site: Fill in your business and the client's details. Put the property where the work was done in 'Job Site Address' if it differs from the billing address. The editor has no license field: add your license number to your business details or the Notes if you show it.
- List each line and mark it Material or Labor: Add every line with its quantity and price, and set its Type to Material or Labor. The PDF prints materials under 'Materials Used' and labor under 'Labor & Services', each with its own total.
- Add change orders, retainage and the deposit: Add each approved change order as its own line. There is no retainage field: state any retainage withheld in the Notes or the Payment Schedule / Milestones box. Enter any deposit already received in 'Deposit Paid' and the total becomes 'Balance Due'.
- Set the tax and the payment terms: Enter your tax rate (it starts at 0%) and choose 'Apply to Materials Only' or 'Apply to All Items'. Use the Payment Schedule / Milestones box and the Notes for terms, the contract or PO number and any lien-waiver wording your contract calls for.
- Export PDF: Download the PDF. It is rendered on our server from content sent over an encrypted HTTPS connection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this contractor invoice generator really free?
Yes. It is free and unmetered for normal use; an anti-abuse cap of 20 PDFs per device per day (200 per IP) applies, well above ordinary use, and the blank template downloads on this page are not metered. A one-line "Created free with myinvoicetemplate.com" credit is switched on by default and one free checkbox in the settings turns it off. Your draft is stored in your own browser on this device, so download and keep the PDF you need.
Why separate labor and materials on a construction invoice?
So the client can check each cost, and so sales tax can be applied only to the lines that are taxable where the job is. Which lines are taxable depends on the state and the kind of work, so check your state tax agency's guidance for contractors. In this editor you mark each line Material or Labor, and you can set the tax to 'Apply to Materials Only'.
What is the difference between 'Bill To' and 'Job Site Address'?
'Bill To' is the person or company paying and where they receive mail. 'Job Site Address' is the property where the work was done. They are often different (a landlord, a property manager or a general contractor pays for work at someone else's address), and showing the job site ties the invoice to one property. The Job Site Address prints next to Bill To only when you fill it in.
How do I handle change orders (extras)?
Add each approved change order as its own line, for example 'Change Order #1: additional framing (approved [date])', and price it separately instead of folding it into the original contract lines. The editor has no dedicated change-order field; a clearly labelled line plus a note referencing the signed change order does the job.
Can I put a PO number or contract number on it?
The contractor editor has no separate PO-number field. Put the PO or contract number in the Notes, or in the Payment Schedule / Milestones box, and keep your own invoice number in the invoice number field. Both print on the PDF.
What should a home improvement invoice include?
The job site address (the editor has a field for it), a reference to the estimate or contract, labor and material lines kept separate, each change order as its own line, and any deposit already received so the PDF shows the balance due. Whether your license number must appear depends on your state: California, for example, requires it on construction contracts, subcontracts, calls for bid and advertising (Business and Professions Code section 7030.5).
Do I need to include my contractor license number on the invoice?
It depends on your state and on what your licensing board requires. California's rule, for example, names contracts, subcontracts, calls for bid and advertising, not invoices (Business and Professions Code section 7030.5); repeating the number on the invoice lets the client match it to the contract. The editor has no license field; add the number to your business name or address lines, or to the Notes.
Do you store my invoice data?
Your draft is stored in your own browser on this device, so download and keep the PDF you need. When you download, the document's content is sent over an encrypted HTTPS connection to our server, which renders the PDF. There is no account or invoice history, so the site offers no way to recover a lost invoice.
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