Painting invoice template

Two coats, cut lines a laser would envy, and every outlet cover back on straight — the invoice should read as clean as the walls. This template pre-fills a painter's real line items, starting with the one clients never see coming: the prep.

Use this template — free, no signup Opens in the generator with the line items below pre-filled. Runs 100% in your browser — nothing is uploaded.

What's pre-filled

Line item	Qty	Rate
Surface prep — patch, sand, caulk & mask	1	your rate
Interior painting — [rooms / area], 2 coats	3	your rate
Trim, doors & ceilings	1	your rate
Paint & materials — [brand, sheen] (gallons)	6	your rate
Notes: Colors: [names/codes]. Two coats throughout; touch-up walkthrough completed [date]. Leftover paint labeled and left with client.
Terms: One-third deposit to schedule; balance due on completion after final walkthrough. Workmanship warrantied for 2 years.

Rates are left blank on purpose — they're yours. Edit every line once it's open.

What to put on a painting invoice

Prep as a visible line — patching, sanding, caulking, masking. It's half the job and the whole difference between you and the low bid; on the invoice it finally gets paid like it.
Labor by room or by square foot — “Interior painting: 3 bedrooms + hallway” scopes itself. Whole-house lump sums are where change requests go to hide.
Paint spelled out — brand, line, sheen, gallons, coats. “2 coats Duration, eggshell” justifies the price and answers the touch-up question two years from now.
Trim, doors and ceilings separated — the fiddly brushwork that doubles the hours should never be invisible inside a walls price.
Deposit and walkthrough terms — a third down to schedule, balance after the blue-tape walkthrough. The invoice records both.

Invoicing tips for painters

Invoice the prep or lose it. Unprepped walls are why cheap paint jobs look cheap — but if prep hides inside the labor number, the client compares your bid to the guy who skips it. A named prep line educates the client and armors your price at the same time.

Do the walkthrough before the invoice is due. Balance-on-walkthrough beats balance-on-someday: walk the rooms with the client and the blue tape, fix the misses that afternoon, and collect against an invoice whose terms said exactly this would happen.

Leave the paint, note it on the invoice. Labeled leftover gallons plus the brand/color/sheen recorded in the notes turns your invoice into the house's paint registry. It's a five-minute courtesy that gets you the touch-up calls, the referrals, and the repaint in five years.

Open the painting template →

Frequently asked

How do painters price jobs — by square foot or by room?

Both are common: per-square-foot for large or empty spaces, per-room for occupied homes with normal prep. Whichever you quote, itemize prep, walls, trim and materials separately on the invoice so the price explains itself.

Should painters take a deposit?

Yes — commonly a third (up to half for color-matched or special-order materials) to reserve the schedule, balance due after the final walkthrough. Both halves belong in the invoice terms so payment timing is pre-agreed.

Does paint go on the invoice separately from labor?

Yes — list brand, line, sheen, gallon count and number of coats. It documents the quality level the client paid for, prevents mid-job product downgrades from being invisible, and gives everyone the reorder info for touch-ups.

More free invoice templates

← Billotter: the free, private, in-browser invoice generator