Builder Invoice Template

Professional invoices for construction and building work. Itemise materials, labour, and plant hire. Invoice from the site.

What to include on a builder's invoice

• Your business name and contact details
• NHBRC registration number (for home building, per Act 95 of 1998)
• CIDB grading (if applicable for public sector work)
• Client name and site address
• Date and invoice number
• Reference to original quote or contract
• Description of work completed in this phase
• Materials itemised with quantities and costs
• Labour hours and rate
• Plant and equipment hire (if applicable)
• Subtotal, VAT (if registered), and total
• Your bank details for EFT payment

Common builder invoice items

• Cement (50kg bags): R95–120 each
• River sand (per cubic metre): R450–650
• Building sand (per cubic metre): R350–500
• Bricks (per 1,000): R1,800–3,500
• Concrete blocks (per unit): R12–18
• Steel reinforcing (per ton): R14,000–18,000
• Labour (general): R250–400/day
• Labour (bricklayer): R400–700/day
• Skilled labour (tiler/plasterer): R500–900/day
• Plant hire (TLB): R2,500–4,500/day

Example: Progress invoice for a building project

Progress invoicing for builders

Construction projects are typically invoiced in phases. A standard approach for residential building:

• Phase 1, Foundation: 15–20% of contract value
• Phase 2, Walls to wall plate: 25–30%
• Phase 3, Roof structure and cover: 20–25%
• Phase 4, Plastering, electrical, plumbing: 15–20%
• Phase 5, Finishes and handover: 10–15%

Each progress invoice should reference the original quote or contract, describe the work completed, and show the running total. A PDF invoice does not track payments for you, so keep your own schedule of what has been invoiced and paid for each site.

NHBRC and builder registration

If you build new homes or do major structural alterations, you must register with the National Home Builders Registration Council under the Housing Consumers Protection Measures Act 95 of 1998. Key points:

• Registration is mandatory for new home construction
• Each project must be enrolled with the NHBRC before construction starts
• The home buyer pays an enrolment fee (currently R1,307–R9,662 depending on value)
• NHBRC provides a 5-year warranty on structural defects
• For renovations under R500,000 that don't affect structure, NHBRC registration may not be required

Invoice from the building site

The free invoice generator works on a phone, so you can prepare a progress invoice on site as soon as a phase is signed off. For building work, fill it in like this:

• Your details: business name, contact number, address, banking details and your NHBRC number where it applies. Add your VAT number only if you are VAT registered.
• Client and site: the client name, with the site address in the client address field.
• Materials: one line per material with quantity and unit price, for example 180 bags of cement at R100 or 12 cubic metres of river sand at R550. Start each description with Materials so they group together.
• Labour: put the total days in the quantity field and the day rate as the price. Two bricklayers for 15 days is 30 days at R600.
• Plant hire: days on site as the quantity and the daily rate as the price.
• Deposits: a deposit request is simply an invoice with one line, such as Deposit for Phase 1 foundation, for the agreed amount.
• VAT: switch it on only if you are registered. The generator adds 15% and shows the subtotal, VAT and total.
• Notes: the quote or contract reference, the phase number, the contract value, the amount invoiced to date and the balance remaining.

When the preview looks right, click Download PDF and choose Save as PDF in the print dialog. Nothing is stored on wabill and refreshing the page clears the form, so save the PDF to your phone or computer before you close the tab, and keep a copy for your records. To send it, open the chat with your client in WhatsApp, tap attach and choose Document (not Gallery), so the PDF arrives uncompressed and easy to print. On a long project, keep every progress invoice PDF in one folder per site so the running total is easy to check.