Invoice templates · Painting
Painting Invoice Template — Free & Fillable
The painting invoice is where the estimate meets what actually happened: the accent wall the homeowner added on day two, the water-stained ceiling that needed stain-blocking primer, the 30% they paid to hold the start date. This template starts with a real whole-house interior — change order and deposit credit included — so the final number explains itself.
Make your painting invoice
Prefilled with a sample whole-house interior repaint — every line, the terms and the notes. Swap in your own quantities and rates, add your logo and the customer’s details, and download a clean PDF. Credits like a deposit received go in as a negative rate. No signup, no watermark.
The painting invoices you’ll actually send
Final invoice on a deposit job
Exteriors, whole-house interiors and cabinets usually start with a deposit. The final invoice repeats the approved lines, adds each signed change order below them, and subtracts the deposit — so the customer sees the original contract, what they added, and why the balance is what it is.
Single-visit interior jobs
A few rooms in a few days often skip the deposit. Invoice at the final walkthrough, with prep, walls, ceilings and trim as separate lines and paint by the gallon — or included in the per-room price; say which. Hand it over before you load the truck.
Phase and program billing
HOA and commercial repaints are invoiced by phase or by building as each one is accepted. Property managers on a unit-turn program get one monthly invoice listing each completed unit by address, which is how their accounting wants it.
What goes on a painting invoice
| Line | How it’s billed | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Prep | Hours — wash, scrape, sand, patch, caulk | $68/hr |
| Walls | Per sq ft of wall (or per room) | $1.35/sq ft |
| Ceilings | Per sq ft | $0.85/sq ft |
| Trim | Per linear ft | $1.60/ft |
| Doors | Per opening | $85 |
| Paint | Per gallon — product and sheen — unless included | $79–$98/gal |
| Lead-safe (RRP) containment | Flat, pre-1978 homes | $485 |
| Wood repair found in prep | Per linear ft, on an approved change order | $18/ft |
| Change orders | One numbered line each, with the approval date | Accent wall $185 |
| Deposit received | Negative line | 30% of the original contract |
Example prices come from the True Coat Painting demo price book (Portland, OR). Your market, crew and suppliers will differ — use them for structure, not as a rate card.
Change orders and the deposit, reconciled
The prefilled invoice above as a summary. The deposit was 30% of the original contract — not of the final total — and each change order is added after it.
| Original contract (approved proposal) | $10,555.00 |
|---|---|
| Change order #1 — accent wall, approved on site | $185.00 |
| Adjusted contract | $10,740.00 |
| Less: deposit received (30% of original) | −$3,166.50 |
| Balance due at final walkthrough | $7,573.50 |
Number your change orders and put the approval date on each line. If a homeowner questions the balance, “Change order #1, approved on site June 12” settles it; “extra work — $185” starts an argument. If you finish under scope — a room skipped, a repair not needed — credit it as its own negative line rather than editing the original price.
Payment terms and late fees
Most painters make the balance due at the final walkthrough, or within a short window like 14 days. Tie it to the walkthrough rather than a calendar date: the customer signs off on the work, gets the invoice the same hour, and pays while the rooms still look brand new.
Touch-ups are part of the job, not a reason to hold the whole balance. Write it into the proposal — “punch-list touch-ups within 7 days don’t delay the balance” — so one scuff on a door frame doesn’t become a two-week wait.
A 1.5% monthly service charge on past-due balances is common in the trade; late-fee rules vary by state, and the charge should be in the signed proposal before it appears on an invoice.
Working out what an overdue balance has accrued? Use the late fee calculator, or see Net 30 and other payment terms explained.
Lead-safe records, warranty and sales tax
On homes built before 1978, keep the lead-safe line on the final invoice so the cost is documented, and keep your RRP records: the EPA requires certified renovation firms to retain them for three years, including proof the owner received the “Renovate Right” pamphlet before work began.
Say when your warranty starts (the invoice date is simplest) and what it covers. Sales tax on painting varies: some states tax painting services, others tax only paint and materials sold, and many treat painting real property as a non-taxable service where the contractor pays tax on materials. Check your state before adding tax in the generator.
General information, not legal or tax advice — rules differ by state and change over time.
Frequently asked questions
How do I invoice a painting job?
List prep, walls, ceilings, trim and doors as separate lines in the units you quoted — hours, square feet, linear feet, openings — then paint by the gallon unless it’s included, then each change order and any repairs. Subtract the deposit, show the balance due at the walkthrough, and add your warranty terms.
How do I show a change order on a painting invoice?
One numbered line per change order with the approval date — “Change order #2: add powder room, approved 6/14” — below the original contract lines. Leave the original lines untouched so the customer can compare the invoice with the proposal they signed.
Is the painting deposit a percentage of the final total or the original price?
Of the original contract. Change orders are added on top, so the final invoice shows the original price, plus changes, minus the deposit actually paid.
Should paint be a separate line on a painting invoice?
Either works — just match the proposal. Itemizing paint by the gallon with the product and sheen helps when the customer wants touch-up paint later; folding it into per-square-foot prices keeps the invoice shorter. Say which you did in the notes.
Before the invoice: the estimate
Quoting the job first? The painting estimate template is prefilled with a real exterior repaint, with deposit terms and the fine print written — approve it, do the work, then bill it here with the same lines. Not sure which document you need? Read estimate vs. invoice, or the full invoice checklist.
More trade invoice templates
Or see all invoice templates.