Construction and contractor invoice template
A construction or builder invoice should tie each stage payment to the agreed quote, list variations separately, and show deposits, plant hire and any CIS deduction. Download the free Excel template; it keeps labour and materials apart so tax and CIS work out correctly. Then keep supplier invoices and subcontractor paperwork together for your accountant.
On this page
What to put on a construction invoice
- Your business details, and the customer’s name and site address.
- The quote or contract reference and which stage or valuation this invoice covers.
- Variations (change orders) on their own lines, each with the agreed price.
- Materials, plant hire and skip hire shown separately from labour.
- Deposits and earlier stage payments already received.
- Any CIS deduction or retention the customer will hold back.
- Tax or reverse-charge wording, the amount due and payment terms.
Create it online or in Excel
FigureLane’s free invoice generator makes a PDF with your lines, tax and any deposit deducted, and saves it in Income with your receipts. It counts in your reports once you mark it paid.
Prefer a spreadsheet, or need a CIS deduction shown? Download the Excel template above and fill the yellow cells; it works out the amount due.
Example construction invoice
A fictional job, in US dollars before tax. The template’s first sheet holds this example; the second is blank for your own invoice.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Stage 2: first fix, per quote Q-104 (labour): 1 stage × 4,200.00 | 4,200.00 |
| Variation 1: fit additional steel beam (labour): 1 each × 650.00 | 650.00 |
| Steel beam and padstones (materials): 1 lot × 410.00 | 410.00 |
| Skip hire, 8 yard (hire): 1 week × 280.00 | 280.00 |
| Subtotal | 5,540.00 |
| Less deposit paid | -1,000.00 |
| Amount due | 4,540.00 |
Stage payments and variations
Invoice each stage against the quote so the customer can see what is left to pay. Write variations up as separate lines with the date they were agreed, rather than folding them into the stage price.
Record deposits when they arrive and deduct them on the invoice they belong to. In FigureLane, each invoice you create counts as income only once you mark it paid.
Bookkeeping for builders and contractors: what to keep
- Materials: builders’ merchants, timber and steel. Record which job each delivery went to.
- Plant and skip hire: keep hire agreements with the invoices.
- Subcontractors: their invoices, plus CIS statements in the UK or 1099 records in the US.
- Insurance and warranties: contractors’ all-risk and structural warranty fees.
- Vehicles, fuel and tools: including tools that wear out on site.
Subcontractors, CIS and 1099s
- UK, working for a contractor: under the Construction Industry Scheme the contractor deducts 20% from your labour if you are registered, 30% if not, or nothing with gross payment status. Materials you bought, VAT, plant hire and fuel are left out of that calculation. The template works out the deduction on labour lines only.
- UK, working for a homeowner: homeowners are not CIS contractors, so leave the CIS rate at 0%.
- UK reverse charge: if you are VAT-registered and invoice a VAT- and CIS-registered business that is not the end user, the domestic reverse charge usually applies. Set the tax rate to 0% and state that the customer accounts for the VAT.
- US, paying subcontractors: for 2026 payments, the IRS asks for a Form 1099-NEC when you pay a nonemployee $2,000 or more, filed and sent by 31 January. Collect a W-9 before the first payment.
- Keep each CIS statement or 1099 with the invoices it covers, and check your own position with your accountant.
A ten-minute monthly routine
- Forward emailed receipts and supplier invoices to your FigureLane collection address as they arrive.
- Photograph paper receipts on the day and upload them.
- Mark invoices paid when the money lands.
- At month end, check each figure against its original, then download an Excel or PDF report and a ZIP of originals for your accountant.
Common questions
How do I invoice a stage payment?
Reference the quote or contract, name the stage, and show the agreed amount. List any variations underneath and deduct deposits already paid, as the template does.
Does CIS apply to materials?
No. HMRC says to leave out materials the subcontractor bought, VAT, plant hire and fuel when working out the deduction. Only the labour part is deducted.
Can I use FigureLane’s invoice generator instead of Excel?
Yes: it creates a PDF with your line items, one tax rate and any deposit already paid, and saves it in Income until you mark it paid. Use the Excel template if you need to show retention or a CIS deduction.
Is this construction invoice template free?
Yes. Download and reuse it without an account. FigureLane’s invoice generator and 10 document uploads are also free to try, with no card.