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Interior Design Invoice Template

Interior designers usually sell two different things on one project: professional design services, billed by the hour, by phase or as a flat fee, and furnishings the studio buys from trade vendors and resells to the client at cost plus a markup. The two are often taxed differently, so they work best on separate invoices. In California, separately stated professional design fees are not taxable while furnishings are; in New York City, a separately billed design fee is taxed at a lower rate than the furniture. Use this template for either invoice. The download is an editable HTML file with the invoice header, a description, quantity, rate and amount table, and fields for the project and delivery address, design phase, hours by task, each furnishing's vendor, finish and client price, your markup terms, freight and installation, the deposit received and your cancellation and restocking terms. Fill it in your browser, then print it or save it as PDF.

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Download the HTML file to edit its fields, then print or save as PDF. Totals are entered manually.

What This Template Includes

  • Project name and delivery address
  • Invoice type: design services or furnishings
  • Design phase or billing period
  • Design services by task: consultation, concept, space planning, selections, supervision
  • Hours and hourly rate per task, or the agreed phase fee
  • Furnishings: item, vendor, finish or SKU, quantity
  • Client price per item under the agreed markup terms
  • Freight, receiving and installation charges
  • Sales tax rate for the delivery address
  • Deposit received and balance due before ordering
  • Cancellation, restocking and non-returnable item terms

How to Create Your Interior Design 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 the design fee up front or in stages tied to design phases (for example concept, design development and installation), with each phase invoice due on receipt or within 14 days. For furnishings, collect before you place orders: a common structure is 50% of the furnishings invoice before ordering and the balance before delivery, or 100% for custom and non-returnable pieces. Write in your agreement what happens if the client cancels after you order, including vendor restocking fees, and when design fees are earned. The deposit invoicing and payment terms guides below cover the wording.

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

Tax Information

Sales tax on interior design depends heavily on the state. California's tax agency treats separately stated fees for bona fide professional services (consultation, layout, colour schemes, supervision of installation) as nontaxable, while fees connected with acquiring and providing furnishings are taxable, and a fee for accompanying a client to showrooms or recommending furnishings you sell is part of the taxable furnishings price. New York taxes interior design services, but in New York City a separately contracted and billed design fee is taxed at 4⅜% rather than the full city rate. InvoiceQuickly applies one tax percentage to the whole invoice, so put the design fee and the furnishings on separate invoices whenever their tax treatment differs. Ask your state tax agency or an adviser about resale certificates for buying furnishings without paying tax, and about freight and installation charges. This is general information, not tax advice; checked October 2026.

Industry context (2026)

The tax treatment of design fees is the main reason interior design invoices differ from other creative invoices. In California, a State Board of Equalization Legal Division memorandum of 29 May 1996, published by the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration as annotation 295.1509.700, says fees for bona fide professional services such as consultation, layout, coordination of furniture and fabrics, selection of colour schemes and supervision of installations are nontaxable and should be stated separately from fees related to sales of tangible personal property, while fees connected with acquiring and providing furnishings are taxable. It adds that if furnishings are billed at cost with a separately stated fee covering overhead and profit on them, the whole fee is treated as taxable unless part of it is shown to be for nontaxable services. In New York, the Department of Taxation and Finance's bulletin TB-ST-400 (page updated 16 October 2026) says interior decorating and design services are taxable at the full state and local rate, but in New York City they are subject only to the 4% state tax and the ⅜% Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District tax when contracted for and billed separately; otherwise the whole charge is taxed at 8⅞%. Annotations summarise past guidance and are not regulations, and other states take different positions, so check your own state before you set up your invoices.

Worked example

Linden & Oak Interiors designs a home office and living room for a client in California under an agreement that bills design time at $150 an hour and furnishings at trade cost plus 20%. Invoice INV-0141 (design services, phase 2, due in 14 days): initial consultation and measure, 2 hours x $150 = $300.00; concept and space plan, agreed phase fee 1 x $1,800.00; finish and colour scheme selection, 6 hours x $150 = $900.00; installation supervision, 4 hours x $150 = $600.00. Subtotal $3,600.00, tax 0% because these are separately stated professional services in California, total $3,600.00. The 3 hours spent at showrooms choosing the desk and rug are not on this invoice; they are covered by the furnishings markup. Invoice INV-0142 (furnishings, 50% due before ordering): walnut desk 1 x $2,640.00 (trade cost $2,200.00 plus 20%); task chair 1 x $780.00 (cost $650.00); 8 x 10 ft wool rug 1 x $1,560.00 (cost $1,300.00); floor lamp 2 x $330.00 = $660.00 (cost $275.00 each). Subtotal $5,640.00. Tax at 7.75%, a rate used only for illustration (check the rate that applies to the sale): $437.10. Total $6,077.10. Deposit before ordering: 50% = $3,038.55, recorded as a partial payment; balance $3,038.55 due before delivery. For contrast, if the same $3,600.00 design fee were billed separately in New York City it would carry 4⅜% tax ($157.50); combined with the furniture on one charge, it would be taxed at 8⅞% ($319.50), $162.00 more.

Common mistakes to avoid

One invoice for design and furniture

A single invoice with one tax rate either over-taxes the design fee or under-taxes the furniture in states that treat them differently. Split them into a design services invoice and a furnishings invoice.

Billing furniture at cost plus an untaxed 'procurement fee'

In California a fee tied to providing furnishings is part of their taxable price. Moving the markup into a separate fee does not make it nontaxable and can leave you owing the tax yourself.

Ordering before the client pays

Placing a custom order before the furnishings deposit clears means lending the client money for items that often cannot be returned. Invoice and collect first, then order.

Vague item descriptions

'Sofa, $3,200' invites disputes. Name the vendor, model, fabric or finish and dimensions so the invoice matches the selection the client approved.

Assuming your office tax rate applies

Rates can differ between the studio's city and the project's, and between states. Check your state's rules on which location's rate applies to furnishings you deliver, especially to another city or state.

Invoicing Tips

  • 1Issue two invoices when the tax treatment differs: one for design services and one for furnishings. Number them in sequence and cross-reference them in the notes ('Design fee invoiced separately on INV-0141').
  • 2Keep sourcing and showroom time in the furnishings price, not in the design fee. In California that time counts as part of the taxable price of the furnishings you sell.
  • 3Do not bill furniture 'at cost' with a separate procurement fee to avoid tax on the markup. California treats such a fee as taxable unless part of it is shown to be for nontaxable professional services.
  • 4Describe each furnishing precisely: vendor, item name, finish, fabric or SKU, quantity. It prevents 'that is not the sofa I approved' disputes and helps with returns and warranty claims.
  • 5State in the agreement whether the client sees your trade cost and markup or only the client price, then invoice the same way every time.
  • 6Record deposits as partial payments in InvoiceQuickly against the furnishings invoice; there is no separate deposit field, and the balance updates as each payment is recorded.
  • 7Put cancellation and restocking terms in the invoice notes as well as the agreement, so they appear on the PDF the client approves.

Related Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

What should an interior design invoice include?

Your studio name and contact details, the client and project address, invoice number, dates and payment terms, then either the design services (task, hours and rate or phase fee) or the furnishings (item, vendor, finish, quantity and client price). Add freight and installation charges, the tax rate for the delivery address, any deposit already paid and the balance due, plus your cancellation and restocking terms.

Should design fees and furniture be on the same invoice?

Usually not. In many states design services and furnishings are taxed differently, and separate invoices make the difference visible. In New York City, for example, a separately billed design fee is taxed at 4⅜% while a combined charge is taxed at the full 8⅞%. Separate invoices also let you bill design fees by phase while collecting furnishings payments before you order.

How do interior designers bill for furniture?

Most buy from trade vendors and resell at cost plus an agreed markup, or at the retail price, with the client paying a deposit before the order is placed. The invoice lists each piece with its client price. The markup percentage is a business decision set in your agreement; there is no standard rate.

Is interior design taxable?

It depends on the state. California does not tax separately stated bona fide professional design fees but does tax furnishings and fees connected with providing them. New York taxes design services, at a reduced rate in New York City when billed separately. Check your own state's guidance before your first invoice.

How much deposit should an interior designer take?

Designers commonly take a design retainer at signing and collect at least half of the furnishings cost before ordering, and the full price for custom or non-returnable items. The right amount depends on your vendor terms and how much you can afford to carry if a client cancels.

Can I create interior design invoices in InvoiceQuickly?

Yes. Type or say what you billed and InvoiceQuickly drafts an editable invoice for you to review. Each invoice has line items, one tax percentage and one discount percentage. You can record full or partial payments on every plan. Pro adds estimates the client can accept in a portal, email delivery and Stripe or PayPal payment links. It does not calculate markup, keep a product library, send purchase orders to vendors or apply different tax rates to lines on one invoice.