What should a general contractor invoice include?

A general contractor invoice needs your business name and license number, the client and project address, an invoice and draw number, the contract sum, the schedule of values or phase being billed, the percent complete, work completed this period, materials stored, any retainage held back, prior payments, the current amount due, and payment terms. On larger jobs it should reference the contract and any required lien waiver.

How does progress billing work for contractors?

Progress billing splits the contract into phases or a schedule of values and invoices a percentage as each phase completes, rather than one bill at the end. Each draw shows the contract sum, the percent complete, work done this period, retainage withheld, and the net due. It keeps cash flowing through a long job and keeps the owner paying for visible progress.

What is retainage on a contractor invoice?

Retainage is a percentage, often five to ten percent, that the owner withholds from each progress payment until the project is complete and accepted. Show it as a separate line on every invoice so both sides track the running held-back balance, and bill the accumulated retainage on the final invoice.

Do I need a lien waiver with my invoice?

On many commercial and larger residential jobs, the owner or lender requires a signed lien waiver exchanged for each payment. A conditional waiver is given before payment clears and an unconditional one after. Reference the waiver on the invoice so payment is not held up by missing paperwork.

The general contractor invoice template that gets you paid

A general contractor invoice has more moving parts than a one-trade bill: your name and license number, the project and draw number, the contract sum, the phase or schedule of values, percent complete, work done this period, materials stored, retainage held, prior payments, and the net due. Copy the layout below into Google Docs or Excel and you have a draw that an owner or lender can approve without a single follow-up question.

We run our own home-service companies — a cleaning company in Tucson and an HVAC company in Sacramento — and the GC lesson is about cash flow: do not wait until the end. Progress billing tied to a schedule of values keeps money coming in through a long job, and clean retainage tracking keeps the final payment from turning into a negotiation.

What a progress invoice looks like

[Your Construction Co.] License #________

Invoice #2026-0089 · Draw 3 of 6 · Date: 06/14/2026

Project: Smith addition · 14 Oak St.

Contract sum: $84,000

Framing (100% complete) .................... $18,000

Rough-in (60% complete this period) ........ $ 9,600

Materials stored on site ................... $ 2,400

Work + materials this draw ................. $30,000

Less retainage (10%) ....................... -$ 3,000

Net due this draw .......................... $27,000

→ License number and contract reference — ties the invoice to the signed agreement so an owner or lender can match it fast.
→ Schedule of values by phase — framing, rough-in, finishes, each with percent complete. This is what turns "trust me" into approvable progress.
→ Materials stored as a line — bill for material delivered but not yet installed so you are not floating it out of pocket.
→ Retainage held separately — show the percent withheld each draw and the running balance so the final payment is no surprise.
→ Prior payments and net due — the running math an owner needs to cut the check without a phone call.

Mistakes that delay payment

📉 Billing only at the end

Waiting until completion on a long job means you finance the owner's project for months. Progress draws tied to a schedule of values keep cash moving.

🧾 No schedule of values

A lump "30% done" gets questioned. A phase-by-phase breakdown with percentages is what an owner or lender approves without sending it back.

🔒 Forgetting the lien waiver

On many jobs payment is exchanged for a signed waiver. Reference it on the invoice so a missing form does not stall an otherwise approved draw.

💼 Losing track of retainage

If you do not track the held-back balance every draw, the final invoice becomes a debate. Show retainage as a line so the running total is never in question.

When a simple invoice is all you need

Not every job needs draws and retainage. A plain invoice is enough when:

• The job is small and short — a bathroom refresh or a deck you finish in a week. A deposit plus a completion invoice covers it.
• The client is a homeowner paying directly, with no lender requiring draws or waivers. Match the paperwork to the job.
• You send a handful of invoices a month. The re-keying is not costing you real time yet.

Construction accounting software earns its place once you run multiple projects with schedules of values, retainage, lien waivers, and subs to pay. Until then, a clean spreadsheet template and a pay-online link keep you organized without the overhead.

Where the website fits

Invoicing is the back end of a job you already won. The harder part is filling the pipeline — being the general contractor a homeowner finds and trusts before they call three others. That is the part we handle: a hand-built site with project galleries, reviews, and 24/7 AI lead capture that turns searches into named, callable leads.

Our Start Getting Leads plan is $249/month — site, AI lead capture, hosting, and updates, month-to-month, and you own everything. See general contractor website design, SEO for contractors, our estimate template, or read our honest take on what local SEO costs. The AI receptionist catches calls while you are walking a site.

We don't post stock testimonials. On a 15-minute call we screen-share the real dashboards behind our own businesses — live leads, rankings, and the exact page that produced each one. See the proof →

Common questions

How does progress billing work?

Split the contract into phases or a schedule of values and bill a percentage as each completes. Each draw shows contract sum, percent complete, work this period, retainage, and net due, keeping cash flowing through a long job.

What is retainage?

A percentage, often five to ten percent, the owner withholds from each payment until the job is complete and accepted. Show it as a line every invoice and bill the accumulated total on the final draw.

When do I need construction software?

Once you run multiple projects with schedules of values, retainage, lien waivers, and subs to pay. Below that, a clean spreadsheet template and a pay-online link keep you organized.

Want more projects to invoice?

Send your company name and city — we'll confirm your market is open and build a working website demo within 48 hours. Free, no card, no commitment.

Prefer email? [email protected]