Question 1

Why do contractors need special invoices?

Accepted Answer

Property owners and general contractors expect invoices with clear job descriptions, materials vs. labor breakdown, deposit balances, and often lien waiver acknowledgment. Standard invoices miss these details and can delay payment or raise red flags during audits.

Question 2

Can I invoice for deposits and milestone payments?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Issueable lets you track advance payments, deposits, and balance-due amounts. Show what was invoiced, what was paid, and what remains — essential for contractor-owner relations.

Question 3

Is this invoice format accepted by property owners and GCs?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Our contractor invoice template includes industry-standard fields: line items for labor and materials, job site information, and optional lien waiver language. It's the format thousands of contractors use daily.

Question 4

Can I add lien waiver language to the invoice?

Accepted Answer

Use the notes or terms section to include conditional or unconditional lien waiver text. Lien waivers vary significantly by state — California, Texas, and Florida each have statutory forms — so paste the wording your jurisdiction requires. Issueable preserves line breaks and formatting in those fields so the language reads cleanly on the printed PDF.

Question 5

How do I invoice for change orders?

Accepted Answer

Issue change orders as separate invoices that reference the original job (use the notes field for "Change Order #2 — original invoice INV-1042") or as additional line items on a progress invoice. Keeping change orders on their own invoice simplifies disputes later: the property owner has a clean paper trail of what was added to scope and when.

Question 6

Can I bill subcontractors' work through my invoice?

Accepted Answer

Yes — list subcontractor charges as discrete line items with a clear description ("Electrical sub — XYZ Electric, 14 hrs"). Some GCs require markup transparency, so consider listing the sub's cost and your markup separately. The terms field is useful for stating payment dependencies ("Subcontractor payment contingent on owner payment").

Question 7

What payment terms are typical for contractor invoices?

Accepted Answer

Net-30 is the most common, but residential homeowners often pay on receipt and commercial GCs sometimes negotiate net-45 or net-60. State your terms explicitly on every invoice so there's no ambiguity. For larger jobs, AIA-style progress billing (deposit + milestones + final retainage release) is the norm.

Question 8

Do I need to charge sales tax on labor?

Accepted Answer

It depends on your state. Many states tax materials but not labor; some tax both; a few tax neither for residential repair work. Consult your state's department of revenue or your accountant. Issueable supports two tax lines (e.g. state + city) so you can apply the right rate to materials and exclude labor where appropriate.

Professional Contractor Invoices

Features Built for Contractor Billing

Hourly + Flat-Fee Billing

Deposit & Progress Tracking

Materials & Labor Breakdown

Contractors Rely on Issueable For

General Contractors

Plumbers, Electricians & HVAC

Renovation & Remodeling

Maintenance & Repairs

Contractor Invoicing FAQ