How do I invoice as a contractor?

Send a professional invoice the day the job is finished. Include an invoice number, your business and client details, an itemised list of labour and materials, the total with tax, a specific due date, and a payment link. Starting from your original quote makes this nearly instant, and sending immediately is the biggest lever on how fast you get paid.

When should a contractor send an invoice?

The moment the job is complete — ideally before you leave the site. Every day of delay is a day added to when payment arrives. Contractors who invoice the same day routinely get paid within a week; those who wait several days often wait several weeks.

Should a contractor invoice include a payment link?

Yes. A card payment link lets the client pay in about 30 seconds instead of logging into online banking and initiating a transfer. Invoices with a payment link typically get settled 7–10 days faster than those that rely on bank details alone.

How to Invoice as a Contractor

The step-by-step process

Invoicing well is not complicated, but the order and the timing matter. Here is the process that gets contractors paid fastest.

Invoice the day the job is done. Ideally before you leave the driveway. Every day you wait to send is a day added to when you get paid.
Start from your quote. If you quoted the job, the line items and client details already exist — converting a quote to an invoice should take one tap, not a fresh build.
Itemise the work. List labour and materials clearly so the client sees what they are paying for. Vague invoices ("services rendered — $1,400") invite questions and delay payment.
State a specific due date. "Due by July 9, 2026" beats "Net 30" — concrete dates get paid faster, especially with homeowners.
Include a payment link. Let the client pay by card in 30 seconds rather than logging into their bank.
Send it and set reminders. Follow up automatically at day 7, 14, and 30 if it goes unpaid.

For the full list of fields a compliant, professional invoice needs, see What to Include on a Contractor Invoice.

The mistakes that delay payment

Most slow payment is self-inflicted. These are the avoidable causes.

Waiting days to send. The job finishes Friday, the invoice goes out Wednesday, the client's pay run was Tuesday — now you are a week behind for no reason.
No payment link. Bank-transfer-only invoices require the client to log in, find your details, and act. Most mean to and keep not getting around to it.
Vague or missing due dates. "Payment appreciated" sets no expectation. An open-ended invoice sits at the bottom of the pile.
No follow-up. Not chasing an overdue invoice because it feels awkward is the single most expensive habit in the trade.

Fix speed and friction and most invoices get settled within 10 days. See How to Get Paid Faster as a Contractor for the full playbook, including copy-paste reminder templates.

Doing it fast, every time

The reason contractors invoice late is rarely laziness — it is that invoicing on a phone at a job site is slow. If creating an invoice takes ten minutes in a clunky app while you are tired and the client is waiting, it gets deferred to "later," and later turns into next week.

The fix is making invoicing take under a minute. Fieldpaid turns an approved quote into an invoice with one tap, attaches a card payment link, emails it to the client immediately, and pushes it to QuickBooks so your books stay in sync — all before you leave the driveway. It then chases the payment automatically if it goes unpaid.

How to Invoice as a Contractor: A Step-by-Step Guide That Gets You Paid