Free painting invoice template with square footage by surface
A painting invoice should show square footage by surface, meaning walls, ceilings, trim, and doors, along with the number of coats and the exact product, because those are what the client is paying for and cannot check once the paint dries. Prep belongs on its own lines too. In homes built before 1978, disturbing more than 6 square feet of paint in a room brings the EPA lead-safe rules into play, so the invoice should note the certified firm. The sample below bills a three room interior repaint, and the blank PDF and CSV are free.
What goes on a painting invoice
| Field | What goes there |
|---|---|
| Contractor details and lead-safe certification | Company name, a license number where your state licenses painting, and the EPA lead-safe firm certification number for any home built before 1978. |
| Job address and year built | The year built decides whether lead-safe rules apply. Record it on newer homes too, so nobody has to ask later. |
| Surfaces and square footage | Walls and ceilings by square foot, trim by linear foot, doors and windows by the each. Measure walls as wall area, not floor area, and say how openings were counted. |
| Coats per surface | One coat for a same color refresh, two for a color change, primer plus two over patches, stains, or a dark to light change. |
| Product, color, and sheen | Brand, product line, color name or code, and sheen for each surface. Clients reorder touch-up paint from this line years later. |
| Prep scope | Patching, caulking, sanding, spot priming, wallpaper removal, and masking, listed separately. Prep can take as long as the painting and is the first thing questioned when it is hidden. |
| Materials | Paint included in the per square foot rate or billed by the gallon, stated one way or the other. A gallon covers roughly 350 to 400 square feet per coat on smooth, previously painted walls. |
| Furniture and protection | What you moved, covered, or asked the client to clear. One line settles whether moving the piano was included. |
| Change orders | Added rooms, a color change after the first coat, or repairs found under old paint, each dated and approved. |
| Walkthrough and warranty | The walkthrough date, your touch-up policy, and the workmanship warranty period for the job. |
| Deposit and balance | Deposit received with its date and the balance due at the walkthrough. |
The line-item table
| Surface | Area | Coats | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walls, living room, eggshell | 520 sq ft | 2 | $2.10/sq ft | $1,092.00 |
| Walls, two bedrooms, eggshell | 860 sq ft | 2 | $2.10/sq ft | $1,806.00 |
| Ceilings, three rooms, flat white | 480 sq ft | 1 | $1.40/sq ft | $672.00 |
| Baseboard and door casing, semi-gloss | 210 lf | 2 | $2.25/lf | $472.50 |
| Interior doors, both sides, semi-gloss | 5 doors | 2 | $95.00/door | $475.00 |
| Prep: patch holes, repair two drywall dings, caulk trim | 1 lot | Spot prime | $385.00 | $385.00 |
| Furniture moving and floor protection | 1 lot | $150.00 | $150.00 |
How to use this template
- Measure wall area, not floor area. Perimeter times ceiling height, minus large openings, gives wall square footage. A 12 by 14 room with 8 foot ceilings has 416 square feet of wall before openings, about 2.5 times its floor area, which is why floor-based pricing undercharges.
- Let each rate cover the coats in its row. Price every line for the coats listed next to it. If a color change needs a third coat, add it as a change order rather than absorbing it or slipping it into another line.
- Give prep its own lines. Patching, caulking, sanding, and spot priming are separate from finish coats. On an old house with cracked plaster, prep can outrun the painting, and a separate line is where the client sees it.
- Record lead-safe steps on older homes. On a home built before 1978, note the year built, your certified firm number, and the date you handed over the EPA Renovate Right pamphlet, which has to happen before work starts. File that record with the invoice.
- Put the paint on the invoice. Brand, line, color code, and sheen for each surface. A client who can reorder the exact paint calls you for the next room instead of calling about a mismatched touch-up.
Get paid faster
Cover materials with the deposit
Paint for three rooms runs a few hundred dollars, and a full exterior can run well past $1,000. A deposit at signing that covers materials, with the balance due at the walkthrough, keeps you from financing the job.
Invoice right after the walkthrough
Walk the rooms with the client, tape the touch-ups, fix them, then send the invoice the same day. A client who signed off pays; one who finds a holiday after you leave holds the balance.
Show what a color change costs
Going from deep red to light gray can take primer plus two coats. When the extra coat is its own line, the client sees what the color choice added instead of wondering why the price moved.
Keep coverage math believable
At 350 to 400 square feet per gallon per coat, 1,380 square feet of walls at two coats needs about 7 to 8 gallons. If a material charge implies twice that, expect a question.
The CSV opens with Surface, Area, Coats, Rate, and Amount columns ready for an area times rate formula, and the blank PDF prints the same layout for a walkthrough sign-off.
Frequently asked questions
How do painters bill interior work?
By square foot of surface, by the room, or by the hour. Square foot pricing by surface is the most transparent: walls and ceilings by area, trim by the linear foot, doors by the each, each with its number of coats. Room pricing is faster to quote but hides the difference between a small bedroom and a vaulted living room.
What counts as prep on a painting invoice?
Everything done to a surface before the finish coats: filling holes, patching drywall, caulking trim gaps, sanding glossy paint, spot priming stains and patches, stripping wallpaper, and masking. Listing it separately shows the client the work that makes the paint last.
Does the EPA lead rule apply to painting jobs?
Yes, in housing and child-occupied facilities built before 1978 when the work disturbs more than 6 square feet of painted surface per room inside or more than 20 square feet outside. That work must be done by an EPA certified firm using lead-safe work practices. Check the year built before quoting, and note the certification on the invoice.
How much paint does a room take?
One gallon covers about 350 to 400 square feet per coat on smooth, previously painted walls. A 10 by 12 room with 8 foot ceilings has 352 square feet of wall, so two coats take about 2 gallons before ceilings and trim. Rough, porous, or dark surfaces take more.
Does Staxen work for painting contractors?
It does. Staxen's Ivy the Invoicer turns a finished job into an invoice, splits larger repaints into a deposit and milestone payments, collects card and ACH through Stripe, escalates reminders on late balances, and keeps QuickBooks Online in sync both ways. Plans cost $59 per month per AI employee, $149 per month for all three, and a painter can run the first job free without entering a card.
Start free with Staxen: your first job is on us, no card required.