Buildings, infrastructure, or industrial. Commercial or residential. Regardless of trade and sector, if you’re a worker in the construction industry, you’ll need to get paid for your services. Not only that, but you’ll need to document the project from the initial proposal to the final cost if you want to keep your customers happy. Our free, blank construction invoices provide a professional backdrop for you to assess the job, give a quote, and get paid.
How to use this invoice template
Our free construction invoice template is simple and intuitive to use. Once downloaded, you can easily customize it to fit your needs. Different projects might call for slightly different invoice formatting—that’s why we made our construction invoice template so flexible.
- Simply download the construction invoice template.
- Make sure to add your company logo and contact information at the top.
- Add and remove lines as needed—some jobs may require more or less room for details.
- Leave space for special notes.
- Get paid!
What construction workers need to know about invoicing
What should be included on an invoice for construction workers
Construction invoices will vary depending on the specific work being performed. Your particular trade or even client may demand a more or less technical explanation of your services and rates. In general, a sample construction invoice template will include the following:
- The name of your company
- The name of your customer
- The duration of the work you’re billing for
- An invoice number
- A description of your work
- Payment terms detailing your preferred payment methods, as well as any payment options or applicable warranty information
- Project notes
- An itemized list of materials used to complete the job, including quantities for each type of material, the unit price, and a total for each type of material used
- A detailed breakdown of labor, including hours worked, hourly rate and the total amount to be charged for each type of labor input
- A separate line item for the total cost of materials
- A separate line item for the total cost of labor
- The price you’re charging, including applicable tax
- Payment due date
Building on that framework, you may want to break down the price so the customer knows how the costs of both labor and materials are divided. Such a break down may list the hours worked performing different aspects of the job. For example, if you’re framing a room, as well as roughing in the electricals for it, you may want to charge different hourly rates respectively. Customers want to know what they’re paying for, so being as detailed as possible is a smart move.
When to send an invoice
Your invoicing window is fairly flexible with construction, since projects typically last a considerable amount of time. From the initial meeting, the project will have to be evaluated, laid out and scheduled. Often, projects need to be completed in phases, with lengths of time in between.
One option is to match your invoicing with the project phases—this ensures you’re getting paid consistently as the job unfolds and more materials is needed. For instance, if you’re renovating multiple rooms in a home and doing one room at a time, you may bill for the materials and work as each room is completed. Similarly, if it’s a larger project, such as building an addition to a home, you may divide payments up into monthly installments over the specified duration of the project. This option may be ideal all-around as customers often prefer to pay in installments.
Another route you can take is to charge the full amount after the job is completed to your customer’s satisfaction. More wary customers prefer this as they are assured the job won’t be left partially completed. This option requires more upfront capital from your company, and it may not be the best choice for smaller operations.
A third option is to require full or partial payment before the project starts. Not only may this method be objectionable to some customers, but you may sacrifice wiggle room for unforeseen costs as the job progresses.
Invoice like a pro
You take great pains to ensure your work looks professional—shouldn’t your invoices reflect that? Here are some pro tips to keep your invoices looking good to make your process effective and efficient.
- Details, details, details – a typical construction project entails a lot of different aspects. It’s important for you to spell everything out clearly and completely for your customer. It may all be Greek to them, but the customer wants to know your services are worth what you’re charging.
- Keep it neat and clear – this goes hand in hand with detailing your work. Since there are many moving parts to a project, you have to lay it out in terms your customer can at least partially understand. A jumbled mess of industry terms can be disconcerting to a customer.
- Automation – if you find yourself behind on your invoicing, it may be time to look into automating the process. Automation ensures accurate and prompt invoicing while saving you time and money in the long run.
When you think you’re ready to upgrade to an automated invoicing process, make sure you check out Sage Business Cloud Accounting online invoicing tools and explore how they can take your business to the next level.
Invoicing tips from business owners like you
The many facets of construction work make it hard to pin down a one-size-fits-all template—that’s why ours are so customizable. We’ve compiled some tips from business owners like you on how to most effectively carry out your invoicing process so you get paid quickly and consistently.
- Number your invoices – a seemingly small detail like a job number can frame your invoice and your company in a professional light. This makes your invoices come across as more professional. Construction projects can entail pretty steep costs, so you’ll want to make sure your invoices are well received. An invoice that appears legitimate and professional will be taken more seriously and paid sooner than something amateur. Moreover, numbers make it easier to keep track of and reference past jobs and invoices.
- Send detailed proposals – construction projects are rarely simple. The way you factor what you charge isn’t always simple, either. Making sure the general project guidelines are spelled out at the beginning of a job is beneficial to both you and your customer. Take the initiative to send a detailed proposal that clearly lays out contingencies and any costs associated with them. For instance, if a job is delayed because you are unable to access a specific part of a property and your client is not present to do so, you may or may not want to assess a fee for that setback. Additionally, you may not have been made aware of a specific problem that impedes a construction project (such as a hidden load- bearing wall or structural beam that may need to be worked around). By including your policy for work changes and making allowances for unforeseen circumstances that can hold up a project clearly laid out in your initial proposal, you’ll have a game plan already in place and there won’t be any surprises for your customer as the job moves along.
- Outline special instructions – if you have a project that is to be done in phases and you’re invoicing throughout, it’s a good idea to provide the customer with any special instructions or precautions they should take as the project is underway. This could be as simple as keeping doors to work areas closed. Notes like this let the customer know you are attentive and experienced.
Take your invoicing to the next level with Sage Business Cloud Accounting
Save time and save trees by switching to online invoicing with Sage Business Cloud Accounting. Upgrading is easy and can make all the difference when positioning your business in the modern world. An online presence is essential for businesses today—and adapting to your customers’ preferred methods of payment can set you apart from your competitors. Sage Business Cloud online invoicing digitizes and automates the billing process, making sure you get paid and your customers stay happy.
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