Construction invoicing is its own discipline. On anything larger than a domestic extension you are not sending an invoice — you are submitting a payment application or progress claim against a contract, it gets certified (or not) by a third party, and statutory notice periods govern the whole exchange.
This template covers both ends: the simple job invoice, and the structured progress claim.
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Key takeaways
This is the format quantity surveyors and contract administrators expect. Deviating from it slows certification.
| Line | Description | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| A | Original contract sum | $248,000.00 |
| B | Approved variations to date (VO 1–4, see schedule) | $16,420.00 |
| C | Adjusted contract sum (A + B) | $264,420.00 |
| D | Value of work completed to date (62%) | $163,940.40 |
| E | Materials on site, unfixed | $8,200.00 |
| F | Gross valuation (D + E) | $172,140.40 |
| G | Less retention @ 5% | -$8,607.02 |
| H | Less previously certified | -$121,300.00 |
| I | Net amount this application | $42,233.38 |
| J | Tax | per contract |
| K | Total due | $42,233.38 + tax |
Every line is derived from the one above it. A certifier can check the whole claim in ninety seconds, which is exactly what you want.
Attach, never inline. Each variation gets a number, a date of instruction, the instructing party, and a value:
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Retention is a percentage — usually 3–5% — withheld from each payment as security against defects. It is normally released in two halves: one at practical completion, the other at the end of the defects liability period, often twelve months later.
Two things to do on every invoice:
Many jurisdictions impose a statutory framework on construction payments — the UK’s Construction Act, Australia’s security-of-payment legislation, and similar regimes elsewhere. The common shape is: you submit by a set date, the payer must issue a payment notice within a set period stating what they propose to pay, and a “pay less” notice within a further period if they intend to pay less.
The practical consequences are worth knowing: if the payer fails to serve the required notices in time, the amount you applied for often becomes the amount legally due. That is a powerful position — but only if your application was submitted correctly and on time. Check the specific regime in your jurisdiction; the details vary considerably.
Domestic extensions, small refurbishments and one-off builds do not need a full payment application. Use the simpler contractor invoice template with labour and materials separated, a deposit for materials, and staged payments against milestones. Our guide to progress billing covers how to structure the stages.
An invoice states an amount due. A payment application proposes a valuation of work done, which is then certified — possibly at a different figure — by a contract administrator or quantity surveyor. On contracts governed by security-of-payment legislation, the application, not the invoice, is the operative document.
3–5% of each payment is typical, capped at a percentage of the contract sum, released half at practical completion and half after the defects liability period.
You will struggle to get it certified. Verbal instructions on site are extremely common and extremely hard to recover. Confirm every instruction by email the same day — even a one-line ‘confirming your instruction to…’ creates the record you need.
Usually yes, and in several jurisdictions there is a statutory right to interest plus recovery costs on late commercial payments. Check the local regime and state the rate in your contract.
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