Free remodeling invoice template with draws and allowances
A remodeling invoice bills one phase of a multi-trade job and still shows the whole contract: every draw in the schedule, what has been paid, allowances used against what was budgeted, and each signed change order on its own line. The sample below is draw 4 on a $46,000.00 kitchen remodel, billed when the drywall is finished, and it comes to $9,840.00 after a tile overage and a light fixture credit. Both the blank PDF and the CSV are free.
What goes on a remodeling invoice
| Field | What goes there |
|---|---|
| Contractor license, job address and rooms | Your license number, the address of the house, and the rooms the contract covers, such as kitchen and hall bath. On a whole-house job, naming the room on each line keeps one bathroom from blurring into the other. |
| Contract date and original price | The date the homeowner signed and the price on that page, before any changes. Every draw is a slice of this number, so print it on each invoice. |
| Draw number and phase | Which draw this is and the finished phase that earns it, for example draw 4 of 5, drywall hung, taped and primed. Tie it to something the homeowner can walk in and see. |
| Full draw schedule | Every draw in the contract with its amount, whether paid, due now or still ahead. One table shows how much of the job is behind you and how much is left. |
| Permit number and inspections passed | The building permit number and the inspections signed off so far, such as rough plumbing and rough electrical. A draw that follows a signed inspection card is hard to dispute. |
| Allowances budgeted and used | Each allowance from the contract with its budget and what the homeowner's selection actually cost. Tile budgeted at $6.00 a square foot and picked at $8.50 reads as arithmetic, not as a price increase. |
| Allowance overages and credits | An overage adds a line and a credit subtracts one. Printing the credits is what makes the overages believable. |
| Signed change orders | Each signed change order as a line outside the draw schedule, with its number and signing date. The contract draws stay at their original amounts so they still match the schedule the homeowner signed. |
| Payments to date | Earlier draws with the date each was paid, $19,500.00 across draws 1 to 3 in the sample. On a job that runs for months, this running total is how a homeowner keeps track of the budget. |
| Amount due this draw | The phase draw, plus change orders and allowance overages billed now, minus allowance credits. One number, with the math sitting right above it. |
| Remaining to bill | What is left on the contract after this draw. It tells the homeowner how big the last check will be before they have to ask. |
The line-item table
| Line | Contract amount | Billed before | This draw | Left to bill |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draw 1: deposit at signing | $1,000.00 | $1,000.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Draw 2: demo complete and hauled off | $6,500.00 | $6,500.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Draw 3: rough plumbing and electrical passed inspection | $12,000.00 | $12,000.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Draw 4: drywall hung, taped and primed | $8,500.00 | $0.00 | $8,500.00 | $0.00 |
| Draw 5: cabinets, tile and finishes done, punch list signed | $18,000.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $18,000.00 |
| Change order 2: add 4 recessed lights at $295.00, signed May 6 | $1,180.00 | $0.00 | $1,180.00 | $0.00 |
| Tile allowance overage: 150 sq ft budgeted at $6.00, selected at $8.50 | $375.00 | $0.00 | $375.00 | $0.00 |
| Light fixture allowance credit: $1,200.00 budgeted, $985.00 spent | -$215.00 | $0.00 | -$215.00 | $0.00 |
How to use this template
- Write the draw schedule into the contract. List every draw with a dollar amount and the finished phase that earns it: demo hauled off, rough-in inspections passed, drywall primed, finishes done. Size each draw to the cost of the phase behind it, so you are never financing the job and never billing ahead of the work.
- Bill the day the phase is done. Send the draw the day the inspector signs the card or the last sheet is primed, with two or three photos. A draw that shows up when the next phase is half finished makes the homeowner feel billed twice in a month.
- Reconcile allowances as selections are made. When the homeowner picks the tile, put the allowance math on the next draw: budget, actual, difference. Saving every allowance for the final invoice turns the last check into a negotiation.
- Bill change orders beside the draws, not inside them. Number and date each signed change order and bill it with the next draw or when the changed work is done, whichever the change order says. Folding a $1,180.00 lighting change into the drywall draw makes that draw stop matching the contract.
- Close with paid, due and remaining. Under the table, total what has been paid, what this draw asks for, and what is left on the contract. On the sample that is $19,500.00 paid, $9,840.00 due now and $18,000.00 remaining.
Get paid faster
Split a heavy final phase
When the last draw carries cabinets, tile and finishes, it can be the biggest check of the job, $18,000.00 on the sample. Adding a draw for cabinets set keeps you from carrying weeks of material and labor while the punch list gets signed.
Never let a draw run ahead of the work
California's contractor board says payments to the contractor cannot exceed the value of the work performed. Even where no rule says it, a schedule that stays even with the work is the one homeowners sign without a fight.
Say whether overages carry markup
If your contract adds overhead and profit to allowance overages, print the rate next to the overage line. A $375.00 tile overage that appears as $431.25 with no note looks like an error, even when the contract allows the 15 percent.
Note lead-safe work on older houses
Federal EPA rules cover paid work that disturbs painted surfaces in homes built before 1978 and call for a certified firm using lead-safe work practices. If containment and cleanup are in your price, give them a line so the homeowner sees the work was done.
The blank PDF and the CSV carry the Contract amount, Billed before, This draw and Left to bill columns, so a five draw schedule plus change orders and allowances fits on one sheet.
Frequently asked questions
How big can the first payment on a remodel be?
That depends on your state, and the answer shapes the whole draw schedule. California limits the down payment on a home improvement contract to the lesser of $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, which is why draw 1 on the $46,000.00 sample is $1,000.00 and not $4,600.00. Maryland's home improvement rules do not allow a deposit above one third of the contract price. Other states set different limits or leave it to the contract. This is general information, so check with your state contractor board before you print a deposit on a contract or an invoice.
How do allowances show up on a remodeling invoice?
As three numbers per allowance: the budget in the contract, what the homeowner's selection cost, and the difference. A selection that ran over adds the difference as a line, and one that came in under gives it back as a credit. On the sample, tile budgeted at $900.00 came to $1,275.00, so $375.00 is added, and light fixtures budgeted at $1,200.00 came to $985.00, so $215.00 comes off.
Should remodeling draws be tied to dates or to phases?
Phases. A draw due when rough-in inspections pass survives a rain week or a backordered cabinet, and a draw due on the 15th does not. Pick phases the homeowner can verify by looking: demo hauled off, inspection card signed, drywall primed, cabinets set. Calendar draws only make sense on long jobs with steady work, and even then the amount should track the work in place.
Can I bill for extra work the homeowner asked for out loud?
Get it in writing before you do it. A change order states the added work, the price and the effect on the schedule, and the homeowner signs it. California's contractor board says a change to the contract price must be made with a written change order that becomes part of the contract, and a well-written remodeling contract says the same in any state. Once it is signed, bill it on its own line with the number and the date.
Can Staxen send remodeling draw invoices for me?
Yes. Staxen's Ivy the Invoicer bills a job by milestone, so each draw goes out as its own invoice the homeowner can pay by card or ACH through Stripe. Reminders escalate if a draw sits unpaid, and QuickBooks Online stays in sync in both directions. Josie the Job Manager gets change orders approved by text or email. Staxen costs $59 per month per AI employee, or $149 per month for all three, and the first 7 days are free in the app.