Free final invoice template: close out the job with one balance due
A final invoice closes out the job. Label it Final invoice, start from the estimate the customer approved, add each approved change on its own line, subtract the deposit and any earlier payments with their invoice numbers, and show one balance due with a date. Send it the day the job is finished, with your payment link or how to pay.
Nothing you type leaves your device. Everything you type into the invoice stays in this browser tab. What you type isn't uploaded, saved, or sent anywhere, so refreshing or closing the page clears it. Save as PDF before you close it.
This is a general template, not legal or tax advice. Rules on invoicing, late fees, liens, and sales tax vary by state, so check locally.
What a final invoice shows
Everything the customer needs to check the balance against what they agreed to, on one page.
- The words Final invoice, its own number, and the date the job was finished. Use the next number in your normal invoice sequence.
- The estimate the customer approved. Its number, the date they approved it, and the amount.
- Each approved change on its own line. With its change order number, the date it was approved, and the amount, with a minus sign for removed work. See change orders.
- The new job total, and tax if it applies. The estimate plus the changes, then tax, then the total. Ask your state's tax agency or a tax preparer whether sales tax applies.
- Each payment received. The deposit and any stage payments, each with its date and invoice or receipt number. If you billed the deposit with the deposit invoice template, use that invoice's number.
- One balance due with a real date. The biggest number on the page, with "Due on completion" or a date.
- How to pay, in one step. Your own payment link, who to make checks out to, or your business payment profile.
Your final invoice
Enter the estimate amount, each approved change, and each payment you've received. The new job total, tax, total, and balance due fill in for you. Gray hints and empty lines don't print.
FINAL INVOICE
| Estimate #, approved |
| Description | Qty | Unit price | Line total |
|---|
With line items shown, the estimate amount is the sum of the lines.
| CO # | Approved on | Description | Amount |
|---|
Put a minus sign in front of the amount for removed work.
| New job total | $0.00 |
| Tax rate % | $0.00 |
| Total | $0.00 |
| Payment | Date | Invoice or receipt # | Amount |
|---|
Only payments you've received, not invoices still unpaid.
| Total | $0.00 |
| Less payments received | $0.00 |
| Balance due | $0.00 |
For a job with one payment and nothing to subtract, the free invoice template is a plain version. Billing the deposit before the job starts? Use the deposit invoice template. When the balance comes in, send a receipt with the payment receipt template. Walking through the finished work first? Use the job completion form.
Example only: a filled-in final invoice
Example only: placeholders, not real amounts. Use your own numbers.
| Part | What it says |
|---|---|
| Heading | Final invoice #[number] · Date [date] · Job completed on [date] · For estimate #[number] |
| Estimate line | Estimate #[number], approved [date] · $[estimate amount] |
| Change order line | CO #[number] · Approved [date] · [Added work] · $[amount] |
| Change order line | CO #[number] · Approved [date] · [Removed work] · -$[amount] |
| Totals | New job total $[estimate plus changes] · Tax, if it applies, $[tax] · Total $[total] |
| Deposit line | Less deposit paid · [date] · Deposit invoice #[number] · -$[deposit] |
| Stage payment line | Less payment received · [date] · Invoice #[number] · -$[payment] |
| Balance due | $[balance] · Due [on completion / date] |
No surprises: every charge was agreed before
Nothing on the final invoice should be the first time the customer sees it. Every fee, such as a trip charge, disposal, permits or materials, was on the estimate or on a change order the customer approved. A new charge needs the customer's OK first; see change orders.
Line on the estimate (agreed up front)Balance due on completion. Any extra work needs your written OK and price first, and will appear on the final invoice as its own line.
Some places limit how far a final bill can go past a written estimate; check your state's rules. For how the two documents differ, see estimate vs. invoice. If you charged for the estimate and said you'd credit the fee, take it off as its own line; see should you charge for estimates?
Send it the day the job ends
Send the final invoice when the work is finished, while the customer can still see it. Walk through the work and fill in the job completion form, then send the final invoice the same day. "Due on completion" works when it was on the estimate; for other wording, see invoice payment terms. Put your own payment link next to the balance so the customer can pay in one step; more in how to write an invoice.
Example only: keep the [brackets] and fill in your own details.
Text with the final invoice, job doneHi [Name], the [job] is finished. Thanks for having me. Here's the final invoice, #[number]: $[balance] after your deposit and earlier payments, due [on completion / by (date)]. Pay here: [your payment link]. Any questions, reply here.
Send this only to the number the customer gave you for this job, about this job, one text at a time. Stop if they ask you to.
Email subjectFinal invoice #[number]: [job] at [address]
Email bodyHi [Name], thank you for having me do the [job]. The final invoice is attached. It starts from estimate #[number], adds the changes you approved (change orders #[numbers]), and takes off the payments you've already made, leaving $[balance] due [on completion / by (date)]. You can pay here: [your payment link], or by [other way]. A receipt will follow when it's paid.
Final invoice on a job billed in stages
List every stage payment you've received on its own line, with its date and invoice number, so the balance matches what's left. For setting up the stages and the texts for each one, see progress invoicing.
After it's paid, or if it isn't
When the balance is paid, send a receipt marked Paid in full with the payment receipt template. If it's late, see how to follow up on an unpaid invoice for reminders. Late fees, liens and small claims rules vary by state; check locally.
Frequently asked questions
What is a final invoice?
The last invoice on a job. It shows the full job price with the approved changes, subtracts what's already been paid, and asks for the balance.
What's the difference between a final invoice and an invoice?
A final invoice is an invoice; it's the one that closes the job. It shows the whole job and every earlier payment, not one stage. For a job with one payment and nothing to subtract, use the free invoice template.
What goes on a final invoice?
Everything listed under what a final invoice shows above: the estimate, approved changes, payments received, and one balance due with a date.
Can the final invoice be more than the estimate?
Only by the changes the customer approved, each shown on its own line. Some places limit how far a final bill can go past a written estimate; check your state's rules. See change orders and estimate vs. invoice.
When should I send the final invoice?
The day the job is finished, after the walkthrough. Record the walkthrough on the job completion form, but don't make payment depend on a sign-off; the balance is due on the terms you agreed.
What if the customer doesn't pay the final invoice?
Follow up in writing; see how to follow up on an unpaid invoice. Whether you can add a late fee, file a lien or go to small claims varies by state, so check locally.
More templates
For a plain invoice, use the free invoice template, or find yours in invoice templates by trade. Bill the deposit up front with the deposit invoice template, confirm each payment with the payment receipt template, and record the walkthrough on the job completion form.
Doing this from your phone
Pencilslip is an estimates and invoices app for solo tradespeople. The free version works today in a web browser, including at phone size (tested in Chrome at phone width; testing on a real iPhone is still to come): estimates, invoices, job photos, your own payment link, and a PDF you can send. No account needed. Free: no cap on the number of estimates or invoices on this device. It saves only in this browser on this device, so download a backup from Settings now and then.
The full app isn't out yet. Founding access is open: pre-order your first year of Pencilslip for $29, with a full refund automatically if early access isn't open by December 15, 2026 and you haven't agreed to a new date. Your year starts the day early access opens, planned for no later than December 15, 2026. See Pencilslip pricing for both options. Not ready to pre-order? Join the free waitlist below to get an email when the full app opens. You don't need it to use the free version.