Skip to main content
industry

Painting Contractor Invoice Template

A painting contractor's invoice has to let the client check the job against the estimate, surface by surface. This template gives each room or surface its own line with the area painted, the prep done (washing, scraping, sanding, patching, priming), the number of coats and the paint product, sheen and colour. Materials can go on their own lines or be included in the price, as your contract says. Larger jobs are billed in stages, usually a deposit, a progress invoice once prep and priming are done and a final invoice after the walkthrough, so the template has fields for the contract price, the amounts already invoiced and paid, and the balance. Every change after the estimate, such as an extra coat or a colour change, goes on its own line with its change order number and the date it was approved. For homes built before 1978, it also records your EPA lead-safe certification and the date the owner received the Renovate Right pamphlet. The download is an editable HTML invoice with an invoice number, dates, a line table and totals, plus labelled fields for these details. Fill it in your browser, then print it or save it as PDF.

Draft this invoice
Preview this editable document

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

What This Template Includes

  • Contractor licence number, where your state requires one
  • Contract or estimate number and date
  • Property address and year built (pre-1978 or later)
  • Interior or exterior, and each room or surface painted
  • Area painted for each surface (sq ft or m²)
  • Prep: washing, scraping, sanding, patching, caulking, priming
  • Number of coats, paint product, sheen and colour code
  • Paint and materials: gallons and price, or included in the price
  • Equipment rental, such as lifts or scaffolding
  • Stage being billed: deposit, progress or final
  • Contract price, amounts previously invoiced and paid, balance
  • Change orders: number, description, approval date and amount
  • EPA RRP firm certification number and pamphlet acknowledgment date, for pre-1978 homes

How to Create Your Painting Contractor 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

Small repaints are usually paid on completion, after the client walks through the job. For larger jobs, bill in stages that follow the work: a deposit when the contract is signed, a progress invoice when prep and priming are done and a final invoice after the walkthrough and touch-ups. Check your state's limits before you set the deposit. In California a home improvement down payment may not exceed $1,000 or 10% of the contract price, whichever is less, there is no exception for special-order materials, and later payments may not run ahead of the work done or materials delivered (Contractors State License Board). Commercial clients and general contractors usually pay on net 30 against their own payment schedule and may hold back retainage, so ask for their billing requirements before the first invoice. Write any late fee your contract allows on the invoice, and print the due date.

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

Tax Information

How sales tax works on painting depends on the state and on whether the property is a home or a business. California: under California Department of Tax and Fee Administration Regulation 1521, construction contractors are consumers of the materials they furnish and install, so sales or use tax applies when you buy the paint rather than on the client's invoice; a time-and-materials contractor that bills 'sales tax' on marked-up materials is presumed to be the retailer of those materials. Texas: labor to repaint a home is not taxable. On a separated residential contract you collect tax on the materials; on a lump-sum contract you pay tax on materials when you buy them and charge the client none. Repainting nonresidential property such as an office is taxable on the total charge, unless it is documented, scheduled maintenance (Texas Comptroller publication 94-116). The Texas state rate is 6.25%, up to 8.25% with local taxes. Other states differ, so check your state revenue department. InvoiceQuickly applies one tax percentage to the whole invoice; to tax materials only, bill them on a separate invoice with the tax rate set, or enter the tax as its own line with the invoice tax at 0%. General information, not tax advice.

Industry context (2026)

Three official rules shape painting invoices more than any market rate. Lead: the US Environmental Protection Agency's Renovation, Repair and Painting rule (contractor page updated 31 March 2026) requires firms, including sole proprietors, to be certified for paid work that disturbs paint in pre-1978 housing or child-occupied facilities, except jobs disturbing 6 sq ft or less per room inside or 20 sq ft or less outside; under 40 CFR 745.84 the firm gives the owner the Renovate Right pamphlet no more than 60 days before starting, and under 745.86 keeps records for 3 years. Deposits: California's Contractors State License Board caps home improvement down payments at $1,000 or 10% of the contract price, whichever is less. Tax: California treats construction contractors as consumers of the materials they install (Regulation 1521), while Texas leaves residential repainting labor untaxed but taxes repainting of nonresidential property unless it is documented maintenance (publication 94-116). Sources checked 27 and 28 October 2026; general information, not legal or tax advice.

Worked example

Worked example (illustrative prices, not market data): a California painting contractor repaints the exterior of a house built in 1965 under contract C-312 for $8,400, which includes lead-safe work practices because more than 20 sq ft of exterior paint will be disturbed. The owner signed the Renovate Right acknowledgment on 28 August. Invoice 1, INV-0051: deposit of $840.00, which is 10% of the contract price and so within California's limit of $1,000 or 10%, whichever is less; paid 1 September. Invoice 2, INV-0055: progress stage, scraping, sanding, containment and priming complete, $3,360.00, matching the value of work done; paid 19 September. Invoice 3, INV-0060, dated 3 October, due on receipt: Line 1: balance of contract C-312, body and trim two coats, walkthrough 2 October, 1 × $4,200.00. Line 2: change order CO-1, approved in writing 22 September, repaint detached garage doors and trim, labor 6 hours × $65.00 = $390.00. Line 3: CO-1 paint, 2 gallons × $68.00 = $136.00. Total due $4,726.00. Tax 0%: as a California construction contractor, the painter paid tax when buying the paint. Notes: 'Contract $8,400.00 plus CO-1 $526.00 = $8,926.00. Paid $840.00 (INV-0051) and $3,360.00 (INV-0055). This invoice $4,726.00 completes the contract. Colour: body SW 7036, trim SW 7006, satin. EPA RRP firm certification on file.' The three invoices add up to $8,926.00, so the client can check the final amount against the contract plus the one approved change.

Common mistakes to avoid

A deposit above the state limit

Asking a California homeowner for 30% up front on an $8,400 job breaks the down-payment rule. The limit there is $840, or $1,000 on larger jobs.

Change orders folded into room prices

If the bedroom line goes up with no explanation, the client compares it with the estimate and disputes it. Put the change order on its own line with its approval date.

Final invoice without running totals

A final invoice that shows only '$4,726.00' leaves the client to reconstruct the job. Show the contract, change orders, earlier invoices and payments.

No lead-safe record on a pre-1978 home

Without the certification and pamphlet acknowledgment on file, you cannot show the work was done under the RRP rule. Keep them for 3 years.

Charging Texas tax on residential labor

Adding 8.25% to the labor on a Texas home repaint over-charges the client. Tax only the materials on a separated contract, or nothing on a lump-sum contract.

Invoicing Tips

  • 1Give each room or surface its own line, with the area, prep and coats: 'Living room walls, 420 sq ft, patch and sand, 2 coats eggshell'. The client can check it against the estimate line by line.
  • 2Write the colour code and product on the invoice. It is what the client needs for touch-ups years later, and it settles 'that is not the colour I chose' quickly.
  • 3Put every change order on its own line with its number and approval date. Never fold an extra coat into the room price.
  • 4On staged jobs, put the running totals in the notes: contract price, each earlier invoice and payment, this invoice and the remaining balance.
  • 5For a pre-1978 home, quote and show lead-safe work practices as their own line, so the client sees why the job costs more than a newer house of the same size.
  • 6Keep your RRP records, including the pamphlet acknowledgment, for at least three years after the job: the federal rule requires it.

Related Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

What should a painting contractor invoice include?

Your business details and licence number where required, the client and property address, the invoice number and date, each room or surface with area, prep, coats and paint, materials, change orders, the stage being billed, tax where it applies, the total, what has been paid, the balance and how to pay.

Should I list paint and labor separately?

Follow your contract. Separate lines help the client compare against the estimate, and in some states they change the tax: in Texas, on a separated contract for a home, the materials are taxed and the labor is not. In California a contractor generally pays the tax when buying the paint.

How much deposit can a painting contractor ask for?

It depends on the state. For a California home improvement contract the down payment may not exceed $1,000 or 10% of the contract price, whichever is less, and no later payment may run ahead of the work done. Check your own state's licensing board before setting a deposit.

How do I bill a change order on a painting job?

Write the change order before doing the work, price the extra labor and paint, and get written approval. On the invoice, give it its own line with the change order number and approval date, for example 'CO-1, approved 22 September: garage doors and trim, 6 hours and 2 gallons'.

Do lead paint rules affect my painting invoice?

For paid work that disturbs paint in a home or child-occupied facility built before 1978, the EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting rule requires a certified firm, unless the work disturbs 6 sq ft or less per room inside or 20 sq ft or less outside. You must give the owner the Renovate Right pamphlet within 60 days before starting and keep records for 3 years.

When should a painter send the final invoice?

After the final walkthrough and touch-ups, while the job is fresh. Show the contract price, change orders, everything already invoiced and paid, and the balance due, so the client can see the final amount is the remainder of an agreed total.

Can I bill painting jobs in InvoiceQuickly?

Yes, as one invoice per stage. Describe the job and InvoiceQuickly drafts the lines for you to review. It has no deposit or progress-billing feature and no negative lines, so put running totals in the notes. One tax rate per invoice. Free covers 5 invoices; Pro is $9 a month and adds estimates clients accept online.