Free subcontractor invoice template for billing a general contractor
A subcontractor invoice has to clear a general contractor's accounts payable desk, so it carries what that desk asks for: the subcontract number, the GC's job number, the billing period, work completed this period against the subcontract value, retainage withheld, and the lien waiver that goes with it. The sample below is an electrical sub's third billing on an $84,000.00 restaurant build-out with one approved change order: $20,470.00 billed this period, $1,023.50 held as 5 percent retainage, and $19,446.50 due. The blank PDF and CSV cost nothing.
What goes on a subcontractor invoice
| Field | What goes there |
|---|---|
| Subcontractor name, license and remit-to address | Your legal business name exactly as it appears on the subcontract and your W-9, your license number, and the address or bank details where payment goes. A name that does not match the GC's vendor record is a routine reason a sub's invoice sits. |
| General contractor and accounts payable contact | The GC's company name from the subcontract, plus the project manager who approves your billing and the AP email that receives it. Send to both. |
| Subcontract or purchase order number | The agreement number the GC assigned. Their accounting system files your invoice under it, and an invoice without one has nowhere to go. |
| GC job number and cost code | The GC's own number for the project and, if they gave you one, the cost code for your scope, such as a Division 26 code for electrical. Use their numbers, not yours. |
| Billing number, period and cutoff date | Which billing this is, the dates it covers, and the GC's cutoff it was submitted against, for example billing 3, work through March 20. GCs set a cutoff so they can roll every sub into their own pay application to the owner. |
| Original and revised subcontract value | The signed subcontract amount, the total of approved change orders, and the sum of the two: $84,000.00, $3,250.00 and $87,250.00 on the sample. Every percent on the invoice is measured against these numbers. |
| Approved change orders | Only changes the GC has signed, each with its number and approval date. Pending and disputed extras stay on your own log until they are executed. |
| Work completed this period | For each line of your scope, the amount billed before, the amount earned this period, and the percent complete to date. This is the part the superintendent checks against what is standing in the building. |
| Retainage this period and to date | The percent the subcontract lets the GC hold, the dollars withheld from this billing, and the running total held since the job started. On the sample that is $1,023.50 this period and $2,325.50 to date. |
| Prior payments and net amount due | What the GC has paid on earlier billings and the net due now after retainage. If a prior billing was short-paid or a back charge was taken, show it here so it does not disappear. |
| Attachments: lien waiver, insurance certificate and W-9 | A line listing what rides with the invoice: the conditional waiver for this payment, and a note that your certificate of insurance and W-9 are current in the GC's file. An expired certificate can hold a check as surely as a math error. |
The line-item table
| Work item | Subcontract value | Billed before | This period | Retainage 5% | Net due |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Underground conduit and slab stub-ups, 100% complete | $8,400.00 | $8,400.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Branch rough-in: conduit, boxes and wire, 90% complete | $29,400.00 | $17,640.00 | $8,820.00 | $441.00 | $8,379.00 |
| Panels, gear and feeders, 50% complete | $16,800.00 | $0.00 | $8,400.00 | $420.00 | $7,980.00 |
| Light fixtures and controls, not started | $18,900.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Devices, trim-out and final, not started | $10,500.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Change order 2: 4 circuits for walk-in cooler, approved March 9, 100% complete | $3,250.00 | $0.00 | $3,250.00 | $162.50 | $3,087.50 |
How to use this template
- Get the GC's billing rules in writing before you start. Ask the project manager for the cutoff date, the format they want, the waiver form they accept, whether billing goes through a portal, and whether the job needs certified payroll. Missing any one of these can cost a full pay cycle, and none of them are secret.
- Agree on percent complete before you submit. A few days ahead of the cutoff, walk your work with the superintendent and settle the percent for each line. An invoice that matches what the super already told the project manager gets approved without red ink.
- Bill approved change orders only. Add a change order to the invoice once the GC has signed it, with its number and date. A pending change on the invoice can get the whole billing kicked back, so track unsigned work on a separate log and push for signatures there.
- Run the retainage math the same way every time. Multiply the gross billed this period by the retainage percent in your subcontract, subtract it, and carry the held amount forward. On the sample, $20,470.00 less 5 percent leaves $19,446.50, and the held total rises to $2,325.50.
- Attach the waiver that matches the money. Send a conditional progress waiver for the amount of this invoice, dated through the end of the billing period. Hand over an unconditional waiver for a period only after that period's payment has cleared your bank.
Get paid faster
Send your preliminary notice early
In many states a sub has to notify the owner early in the job to keep lien rights. California's preliminary notice is due within 20 days after you first furnish work, and a late notice only reaches back to work done in the 20 days before it was served. California then gives a sub until 90 days after the project is complete, or 30 days after the owner records a notice of completion if that comes sooner, to record the lien. Notice names and deadlines differ by state, so look yours up before you mobilize.
Treat retainage as its own receivable
Held money does not show up as overdue on anyone's report unless you track it. Keep a running retainage total per job and bill the release the day your subcontract allows, usually at substantial completion or final acceptance.
Read the payment clause for the clock
Many subcontracts pay you only after the owner pays the GC, so your due date floats. On federal construction jobs, the prime's subcontract has to include a clause to pay you within 7 days after the government pays the prime. Know which clock you are on before you start chasing.
Keep your insurance certificate ahead of its expiration
GC accounting teams commonly hold payment when a sub's certificate of insurance has lapsed. Ask your agent to send the renewal to the GC before the old one expires, and put the expiration date on your own calendar.
Both downloads use the six headers shown here, and you can retitle Retainage 5% to match the percent in your subcontract.
Frequently asked questions
What should a subcontractor invoice to a general contractor include?
Your company name as it appears on the subcontract, the subcontract or PO number, the GC's job number, the billing period, the original and revised subcontract value, each line of work with the amount billed before and the amount earned this period, approved change orders, retainage withheld, prior payments, and the net amount due. Most GCs also want a conditional lien waiver attached and a current insurance certificate and W-9 on file.
How much retainage can a GC hold from a subcontractor?
The subcontract sets the percent, usually 5 or 10, and state law may cap it. In California, on private projects under contracts entered into on or after January 1, 2026, retention cannot exceed 5 percent of a payment or 5 percent of the contract price, with exceptions that include residential projects of four stories or less that are not mixed-use. Other states set different limits or none. This is general information, so check your state's statute and your subcontract.
Which lien waiver goes with a subcontractor invoice?
A conditional waiver for a progress payment, which only takes effect once you are actually paid. An unconditional waiver is effective as soon as you sign it, so it belongs with money that has already cleared. California prescribes four statutory forms: conditional and unconditional, each for a progress payment and for a final payment. Other states have their own forms or none, and some GCs supply their own, so read what you are signing and ask an attorney about any waiver that reaches beyond the payment in hand.
What happens if I miss the GC's billing cutoff?
Your invoice usually waits for the next cycle. Cutoffs commonly fall between the 20th and the 25th of the month, and yours is in the subcontract or the GC's billing instructions. The GC bundles every sub's billing into one pay application to the owner, and once that package is sent, a late invoice has no place in it until the following month. If you are going to be late, call the project manager before the cutoff and ask whether a pencil copy with final numbers to follow will hold your spot.
What does Staxen do for a subcontractor, and what does it cost?
Staxen is built for trade subcontractors. Ivy the Invoicer builds and sends your invoices, bills larger jobs by milestone, accepts card and ACH payments through Stripe, follows up with firmer reminders the longer a balance stays open, and syncs with QuickBooks Online in both directions. Staxen does not track retainage or produce lien waivers or AIA forms, so those stay on your side. Pricing is $59 per month per AI employee or $149 per month for all three, and the first 7 days in the app are free.