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Architecture Invoice Template

Architects rarely bill a project in one invoice. The fee, whether a stipulated sum, a percentage of construction cost or hourly, is invoiced in instalments as the design phases progress, usually monthly, with additional services and reimbursable expenses on separate lines. An architecture invoice is approved when the client can check it against the agreement: which phase is being billed, its share of the fee, how complete it is, what was billed before and what this invoice adds. This template is built for that: project and agreement reference, fee basis, the construction cost budget a percentage fee is calculated on, phase or work stage (AIA phase names such as Schematic Design, or RIBA Plan of Work stages), phase fee, percent complete, previously billed and this invoice, basic services billed to date, additional services with who requested them, site visits beyond those included, consultant fees and reimbursable expenses. The download is an editable HTML invoice with invoice number, dates, a line-item table and totals. Fill it in your browser, then print it or save it as PDF.

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What This Template Includes

  • Project name, address and agreement reference
  • Fee basis: stipulated sum, percentage of construction cost or hourly
  • Construction cost budget used for a percentage fee
  • Phase or work stage (AIA phase or RIBA stage)
  • Phase fee, percent complete, previously billed and this invoice
  • Basic services billed to date and fee remaining
  • Additional services: what was requested, by whom, when, and hours or quoted fee
  • Site visits and meetings beyond those included in the agreement
  • Consultant fees passed through (structural, MEP, landscape)
  • Reimbursable expenses at cost or agreed markup
  • Permit, planning or building control references

How to Create Your Architecture Invoice

  1. 01

    Describe your work

    Type a plain English description of the services you provided, the client, and the amount.

  2. 02

    AI generates your invoice

    InvoiceQuickly's AI drafts the client, line items, dates, and totals for you to review before saving.

  3. 03

    Review, download, and send

    Check every detail, download the PDF, or use Pro to email the PDF directly to your client.

Recommended Payment Terms

Bill monthly for the work done in each phase, or at the end of each phase if your agreement says so, and use the payment period your agreement sets. An initial payment at signing is usually invoiced on its own and credited later, as the agreement describes; show it in the notes of each later invoice so the client can see it has been applied. Additional services should be agreed in writing before the work starts and billed in the month they are performed, not saved for the end of the project. Reimbursable expenses are best billed monthly on separate lines, with receipts available, because small amounts for printing, travel and fees are easily forgotten over a project that runs for a year or more.

Need help writing payment terms? Read our guide to invoice payment terms for best practices and templates.

Tax Information

In the US, architectural services are not taxed the same way in every state. New York, for example, says interior design services are subject to sales tax even when a licensed architect performs them, unless the work is the practice of architecture (Tax Bulletin TB-ST-400). Reimbursable expenses can be treated differently from fees, so check your state's revenue department for both. In the UK, VAT-registered practices charge VAT at the standard rate of 20% on their fees, and registration is required once taxable turnover passes £90,000 in a rolling 12 months. InvoiceQuickly applies one tax percentage to the whole invoice and copies saved tax IDs to new invoice PDFs; if only some lines are taxable, bill them on separate invoices.

Industry context (2026)

Architects bill against the agreement, so the useful context is what the standard agreements say and what they leave open. In the US, AIA Contract Documents describes its owner-architect agreement B101-2017 as using the traditional five phases of Basic Services (Schematic Design, Design Development, Construction Documents, Procurement and Construction) and as usable with a variety of compensation methods, including a percentage of the construction cost budget and a stipulated sum, with space for other methods such as hourly rates (AIA Contract Documents help center, B101-2017 summary, accessed October 2026). In the UK, the RIBA Plan of Work 2020 organises a project into eight stages, from 0 Strategic Definition to 7 Use, and many appointments tie fee instalments to the end of a stage. Neither document sets the fee or the share of it per phase; those are negotiated. Tax differs by place: New York's Tax Bulletin TB-ST-400 (updated 16 October 2026) treats interior design by a licensed architect as taxable unless it is the practice of architecture, and UK practices registered for VAT charge 20%.

Worked example

Worked example (illustrative agreement and figures; the fee and phase split are this contract's choices, not AIA or RIBA defaults). A practice designs a rear extension and kitchen for a fee of 10% of the owner's construction cost budget. The agreement splits the fee by phase: Schematic Design 15%, Design Development 20%, Construction Documents 40%, Procurement 5%, Construction 20%; each phase is billed on the latest budget when it is billed, and phases already billed are not revised. Schematic Design to Construction Documents were billed on a $420,000 budget: 75% x 10% x $420,000 = $31,500. After bidding, the owner's budget is $450,000. Basic services include 10 site visits during construction; extra visits are additional services at $165 an hour. INV-0057, month 9, net 30. Line 1: Procurement, 100% complete, billed on the $450,000 budget: 5% x 10% x $450,000 = $2,250.00. Line 2: Construction, 25% complete this period, phase fee 20% x 10% x $450,000 = $9,000; 0.25 x $9,000.00 = $2,250.00. Line 3: Additional site visit outside the agreed schedule, requested by the owner for the steel delivery on 14 October, 3.5 hours including travel at $165 = $577.50. Line 4: Reimbursable, printing of the construction set for the contractor, at cost: $214.60. Total $5,292.10. Notes: basic services billed to date $31,500 + $2,250 + $2,250 = $36,000; Construction phase 25% billed, $6,750 remaining; site visits used 3 of 10. The client can check every figure against the agreement and the contractor's progress without asking for a breakdown.

Common mistakes to avoid

Fee lines with no phase or percentage

'Professional services, $4,500' cannot be checked against the agreement. Name the phase, its fee, percent complete and what was billed before.

Absorbing additional services into the base fee

A client-requested redesign billed as 'progress' uses up the phase fee and leaves nothing for the remaining work. Bill it separately, with the request on record.

Unexplained changes in a percentage fee

When the construction budget changes, the fee for later phases changes too. Say which budget each line uses, and follow your agreement on whether earlier phases are adjusted.

Saving reimbursables for the end

Printing, travel and fees paid on the client's behalf are small and easily forgotten over a long project. Bill them monthly at cost or the agreed markup.

Billing every site visit

Visits included in basic services are part of the phase fee. Bill only the visits beyond the agreed number, and show how many have been used.

Invoicing Tips

  • 1Name the phase or stage on every fee line and show the arithmetic in the description: 'Construction Documents, 100% complete, 60% billed previously, this invoice 40% of the $16,800 phase fee'.
  • 2Keep a running summary in the notes: total basic services fee, billed to date, fee remaining. The client, their lender or an owner's representative will check it.
  • 3Bill additional services on their own lines with the request date and who asked ('Garage redesign requested by owner 12 Oct, 6 h at $165'). If they are absorbed into a phase percentage, the base fee runs out early.
  • 4State how many site visits or meetings the agreement includes, and bill extra visits separately with the date and purpose.
  • 5Show consultant fees you pass through at the amount the agreement allows, naming the consultant and their invoice number.
  • 6Under a percentage fee, say which construction cost budget each phase is billed on, so a change in the budget does not look like an unexplained change in your fee.

Related Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

What should an architecture invoice include?

Your practice and the client's details, invoice number and dates, project and agreement reference, the fee basis, each phase billed with its fee, percent complete, previous billing and this invoice's amount, additional services, extra site visits, consultant fees and reimbursable expenses on separate lines, the total due, a billed-to-date summary and the payment terms.

What are the AIA phases used for billing?

AIA's owner-architect agreement B101-2017 uses five phases of Basic Services: Schematic Design, Design Development, Construction Documents, Procurement, and Construction. The agreement leaves the fee and how it is split across phases to the parties, so there is no AIA-set percentage per phase.

What are the RIBA stages?

The RIBA Plan of Work 2020 has eight stages: 0 Strategic Definition, 1 Preparation and Briefing, 2 Concept Design, 3 Spatial Coordination, 4 Technical Design, 5 Manufacturing and Construction, 6 Handover and 7 Use. UK architects often agree fee instalments by stage, but the split is set in the appointment, not by RIBA.

How do architects bill a percentage-of-construction-cost fee?

Multiply the agreed percentage by the construction cost budget named in the agreement to get the fee, apply each phase's share, and invoice the portion completed. If the budget changes, the agreement decides whether later phases use the new budget and whether phases already billed are adjusted, so say which budget each line uses.

How should extra site visits be invoiced?

As additional services, on their own lines with the date, purpose, who requested the visit and the basis of the charge (hours at your rate, or a fixed fee per visit if the agreement sets one). Only visits beyond those the agreement includes should be billed this way.

Can InvoiceQuickly track phase billing for architects?

It prints the lines and notes you give it, and quantities accept two decimals, so 0.40 at a $16,800 phase fee works as a progress line. It does not keep a fee schedule, calculate billed-to-date figures across invoices, track time or sync with accounting software. Free covers 5 invoices; Pro ($9 a month) adds unlimited invoices, estimates for additional-services proposals, email delivery and payment links through your own Stripe or PayPal account.