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Real Estate Invoice Template

Most real estate agents never invoice their sales commission. On a typical home sale the commission is set in the listing or buyer agreement, shown on the closing documents and paid out at settlement by the closing agent to the brokerages, and each brokerage then pays its agent under their own agreement. This template is for the fees that do get invoiced: a referral fee one brokerage owes another after a referred client closes, property management or leasing fees billed to an owner, a flat fee for a broker price opinion ordered by a lender or asset manager, and hourly consulting for an investor or attorney. Each of these needs the references the payer will match before releasing money: the property address, the closing date or service period, the agreement the fee comes from and how the amount was worked out. Invoices go out in the brokerage's name, because state license laws generally route a sales agent's compensation through their broker. The download is an editable HTML invoice with invoice number, dates, a line-item table and totals, plus the real estate fields below. Fill it in your browser and print it or save it as PDF.

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What This Template Includes

  • Your brokerage name, and the agent the fee relates to
  • Paying brokerage, owner or client, and their contact
  • Property address and file or transaction reference
  • Closing date or service period
  • Agreement the fee comes from (referral, management or engagement), with its date
  • Fee basis: referral percentage and the commission it applies to, management percentage and rent collected, or flat or hourly fee
  • Costs reimbursed at cost, with receipt reference
  • Remittance reference the payer should quote

How to Create Your Real Estate 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

Match the terms to the agreement behind the fee. A referral fee is usually due once the receiving brokerage has been paid at closing, so most referral agreements set it as payable on or soon after closing; send the invoice as soon as you know the deal has closed and print a firm due date rather than 'on closing'. Property management fees follow the management agreement: where the manager collects rent, the fee is often deducted from rent and shown on the owner's monthly statement, so a separate invoice is only needed for fees the rent does not cover, such as a leasing fee or a repair coordinated for the owner. Broker price opinions and consulting are ordinary service invoices: net 15 or net 30 is common, and a lender or asset manager may require its own vendor portal or order number. Ask for payment from brokerage to brokerage by bank transfer or check, and quote the property address in the payment reference.

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

Tax Information

United States. Federal law: under RESPA Section 8, as implemented in Regulation X (12 CFR 1024.14(b)), no one may give or accept a fee for referring settlement-service business on a federally related mortgage loan. The rule exempts payments under cooperative brokerage and referral arrangements between real estate agents and brokers, but only where everyone is acting in a real estate brokerage capacity; it does not cover fees between brokers and mortgage brokers (12 CFR 1024.14(g)(1)(v)). So a referral fee between brokerages can be invoiced; a fee for steering clients to a lender or title company cannot. State law: license laws decide who can pay or receive compensation. Florida, for example, says a sales associate may not collect any money in a brokerage transaction except in the name of their employer and with the employer's consent (section 475.42(1)(d), Florida Statutes 2025), which is why the invoice comes from the brokerage. Check your own state commission's rules. Tax: the paying brokerage may ask for Form W-9 before it pays. Whether a management or consulting fee carries sales or gross receipts tax depends on the state; InvoiceQuickly applies one tax percentage per invoice and copies saved business and client tax IDs to new invoice PDFs. General information, not legal or tax advice; last reviewed October 2026.

Industry context (2026)

Three sets of rules shape what a US real estate invoice can say. First, RESPA Section 8 and Regulation X ban fees for referring settlement services on federally related mortgage loans, with an exemption for cooperative brokerage and referral arrangements between real estate agents and brokers acting in a brokerage capacity (12 CFR 1024.14(b) and (g)(1)(v), eCFR, checked 28 October 2026). Second, state license laws route compensation through the broker: Florida's section 475.42(1)(d) is one example. Third, since 17 August 2024 NAR requires its members to sign a written agreement with a buyer before touring, stating compensation that is negotiable and not set by law; offers of compensation can no longer be published on the MLS, though sellers can still offer it (National Association of REALTORS, 'Written Buyer Agreements 101' and 'Home Sellers: What the NAR Settlement Means', accessed October 2026). None of this turns the sales commission into something agents invoice to consumers: it is still paid at closing and itemized on the Closing Disclosure. General information, not legal advice.

Worked example

Worked example (illustrative figures; commissions and referral percentages are negotiable and set by agreement): Lakeshore Realty, a brokerage in one state, refers a relocating buyer to Front Range Homes, a brokerage in another, under a referral agreement signed on 2 August 2026 that pays Lakeshore 25% of the commission Front Range receives on the purchase. The buyer closes on 18 Alder Court on 14 October 2026 at $412,000, and the settlement figures show $11,330.00 paid to Front Range (2.75% of the price). Lakeshore issues invoice REF-0031 on 15 October, due 29 October. Line 1: referral fee, 25% of $11,330.00 buyer-side commission, 18 Alder Court, closed 14 October 2026, referral agreement dated 2 August 2026, 1 × $2,832.50. Subtotal $2,832.50, tax 0%, total due $2,832.50. Notes: 'Referred agent: Dana Ruiz, Lakeshore Realty. Pay broker to broker by bank transfer to the account below, quoting REF-0031 / 18 Alder Court.' The invoice goes to Front Range's accounting contact, not to the buyer, and Lakeshore then pays Dana's share under their own agreement with the brokerage. A property management line works the same way: an 8% management fee on $2,150.00 of rent collected for November is $172.00, usually deducted on the owner statement and invoiced only if rent was not collected.

Common mistakes to avoid

Invoicing the buyer or seller for commission

Commission is set by the listing or buyer agreement and paid at closing. Sending a consumer a commission invoice outside that process creates confusion and may conflict with the agreement or state rules.

Invoicing from the agent instead of the brokerage

Referral fees and other brokerage compensation should move broker to broker. An invoice in the agent's own name can be rejected by the paying brokerage.

No referral agreement reference

The receiving broker pays against a signed agreement. Quote its date and the agreed percentage, and attach it if asked.

Billing referral fees to lenders or title companies

RESPA Section 8 prohibits fees for referring settlement-service business on federally related mortgage loans. The agent-and-broker exemption does not extend to mortgage brokers or other settlement providers.

Double-billing management fees

If the fee was already deducted from rent on the owner statement, invoicing it again is a duplicate. Reconcile the two before sending.

Invoicing Tips

  • 1Invoice referral fees from your brokerage to the receiving brokerage, not from you personally and never to the buyer or seller. Your broker then pays your share under your agreement with them.
  • 2Show the arithmetic on the line: 'Referral fee, 25% of $11,330.00 commission, 18 Alder Court, closed 14 October 2026'. The receiving broker checks it against the referral agreement and the settlement figures.
  • 3Attach or quote the signed referral agreement and its date. A referral fee without an agreement on file is the one most likely to be held back.
  • 4For property management, bill only what the owner statement does not already deduct from rent, and quote the management agreement clause for each fee.
  • 5Give a broker price opinion its own invoice with the order number from the lender or asset manager. Their systems match payments to orders, not to addresses.
  • 6Keep reimbursed costs (photography, a lockbox, a utility bill paid for an owner) on separate lines at what you paid, with the receipt reference.

Related Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

Do real estate agents send invoices for their commission?

Usually not. The commission is agreed in the listing or buyer agreement, shown on the closing documents and paid by the closing agent to the brokerages at settlement. Each brokerage then pays its agent. Invoices are for fees outside that flow, such as referral fees between brokerages, property management, broker price opinions and consulting.

How do I invoice a real estate referral fee?

Your brokerage invoices the receiving brokerage once the referred client closes. Include the property address, the closing date, the referred client's name, the referral agreement and its date, the percentage and the commission it applies to, the amount due and your brokerage's payment details. Your broker then pays your share.

Can a real estate agent invoice in their own name?

For brokerage work, generally not. State license laws usually require a sales agent's compensation to flow through their broker. Florida, for example, bars a sales associate from collecting money in a brokerage transaction except in the employer's name and with the employer's consent. Check your state commission's rules and your brokerage agreement.

Can I pay or invoice a referral fee to a lender, title company or past client?

Not for steering settlement business on a federally related mortgage loan: RESPA Section 8 and Regulation X prohibit referral fees for settlement services. The exemption covers referral arrangements between real estate agents and brokers acting in a brokerage capacity only. Many states also limit payments to unlicensed people, so check your state's license law first.

What does a property management invoice include?

The owner, the property and unit, the service period, each fee from the management agreement (for example a management percentage of rent collected or a leasing fee), any repairs or costs paid for the owner with receipts, and what was already deducted from rent. Many managers report fees on the monthly owner statement and invoice only what rent did not cover.

Who pays a buyer's agent after the 2024 NAR settlement?

It depends on the written buyer agreement, which NAR members must sign before touring a home from 17 August 2024. The agreement sets the compensation, which is negotiable; the seller may still agree to pay some or all of it, and payment normally happens at closing. It does not make invoicing buyers the norm.

Can I create a real estate invoice in InvoiceQuickly?

Yes, for referral, management, consulting and other service fees. Type or say what the fee is and InvoiceQuickly drafts an editable invoice you review before saving. Free covers 5 invoices, 5 clients and 3 AI drafts in total. Pro is $9 a month for unlimited invoices, email delivery, reminders and payment links through your own Stripe or PayPal account. It does not calculate commission splits or handle trust accounting.