What it's for
This contractor invoice template bills a client for work you've done, one line per item. It adds sales tax on the lines you mark taxable, takes off any retainage withheld under your contract and any payment already received, and leaves the total due.
Nothing on it belongs to one trade, so it serves as a handyman invoice template as readily as a general contractor's. Send it when the work is done or at each billing point your agreement sets.
It keeps no contract sum, work to date or record of earlier invoices. For progress billing, where each application claims the work done to date less retainage and earlier payments, the pay application template does that arithmetic.
What's inside
The workbook has two sheets. Invoice is the page your client gets: your letterhead with a spot marked YOUR LOGO, the invoice number and dates, the client under BILL TO and the job under PROJECT. Its table has 20 lines under ITEM, DESCRIPTION, QTY, UNIT, RATE, TAXABLE and AMOUNT. Below it, the summary runs from Subtotal to Total due, beside PAYMENT TERMS, REMIT TO and NOTES.
The pale yellow cells are yours to fill in. Every other figure calculates, including the total on its bright yellow band. In the summary, that leaves you the tax rate, the retainage percent and the payments received. The sheet is protected with no password, so a formula can't be typed over by accident, and it's set to print one page wide on Letter paper.
About this template holds three steps for filling it in, a note on the example figures, the version (v2, 2026-09-24) and links to this page and four related templates.
How to fill it in
- Type your company details and license number over the letterhead, and insert your logo where the sheet says YOUR LOGO.
- Fill in INVOICE NO., INVOICE DATE and DUE DATE, then the client and job. The file doesn't work out the due date from your payment terms.
- Replace or clear the three example lines: an example left in gets billed.
- Enter one line per item. AMOUNT is QTY times RATE. Put the unit under UNIT. QTY takes numbers only, 0 or more. RATE also takes numbers, with a minus sign allowed for a credit or deduction line. A line with no quantity comes to zero and shows blank, so bill a lump sum as 1 lot or 1 ea.
- Mark each line Y or N under TAXABLE; a blank counts as N. Your state's tax agency or your accountant decides what is taxable. The file just applies your rate to the lines marked Y.
- Type the sales tax rate, with the percent sign, in the yellow box on the Sales tax row. It takes 0% to 100%, and blank means 0.
- For retainage, type the percent your contract sets beside Less retainage withheld. The file works it out on this invoice's subtotal, before tax, and shows the dollars on that row, taken off the total. It doesn't decide what rate is allowed: see retainage laws by state and retainage in construction.
- Enter any deposit or payment received on Less deposits and payments received; it takes numbers only. If payments exceed the subtotal plus tax less retainage, the total row reads Credit instead of Total due. The amount beside it, shown without a minus sign, is what the client has paid beyond this invoice.
- Fill in PAYMENT TERMS (the hint reads "for example, Net 30"), REMIT TO and any NOTES, then check the total before you send it.
The worked example
The file opens on three example lines. Each description starts with "Example:", and the About tab calls them illustrative figures, not prices to use. With the tax rate and retainage blank and no payments, the file computes:
| Item | Description | Qty | Unit | Rate | Taxable | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labor | Example: framing crew labor | 24 | hr | $65.00 | N | $1,560.00 |
| Materials | Example: lumber and fasteners | 1 | lot | $842.50 | Y | $842.50 |
| Equipment | Example: dumpster rental, 1 week | 1 | ea | $425.00 | N | $425.00 |
| Summary line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Subtotal | $2,827.50 |
| Taxable amount (lines marked Y) | $842.50 |
| Sales tax | $0.00 |
| Less retainage withheld | $0.00 |
| Less deposits and payments received | $0.00 |
| Total due | $2,827.50 |
The Y and N on the example lines show how the TAXABLE column works, not what your state taxes.
Frequently asked questions
Does the file do the math?
Yes. Each line's amount, the subtotal, taxable amount, tax, retainage and total due are live formulas, rounded to the cent.
Does it work in Google Sheets or Numbers?
Both open .xlsx files. This one has no macros, and its formulas use only ROUND, SUM, SUMIF, IF and AND. In either app, type the rates with the percent sign.
Can I add more line items?
Yes. Unprotect the sheet (there's no password), insert rows between two of the table's 20 lines so the totals take them in, and copy the AMOUNT formula into each new row. Rows added outside the table aren't counted.
Can I put my logo on it?
Yes. Insert it where the sheet says YOUR LOGO. That row is 36 pt (half an inch) tall, so a logo sized to it fits without dragging the row taller. To remove the YOUR LOGO text, choose Review > Unprotect Sheet (there is no password), then protect the sheet again.
Is it tax or legal advice?
No. The file does arithmetic on what you type. It doesn't decide which lines your state taxes, what retainage your contract or state allows, or your payment terms.