Painter invoice example (with a full breakdown)

Below is a complete, filled-in invoice for a typical painter job, with every part explained. Copy the structure, change the figures, or open the same layout in the generator and download it as a PDF.

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A worked painter invoice

INVOICE

INV-2026-0042

Your business name

Your address, City, State ZIP

(555) 000-0000

Bill to

Mr. and Mrs. Harrow

9 Westbrook Ave, Portland, OR 97214

Work performed

Interior repaint — two bedrooms and hallway, walls and trim, two coats

DescriptionQtyRateAmount
Internal painting - labour (per day)2$180.00$360.00
Preparation: filling, sanding and masking1$120.00$120.00
Materials - paint and sundries1$95.00$95.00
Subtotal$575.00
Sales tax (your own rate, where it applies)—
Total due$575.00

Payment due within 15 days. Licensed and insured — your contractor license where your state requires one, plus your lead-safe certification for pre-1978 homes.

The tax line is left blank on purpose: rates and rules vary by state and locality, and you enter your own rate in the generator.

Why it's laid out like that

The lines follow how the job was actually priced: a price per room or per square foot, prep work priced separately, and paint and sundries either supplied by you or by the customer. Each part is separately checkable, which is the whole point — a customer who can verify the bill pays it.

A deposit at booking on larger jobs, progress billing weekly on anything running more than a week, and the balance on walkthrough sign-off.

Common questions

Per room or per square foot?
Per room reads better to homeowners, per square foot reads better to builders and property managers. Show the basis you used either way.
Should I take a deposit?
On material-heavy jobs, yes — enough to cover the paint. Some states cap deposits on home improvement contracts, so check your own.
How many coats should the invoice say?
Exactly what you did, per surface. Coat count is the most common source of painting disputes.

Make it in the browser instead

Fill in the job, download the PDF. Free, unlimited, no account. Already set up for painting work in US dollars.

Open the free painter invoice generator

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