Builder Invoice Template AustraliaFree, ATO-Compliant & Ready to Use
A free progress-claim invoice template for Australian sole-trader and small-business builders. Covers staged payments, variations and provisional sums, with a place for your builder's licence number - because unlike most trades, what counts as licensed work changes sharply from state to state. Or skip the template and use Invio to raise the next claim from site.
No credit card • GST calculated automatically • Send from your phone
The template
A filled-in builder progress claim, shown at A4 widthExample figures, not a real jobAToowong Constructions Pty Ltd
22 Bunya Street
Toowong QLD 4066
0413 550 208
ABN: 91 305 682 417
TAX INVOICE
BCLAIM-0142
Issue: 14 Sep 2026
Due: 28 Sep 2026
Sent
Bill To
Owen & Kate Sharplin
9 Bunya Street
Toowong QLD 4066
| CDescription | Amount |
|---|---|
| Progress claim 2 of 4 - Lock-up stage. Windows, doors and external cladding closed in, per contract dated 3 Jun 2026 | A$48,000.00 |
| Variation V-03 - upgrade to double-glazed windows, approved 2 Sep 2026 | A$3,200.00 |
| Provisional sum reconciliation - site cover. Allowed $1,800.00, actual $2,150.00 | A$350.00 |
BPayment Details
Please use the following details to make a payment.
Bank: Westpac
Account name: Toowong Constructions Pty Ltd
Account: 4815 3390
BSB: 734-102
Reference: CLAIM-0142
Notes
QBCC Licence No: 0000000 Progress claim 2 of 4 - Lock-up stage, per contract dated 3 Jun 2026. Lock-up stage complete 12 Sep 2026, inspected 13 Sep 2026. Retention held under the contract: 5% of this claim ($2,577.50), retained to practical completion. Amount payable this claim: $54,127.50.
Thank you for your business!
What this invoice should carry
Sixteen fields, in four groups, keyed to the letters on the sample claim above. Where a value is shown, it is the one you can read off it.
Your business details
Business or trading name
On the sample: Toowong Constructions Pty Ltd
ABN, required on every tax invoice
On the sample: 91 305 682 417
Builder's licence number and class (state-dependent)
On the sample: QBCC Licence No: 0000000
Phone number and email
On the sample: 0413 550 208
Physical or postal address
On the sample: 22 Bunya Street, Toowong QLD 4066
Claim identifiers
Claim number, sequential for your records
On the sample: CLAIM-0142
Claim date and the stage or contract reference
On the sample: 14 Sep 2026, contract dated 3 Jun 2026
Payment due date
On the sample: 28 Sep 2026
BSB and bank account for payment
On the sample: BSB 734-102, Acc 4815 3390
Job and line items
The claimed stage or milestone
On the sample: Progress claim 2 of 4 - Lock-up stage, $48,000.00
Approved variations, each referencing its own variation number and approval date
On the sample: Variation V-03, approved 2 Sep 2026, $3,200.00
Provisional sum reconciliation
On the sample: Site cover - allowed $1,800.00, actual $2,150.00, $350.00
Retention, described in the notes as a deduction from the amount payable - not a negative line item
On the sample: 5% of this claim ($2,577.50), retained to practical completion
GST breakdown
Subtotal, GST at 10% (applied before retention is netted off), and the GST-inclusive total, as three separate lines
On the sample: $51,550.00 / $5,155.00 / $56,705.00
Customer's identity - name and address, or their ABN - required for invoices of A$1,000 or more
On the sample: Applies here - the Sharplins' name and address, shown in Billed To, satisfy it
Builder licensing thresholds, state by state
There is no national builder licence in Australia. Every figure below was checked directly against that state's own regulator on 28 September 2026 - several widely-repeated figures online do not match what the regulators actually publish.
State
Licence needed above
Mechanism
NSW
A$5,000
labour + materials, incl. GST - the same general threshold as any other trade, not "no minimum"
Contractor licence, NSW Fair Trading, under the Home Building Act 1989 (nsw.gov.au, checked 28 Sep 2026)
QLD
A$3,300
labour + materials, incl. GST - the lowest of any state
Building licence, Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) (qbcc.qld.gov.au, checked 28 Sep 2026)
VIC
A$10,000
domestic building work generally, labour + materials + GST
Registered building practitioner, Building and Plumbing Commission - it replaced the Victorian Building Authority on 1 Jul 2025 (consumer.vic.gov.au, checked 28 Sep 2026)
SA
A$20,000
raised from A$12,000 on 10 Nov 2025 - work below this is "minor domestic building work", not licence-exempt work
Building work contractor's licence, Consumer and Business Services (CBS) (cbs.sa.gov.au, checked 28 Sep 2026)
WA
A$20,000
general threshold; Class 10a structures (sheds, garages, carports) sit at A$50,000 since 1 Jul 2026, not A$20,000
Registered building contractor, Building and Energy (wa.gov.au, checked 28 Sep 2026)
ACT
No simple floor
A$12,000 is the CEILING of the lowest licence class (Class C), not a "no licence below this" threshold - some class of builder licence is needed at any value
Construction Occupations (Licensing) Act 2004, Access Canberra / City and Environment Directorate Planning (planning.act.gov.au, checked 28 Sep 2026)
NT
A$12,000
"prescribed building work" needing registration; separately, an owner-builder needs a registered contractor above A$25,000 on a duplex or multi-unit build
Registration, NT Building Practitioners Board (nt.gov.au, checked 28 Sep 2026)
TAS
No simple dollar figure
a licence is required unless the work is minor "Category 1" work or eligible owner-builder work - A$20,000 is a DIFFERENT figure (mandatory written contract + the state building levy), not the licensing threshold
Building Services Provider licence, Consumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS), under the Building Act 2016 (cbos.tas.gov.au, checked 28 Sep 2026)
Put your licence number and class on every invoice regardless of value - several states license SOME class of building work at any dollar figure. Check your own state or territory regulator before quoting outside your usual patch; a figure repeated on an aggregator site is not the same as the regulator's own page.
How to fill out a builder progress claim
Follow these steps at every claim stage to get paid on schedule and keep the paper trail clean.
1
Fill in your business and licence details
Add your trading name, ABN, your builder's licence number and class, address, phone, and email at the top. If you trade as Toowong Constructions Pty Ltd, use that - not your personal name.
2
Number the claim and reference the contract
Use a sequential claim number - CLAIM-0142 after CLAIM-0141 - and reference the contract date and which stage this claim covers. This ties your billing to the agreed schedule.
3
Add the client details
For claims A$1,000 or more you must include the customer's identity - name and address is the simplest way to satisfy this. Almost every claim on a real build crosses that threshold.
4
List the stage, variations and provisional sums separately
Describe the claimed stage precisely, then list each approved variation on its own line with a reference and approval date, and reconcile any provisional sum against what was allowed. Never fold a variation into the base contract price.
5
Calculate GST on the full claim, before retention
Multiply the claim subtotal by 0.10 to get GST, and show subtotal, GST, and claim total as three lines. GST applies before retention is netted off - retention comes off the GST-inclusive total, not the other way around.
6
Describe retention in the notes, not as a negative line
State the retention percentage, the dollar amount, when it is released, and the net amount payable this claim - for example, "Retention held under the contract: 5% of this claim ($2,577.50)... Amount payable this claim: $54,127.50."
7
Add your bank account details and send
Include your BSB and account number and ask the client to use the claim number as the payment reference. Send it on schedule at each stage - a claim that arrives late is a payment that arrives late.
Common builder invoice mistakes
These mistakes slow payment, create disputes, or put you offside with your state's Security of Payment legislation.
No reference to which contract stage the claim covers
e.g. "Progress claim - $51,550" with no stage or contract reference
The client - or their bank, for a construction loan drawdown - cannot approve payment without knowing what milestone was reached. Name the stage and the contract date.
Retention shown as a negative line item instead of described in the notes
e.g. A "Retention" line at -$2,577.50 sitting inside the subtotal
Show retention as a clearly worded deduction in the claim notes - the percentage, the dollar figure, and the net amount payable - rather than a negative invoice line. It keeps the GST-on-full-claim treatment correct and matches how a claim actually reads.
Variations folded into the base contract price
e.g. "Lock-up stage plus extras - $51,200" with no variation reference
Most Security of Payment Acts require variations to be separately identified and priced, with an approval reference.
No licence number on the invoice
e.g. Claim with no licence reference anywhere
One of the first things a dispute panel or a client's lawyer checks if a payment claim is challenged. Several states license SOME class of building work at any value, so include it regardless.
Assuming a state's general threshold has not changed
e.g. Quoting SA work under $20,000 as licence-exempt based on the old $12,000 figure
Thresholds move - SA raised its figure from $12,000 to $20,000 on 10 November 2025, and WA introduced a separate $50,000 figure for sheds and garages from 1 July 2026. Check your own state's regulator, not a figure you learned a year or two ago.
What goes on the lines, and what it usually costs
A progress claim is not priced per hour - it is staged against a contract value. Typical Australian residential-building splits, not a pricing rule.
Staged payments
Typical share of the contract value
Deposit, at signing
Share of contract
5 - 10%
Some states cap the deposit percentage for domestic building contracts.
Base/slab, frame, lock-up, fixing
Share of contract, per stage
~15 - 25% each
Splits vary by contract - the worked example above claims the lock-up stage.
Completion/handover
Remaining balance, less retention
Remainder
The final claim, after which retention is tracked separately to release.
Retention
Withheld from each claim, released later
Retention
Per claim, released at practical completion
5 - 10%
Set by your contract, not by a single national rule. GST still applies to the full claim before retention is netted off.
Payment terms
Set by your state's Security of Payment legislation
Payment schedule reply window (NSW)
Business days
10 business days
Every state and the NT has its own Security of Payment Act giving builders a statutory right to progress payments.
These are staging conventions, not a $/hr price guide - a builder invoice is a progress claim against a contract sum, not an hourly rate. GST itself is 10% on top of the claim subtotal, applied before retention is netted off - use the free GST calculator to check a figure.
Why Invio beats Word and Excel for builders
A spreadsheet is a fine starting point for one job. Most builders move to proper software once they are running several claims across several sites.
Send claims from site
Add the stage, variations, and provisional sum reconciliation from the job before you drive off. No spreadsheet to update back at the office.
Before you drive off
GST calculated automatically
Invio does the 10% for you on every claim and shows subtotal, GST, and total correctly - no formula to accidentally break mid-build.
10% on every claim
Saved clients and jobs
Store each client and job once. Claim 3 of 4 for the same build? Two taps and the claim is half-filled already.
Two taps
Payment reminders built in
Invio sends automatic follow-ups on their own when a claim goes overdue, and stops the moment it is paid - so you are not the one making awkward calls mid-build.
Automatic follow-ups
ATO-compliant every time
Every Invio invoice has the right fields: ABN, GST breakdown, date, customer identity when required. You can't accidentally send a non-compliant claim.
Every required field
PDF ready to email or print
Send the claim by email directly from Invio, or download a clean PDF for the client's records or their bank.
One click
What a builder's invoice carries that the others do not
Every AU trade invoice needs the same GST and ABN basics. Past that, the paperwork splits by trade - here is what is specific to building work.
8 states, 8 rules
Licensing is set by each state, and it genuinely varies
NSW, QLD, VIC, SA, WA, ACT, NT and TAS each set their own threshold and regulator - see the table above. Carpenters sit under the same framework in most states, with one exception: the ACT requires no licence for carpentry itself, even though it licenses builders.
5 - 10%
Retention, described in notes, never a negative line
A percentage of each progress claim withheld until practical completion. GST applies to the full claim before it is netted off - see the retention example above.
V-03
Variation orders, their own line
Each approved variation gets its own line with a reference and approval date, never folded into the base contract price - the single biggest cause of payment disputes on residential builds.
Claim, not invoice
A progress claim bills against a running total
A multi-stage build is billed in claims against a contract value, with retention tracked claim to claim - a structure none of the other trades in this batch need.
Builder Invoice FAQs
Common questions from Australian builders about progress claims, licensing, retention, and getting paid.
Do I need to itemise retention on every claim, or just show the net total?
Can I invoice for a variation separately from the base contract claim?
What happens if a client does not pay a progress claim on time?
Does my licence number need to appear on every invoice, even below my state's threshold?
Does GST apply to retention when it's eventually released?
How does licensing actually vary between states?
Can I send progress claims from my phone on site?
Send every progress claim correctly, from site
Invio is free for sole traders. Set up your rates once, send GST-compliant progress claims from site with your ABN, licence details and BSB saved, and keep retention tracked claim to claim without a spreadsheet to update back at the office.
Free to start • GST calculated automatically • No credit card required