Subcontractor Invoice Template: Free Downloads and a Worked Example

Download a free subcontractor invoice template

A subcontractor invoice template should make it easy for the general contractor to identify the job, verify the billed work and understand the amount requested. Use the billing format required by your subcontract first. When a straightforward itemized invoice is appropriate, these original templates give you a starting point:

• Printable subcontractor invoice (HTML) — open it and use your browser's Print command for a blank paper or PDF copy.
• Editable invoice line-item sheet (CSV) — blank fields for quantities, rates, amounts and supporting references.
• Supporting-document checklist (CSV) — connect the requested evidence to each billing packet.

No signup is needed. The files contain no formulas, macros or payment connection. Enter and check the amounts yourself. They are not lien-waiver forms, tax advice, an AIA payment application or a substitute for a client's required portal.

What to include on an invoice to a general contractor

Ask the GC for its billing instructions before the first invoice. Confirm the recipient, project and contract references, billing cutoff, required format and supporting documents. Do not infer a payment deadline or tax treatment from a template.

The IRS recordkeeping guide identifies invoices among business supporting documents and notes that a combination of records may be needed. An invoice, a work record and a payment record serve different purposes; preserve the links between them.

Subcontractor invoice example with checked arithmetic

In this fictional example, Cedar Finish Carpentry LLC bills a GC for approved work during May 1–15 on Demo Project B. The agreement allows an itemized current-period invoice. The example assumes no retainage and no tax adjustment; it does not recommend that treatment for your work.

In an example packet, the attachment checklist would identify WT-18, DR-09, CO-02 and CR-03. A reviewer can trace each amount to its basis without guessing which extra work was authorized. Those references and figures are illustrative, not a customer result or proof that SubDoc processed a payment.

If $1,000 was paid against a different invoice, do not deduct it from this $4,000 automatically. Reconcile each payment to the correct billing record. If this invoice itself was partially paid, show its payment reference and remaining balance in the agreed format so the same amount is not collected twice.

How to fill out the template without creating a duplicate bill

1. Identify the contract and billing method. Confirm whether the GC expects a simple invoice, a cumulative progress application, a milestone request or another format.
2. Describe the current request. State the work period and the work being billed. Keep pending changes separate from approved changes rather than implying they have the same status.
3. Complete the line-item sheet. Enter quantities and rates where that basis applies. For a lump sum, describe the authorized milestone or scope instead of inventing hours.
4. Check the total. Verify extensions, credits and the applicable treatment of tax or retainage with the person responsible for those matters.
5. Attach the supporting references. Use the checklist to identify what is attached, not applicable or still outstanding.
6. Send once through the designated route. Retain the submitted copy and receipt. If correcting it, identify the earlier invoice and explain what changed.

These are suggested preparation steps. The separate invoice approval workflow explains how the receiving team can review and route the packet; it does not make this invoice a payment authorization.

Which supporting documents should go with the invoice?

Use the contract and GC instructions to build your attachment list. Depending on the billing, relevant references may include the purchase order, approved change authorization, signed time or work tickets, delivery records and the required progress support. The downloadable checklist has a purpose field so each requested item has a clear reason.

Keep a pending document visible with an owner and next action. Do not invent a missing approval, backdate a work ticket or label a disputed change as accepted. Ask the GC how to submit unresolved items under its actual procedure.

A W-9 contains taxpayer information; it does not need to be copied into every general billing worksheet. Follow the approved vendor-tax channel. The IRS's W-9 page explains the form's purpose. Similarly, collect any required lien-waiver or insurance evidence using the appropriate process and qualified advice. This template neither creates a right to withhold payment nor supplies a waiver.

Invoice, progress application or final account?

A current-period invoice describes the charges requested on that bill. A cumulative payment application follows the contract's method for showing work to date and deriving the current request. Do not combine a current-period subtotal with cumulative figures without a reconciliation.

AIA's G702 summary describes a payment-application structure with contract status, work completed, retainage, previous payments and the current request. That is an example of a specific licensed document and process. The blank invoice here does not reproduce it or replace a required AIA form.

Use the payment application versus invoice guide when the billing method is unclear. For a final account, reconcile the agreement, changes, earlier billings, payments, credits and any remaining retainage using the required procedure. Do not mark the account fully settled merely because the invoice is titled “final.”

Are there universal subcontractor invoice requirements?

This template is not a nationwide legal checklist. The agreement, project type, applicable law and customer instructions matter. For example, FAR 52.232-27 lists proper-invoice requirements for covered federal construction contracts, including identifiers and contract-required support. Those federal terms are not a default rule for every private subcontract.

Confirm the correct treatment of sales tax, retainage, payment timing and any statutory notices with qualified advisers. Printing “Net 30” on an invoice does not itself establish that it is the applicable payment term. Keep the agreed reference rather than inventing a standard deadline.

How to correct or follow up on a submitted invoice

Ask which reference the GC uses for a correction. Keep the original record and show the new revision, the reason and the amount affected. If only an attachment was missing, ask whether the GC wants the attachment added to the existing record instead of a new invoice number.

A concise follow-up identifies the invoice, project, submission date, amount and question: “Please confirm receipt of invoice CF-026, revision 1, submitted for Demo Project B. The current request is $4,000; attachments WT-18, DR-09, CO-02 and CR-03 are included. Please identify any outstanding review item.” That is an original illustrative message, not a notice preserving legal rights.

Verify a request to change payment details through an established contact and a separate channel. The FBI's business-email-compromise guidance specifically recommends verifying changes in account numbers or payment procedures. Keep bank instructions out of a template shared publicly.

Before you send: a five-question check

• Can the reviewer identify the correct entity, project and agreement?
• Does the invoice explain the billed work and period?
• Do line items, credits and the current request reconcile?
• Can each required attachment be found by its reference?
• Is the submission a new bill, a correction or a follow-up to an existing bill?

Open the printable invoice, download the line-item sheet and use the supporting-document checklist. Save the final packet you actually sent.