Buying guideInvoicing & payments
Electrical Contractor Invoicing Software: Per-Job, Progress Billing and Retainage
How electrical contractors invoice per job or by progress, track retainage and bill service calls with materials, with templates to start.
Electrical contractor invoicing software turns finished or partly finished electrical work into invoices, collects payment and keeps track of what’s still owed. Small electrical contractors usually need to bill in two ways: one invoice per service call with labor and materials, and staged invoices (progress billing) with retainage for longer projects.
This guide explains both billing methods, the features each one needs and two templates you can copy. It’s part of our electrical series; for the wider software choice, start with best electrical contractor software by business size.
Electrical contractor invoicing per job vs. progress
| Per-job invoicing | Progress billing | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical work | Service calls, small installs, panel upgrades | Remodels, new construction, commercial fit-outs |
| When you bill | Once, at completion | In stages: by percentage complete, milestone or schedule of values |
| Retainage | Rare | Common: a share of each invoice is held until the end |
| Customer | Homeowner or property manager | General contractor or owner |
| What software must do | Fast invoice from the job, materials, card payment | Track contract value, billed to date, retainage held and released, change orders |
Many small shops do both. The key question is whether one tool can handle both well, or whether you need a field service app for service calls and a project billing tool for contracts.
Electrical service call invoice template with materials
For a service call, the invoice should show the customer exactly what was done and what was used. Copy these sections into your invoice template.
| Section | Content | Example (fictional) |
|---|---|---|
| Header | Business name, license number if your state requires it on invoices, invoice number, date | INV-1088, Oct 14 |
| Customer and site | Name, service address | Customer 0291, East zone |
| Work performed | Plain-language description | Replaced two-pole 30A breaker; tested circuit |
| Labor | Hours × rate, or flat-rate task price | Flat rate: breaker replacement |
| Materials | Each item, quantity, unit price | 1 × 2-pole 30A breaker |
| Trip or diagnostic fee | If you charge one | Diagnostic fee |
| Tax | Per your state and local rules on labor and materials | As applicable |
| Total and payment terms | Amount due, due date, payment methods | Due on receipt |
| Notes | Warranty, recommendations | Recommend panel inspection |
Field service platforms build this invoice from the job automatically when the technician adds parts on site. Jobber lists quotes, invoicing with online payments and progress invoicing; its Core plan for one user is $49 monthly or $21/month billed annually (checked October 28, 2026).
Electrical contractor time and material billing
Time and material (T&M) billing charges actual hours at an agreed rate plus materials at cost or with an agreed markup. It’s common for troubleshooting and change work where scope is uncertain. Software for T&M billing needs:
- Time tracked per job and per worker, ideally from the field app.
- Materials assigned to the job as they’re used.
- Rates and markups set per customer or contract.
- A detailed invoice the customer can check against daily records.
Agree the rates, markup and documentation in writing before the work starts. Disputes over T&M invoices usually come from missing daily records, not from the software.
Progress billing and retainage
Progress billing divides a contract into stages and invoices each stage as work advances. On many projects, the customer withholds retainage: a percentage of each invoice held until the project is complete and accepted.
Hypothetical example: a $60,000 contract with 10% retainage.
| Invoice | Work complete this period | Gross billed | Retainage held (10%) | Amount due |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30% | $18,000 | $1,800 | $16,200 |
| 2 | 40% | $24,000 | $2,400 | $21,600 |
| 3 | 30% | $18,000 | $1,800 | $16,200 |
| Retainage release | Project accepted | $0 | -$6,000 released | $6,000 |
After invoice 3 the contractor has billed $60,000 but collected $54,000; the remaining $6,000 depends on final acceptance. Software must show this balance clearly, because retainage is easy to forget once a crew has moved on.
Construction billing tools handle this directly. Knowify, for example, lists progress billing, AIA pay applications (G702/G703) with retainage tracking and change orders on all its plans, plus QuickBooks Online sync.
Electrical progress billing spreadsheet template
If you bill a few projects a year, a spreadsheet can work. Set up one sheet per project with these columns:
| Column | Formula or content |
|---|---|
| Line item | From the schedule of values (e.g., rough-in, trim, panel, fixtures) |
| Scheduled value | Contract amount for this line |
| Previously completed | % or amount billed in earlier invoices |
| This period | % or amount completed this period |
| Total completed to date | Previous + this period |
| % complete | Total to date ÷ scheduled value |
| Balance to finish | Scheduled value − total to date |
| Retainage | Total to date × retainage % |
Keep approved change orders as separate lines so the contract total stays traceable.
Electrical contractor retainage tracking spreadsheet
Track retainage across all projects on one summary sheet: project, customer, contract value, retainage %, retainage held to date, expected release date, release conditions (final inspection, punch list, lien waivers) and date received. Review it monthly. Retainage often represents a meaningful share of a small contractor’s receivables.
Electrical contractor invoicing software for small teams
For teams of two to ten, the features that matter most:
- Invoices generated from jobs, not typed separately.
- Materials captured in the field and carried to the invoice.
- Progress billing and retainage, if you do project work.
- Online payments and automatic reminders for overdue invoices.
- Accounting sync so invoices and payments reach your books without retyping. QuickBooks Online is a common destination; check which direction each integration syncs.
- Permissions so technicians can create invoices but not change prices or delete them.
Electricians billing software: questions to ask in a demo
- Can a technician add materials on site, and do they flow to the invoice automatically?
- Can I bill 30% of a contract, then 40%, and see the remaining balance?
- How is retainage shown on each invoice and on the job summary?
- How are change orders added to the contract value?
- What syncs to my accounting software, and what doesn’t?
- What does it cost per user, and is there a monthly option?
Frequently asked questions
What’s the difference between electrician invoicing software and electrical contractor billing software? They’re often the same thing. “Invoicing” usually refers to service-call invoices; “billing” often includes progress billing and retainage for contract work.
Do I need AIA forms? Only if your contracts require them. Many general contractors ask for AIA G702/G703 pay applications on commercial projects; residential work rarely uses them.
Can I track retainage in my accounting software? Often yes, with a separate retainage receivable account, but it’s manual. Project billing tools track it per invoice automatically.
Where does invoicing fit with job costing? Invoices are the revenue side of each job. Comparing them with costs is covered in our construction job costing guide and our general contractor invoicing guide.
Sources
- Knowify pricing, Knowify (accessed October 28, 2026)
- Jobber pricing and plans, Jobber (accessed October 28, 2026)
- QuickBooks Online plans and pricing, Intuit (accessed October 28, 2026)
How we researched this
This article is based on documentation research, including the sources listed above. We have not run hands-on tests of specific products for this piece. Read our research methodology. Spotted an error? See our corrections policy.