10 Contractor Invoicing Tips to Get Paid Every Time

Tip 1: Send the Invoice Before You Leave

This is the most important tip on this list. The moment a job is done, send the invoice. Don't wait until you get home. Don't batch them up on Friday. Send it before you back out of the driveway.

Customers who receive an invoice immediately after the work is done pay faster. The job is fresh in their mind, they're happy with the work, and paying feels natural.

Tip 2: Include Detailed Line Items

Vague invoices create disputes. Specific invoices get paid.

Instead of: "Plumbing service — $450"

Use:

• Service call — $85
• Replace water heater (labor) — $200
• 50-gallon water heater (materials) — $165

When customers can see exactly what they're paying for there's nothing to dispute. Detailed line items also make it easier to justify your pricing.

Tip 3: Always Include Your Payment Options

Don't make customers ask how to pay you. Every invoice should clearly show every way they can pay:

• Cash — mention you accept it
• Check — include who to make it out to and your address
• PayPal — your email or @username
• CashApp — your $cashtag
• Venmo — your @username

FieldPay does this automatically — enter your handles once in settings and they appear on every invoice forever.

Tip 4: Use Professional Invoice Numbers

Sequential invoice numbers (#1001, #1002, etc.) make you look professional and make record keeping easy. Both you and the customer can reference Invoice #1042 instead of "the one from Tuesday."

It also helps at tax time — your accountant will thank you.

Tip 5: Handle Sales Tax Correctly

In most states labor is not taxable but materials are. Getting this wrong either costs you money or creates legal problems.

The cleanest solution: use an invoicing app that lets you mark each line item as taxable or non-taxable separately. FieldPay does this with a simple T button on each line — taxable materials, non-taxable labor, correct tax calculated automatically.

Always verify your state's specific contractor tax rules with an accountant.

Tip 6: Add a Note to Every Invoice

A brief note on the invoice — "Thank you for choosing us! Please don't hesitate to call with any questions." — does two things:

• Makes the invoice feel personal rather than transactional
• Gives the customer a reason to contact you instead of dispute

Happy customers with a point of contact pay faster and refer more business.

Tip 7: Follow Up at 3 Days and 7 Days

If an invoice is unpaid after 3 days send a friendly reminder. If still unpaid after 7 days send a firmer one. Don't wait 30 days before following up — by then the customer has spent the money.

Your 3-day reminder can be casual: "Hey, just checking in to make sure you got the invoice from Tuesday's job. Let me know if you have any questions!"

Your 7-day reminder should be more direct: "Hi, this is a reminder that Invoice #1042 for $285 is still outstanding. Please let me know when you plan to send payment."

Tip 8: Take a Photo of Completed Work

Before leaving a job site take a photo of the completed work on your phone. This protects you from disputes — if a customer claims you didn't finish the job or the work was poor quality you have dated photographic evidence.

You can also add the photo to your follow-up messages to remind the customer of the quality of work they received.

Tip 9: Keep Customer Notes

For every customer keep notes on:

• How they prefer to pay
• Any special access requirements (gate codes, dogs, etc.)
• Past work done
• Any payment issues you have had

When you show up for a repeat customer and already know their preferences it signals professionalism and builds loyalty.

Tip 10: Make It Easy to Add FieldPay to Your Phone

The best invoicing system is the one you actually use consistently. FieldPay runs in your phone's browser with no app store download — add it to your home screen and it opens full screen like a native app.

On iPhone: Open fieldpayapp.com in Safari → Share → Add to Home Screen

On Android: Open fieldpayapp.com in Chrome → three dots menu → Add to Home Screen

Once it's on your home screen it takes 2 taps to open and you're invoicing. The easier it is to access the more consistently you'll use it.