Free labor invoice template for labor-only work
A labor invoice bills the work and nothing else, because the client, builder or general contractor bought the materials. It lists crew hours or a per unit labor rate, such as per board, per square or per square foot, carries no material lines, and says in writing who supplied the materials and who stands behind them. The sample below is a drywall crew billing a builder $9,858.00 to hang and finish a house, and the blank template is free as a PDF or a CSV.
What goes on a labor invoice
| Field | What goes there |
|---|---|
| Crew or company name and license | Who did the work, with a license or registration number where your state requires one for the trade. Supplying only labor does not by itself take you outside your state's licensing rules, so check them. |
| Client and job or lot number | The builder, GC or homeowner you are billing, and their job name, lot number or address. Production builders pay by lot, so the lot number matters more than your invoice number. |
| Labor-only statement | A plain line near the top: labor only, all materials furnished by others. It stops anyone from reading the total as an installed price. |
| Who supplied the materials | The name of whoever bought and delivered the materials. If a delivery ticket or sheet count exists, reference it, since your quantities start from what showed up. |
| Work dates and crew size | The days you were on the job and how many people worked. Four hangers for three days explains a per board total better than the total does alone. |
| Unit and measured quantity | What you count and how many: boards hung, squares laid, square feet finished. Agree before the job starts whether the count comes from the delivery ticket, a plan takeoff or a field measure. |
| Labor rate per unit | The agreed price per board, per square or per square foot, with different rates on separate lines. Fire-rated board in a garage and ceilings over 10 feet usually carry their own rate. |
| Hourly lines for extras | Work that does not fit a unit price, such as scaffold work, patching after other trades or waiting on a late delivery, billed at an agreed hourly rate with a signed ticket. |
| Workmanship warranty | What you stand behind, which is the installation. Defects in material the client bought go back to the client's supplier, and the invoice should say so in one sentence. |
| Sales tax line or note | Tax on labor depends on the state and sometimes on the type of job. Show the tax or state why none is charged, so the client's bookkeeper does not have to guess. |
| Total due and pay schedule | The amount owed and the pay date. Crews get paid every week, so most labor-only agreements pay weekly or on completion, and the invoice should print which one applies. |
The line-item table
| Description | Unit | Qty | Labor rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hang 1/2 in. drywall, 4 x 12 sheets, walls and ceilings | board | 186 | $16.00 | $2,976.00 |
| Hang 5/8 in. type X, 4 x 12 sheets, garage | board | 34 | $18.00 | $612.00 |
| Tape and finish to level 4, house | sq ft | 8,928 | $0.55 | $4,910.40 |
| Fire tape to level 2, garage | sq ft | 1,632 | $0.30 | $489.60 |
| Scaffold work at stairwell, 2 hangers for 6 hours | hr | 12 | $58.00 | $696.00 |
| Patch after plumbing reroute, signed ticket 14 | hr | 3 | $58.00 | $174.00 |
How to use this template
- Put labor only on the bid and the invoice. Write that materials are furnished by others on the quote, the agreement and every invoice. If a client later compares your number to an installed price from someone else, the paper already explains the difference.
- Agree on the count before you start. Decide whether quantity comes from the delivery ticket, the plans or a field measure. On drywall, 186 boards delivered and 186 boards billed leaves nothing to debate.
- Give each rate its own line. Standard board, fire-rated board, finishing by level and high work each get a line with their own rate. One blended number per square foot makes every extra look like padding.
- Bill extras by the hour with a ticket. When another trade cuts into finished work or a delivery leaves the crew standing, write a ticket that day, get it signed, and bill it as hours on the next invoice.
- State the tax treatment. Look up how your state treats installation labor on this kind of job and print the result: a tax line, or a note that no tax applies. Ask your state revenue department or a CPA if you are not sure, because the rule can change with the job type.
Get paid faster
Photograph materials when they arrive
You did not buy the materials, so document their count and condition on delivery. A photo of a wet or broken bunk of board, sent to the builder before you hang it, keeps the replacement labor from becoming your cost.
Limit your warranty to workmanship in writing
Say that you warrant the installation for a stated period and that material defects are the supplier's or the owner's to resolve. Without that sentence, a failed product can turn into a callback you pay for.
Price waiting time before it happens
Labor-only crews lose money when materials are late or the site is not ready. Put a standby rate in the agreement, even a modest hourly one, so a lost morning becomes a line on the invoice.
Know a square from a square foot
Roofing labor is priced by the square, which is 100 square feet of roof, while drywall and flooring labor are priced by the square foot or the board. Print the unit on every line so a rate of $85.00 is never read against the wrong measure.
Unit and Labor rate columns come in the blank PDF and CSV with no material lines, so per board, per square and hourly lines all fit one table.
Frequently asked questions
Is labor taxable on a contractor's invoice?
It depends on the state and often on the kind of job. In Texas, for example, the Comptroller says labor on new construction and labor to repair or remodel a residence is not taxable, while the total charge to repair or remodel nonresidential property is taxable, labor included. Other states draw the line in other places. This is general information, so confirm with your state revenue department before you add a tax line or leave one off.
What does labor only mean on an invoice?
It means the price covers the work of installing or building and none of the materials. The client, builder or GC buys and delivers the materials, and the installer bills hours or a per unit rate for putting them in. The invoice should say materials furnished by others so the total is never mistaken for an installed price.
Should I bill labor by the hour or by the unit?
Use a unit rate where the work is repeatable and countable: roofing by the square, drywall by the board or square foot, flooring and framing by the square foot. Use hours for work nobody can count ahead of time, like repairs, extras and standby. Many crews use both on one invoice, with unit lines for the base work and hourly lines for everything outside it.
Who is responsible when client-supplied materials fail?
Generally the installer answers for workmanship, and the party who bought the materials deals with the manufacturer or supplier over defects. That split only holds up if it is written down, so put a workmanship-only warranty in the agreement and repeat it on the invoice. If you see damaged or wrong material at delivery, report it before you install it, since it is much harder to argue about once it is on the wall.
Can my crew send labor invoices from a phone with Staxen?
Yes. Staxen runs on the web, iOS and Android in English and Spanish, and the client needs no app or login. Ivy the Invoicer builds the invoice, takes payment by card or ACH through Stripe, sends reminders that escalate once a balance is overdue, and syncs QuickBooks Online both ways. Month to month, it is $59 per month per AI employee or $149 per month for all three.