An editable architect invoice with work stages, fee basis, statutory fees, plus a filled-in example. Download it for Word, Excel or Google Docs without an email gate.
Word, Excel, Google Docs and PDF. No email required.
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INVOICETemplate preview · Example
01
Bill to
The Mercer Family, with contact, address and PO reference.
02
Line item
Feasibility and brief: Site visit, measured survey review, options. Fixed fee at $2,200.00.
03
Total due
$13,958.00, due in 14 days.
04
How to pay
Bank transfer details or a card payment link, and your late payment terms.
What to include on a architect invoice
A architect invoice is a request for payment for work you’ve delivered. It needs to be clear enough that the client’s accounts team can approve it without coming back to you.
Field
Why it matters
Invoice number and date
Unique, sequential numbers make payments easy to match and keep tax records tidy.
Your details and the client’s
Business names, addresses and, if registered, your tax or VAT number.
Line items
What you did, how much and at what rate, in terms the client recognises from the agreement.
Due date and how to pay
An actual date, bank details or a payment link, and any late payment terms.
Work stage
Ties the fee to the design stage completed
Fee basis
Shows whether the fee is fixed, percentage or hourly
How architects usually bill
Architects price as a percentage of construction cost, a fixed fee per work stage (such as RIBA Plan of Work stages in the UK or AIA phases in the US), or hourly for small commissions.
Invoice at the end of each work stage, or monthly in proportion to stage progress.
Pass statutory fees through at cost on separate lines.
Record additional services, such as client changes after sign-off, as their own lines.
Example: billing a two-storey rear extension
Fold Architects split the fee across work stages and invoice each stage on completion. When the clients changed the layout after concept sign-off, the extra drawings were billed as an additional service on their own line, and the planning application fee was passed through at cost.
The template
Invoice details
Invoice number: [INV-0001]
Invoice date: [Date]
Due date: [Date — e.g. 14 days after the invoice date]
Work stage: [Work stage]
Fee basis: [Fee basis]
From
Business name: [Your business name]
Address: [Address]
Email: [Email]
Tax or VAT number: [If registered]
Bill to
Client: [Client company]
Contact: [Name, email]
Address: [Address]
Client reference or PO: [If provided]
Line items
Item
Description
Qty / time
Rate
Amount
Feasibility and brief
[Site visit, measured survey review, options]
[Qty]
[Rate]
[Amount]
Concept design
[Two layout options and 3D massing]
[Qty]
[Rate]
[Amount]
Planning application
[Drawings, design statement and submission]
[Qty]
[Rate]
[Amount]
Technical design
[Building regulations drawings and specification]
[Qty]
[Rate]
[Amount]
Planning fee (passed through)
[Local authority application fee]
[Qty]
[Rate]
[Amount]
Totals
Subtotal: [Amount]
Discount: [If any]
Tax: [Rate and amount, if you’re registered]
Total due: [Amount and currency]
Payment
Payment terms: [e.g. 14 days]
How to pay: [Bank details or payment link]
Late payment: [Your late payment terms, if any]
Notes
[Anything the client needs to know, such as what the invoice covers, a reference to the approved quote or timesheet, or when final files will be released.]
How to fill it in
Add your business details and the client’s, including any purchase order or reference they gave you.
Give the invoice the next number in your sequence and set the invoice and due dates.
List each item of work using the same names as your quote or agreement, such as “Feasibility and brief”.
Show quantities, rates and amounts, then the subtotal, any discount, tax if you’re registered, and the total.
Fill in the work stage and fee basis, then add how to pay and your payment terms.
Check it against the agreement, attach what backs it up (for architects, usually ties the fee to the design stage completed), and send it as a PDF or payment link.
Use it in Word, Excel, Google Docs or PDF
Microsoft Word
Download the Word (.docx) file and open it. If Word opens it in Protected View, select Enable Editing.
Use Find (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F) and search for “[” to jump between the placeholders you need to replace.
Save a clean copy as a Word template (File → Save As → Word Template) so every new document starts from it.
Google Docs
Upload the .docx file to Google Drive.
Right-click it and choose Open with → Google Docs, then File → Save as Google Docs to keep an editable copy.
Use File → Make a copy for each new client so your master stays clean.
Excel and Google Sheets
Download the Excel (.xlsx) file. It has a blank sheet and a worked example.
Enter quantities, hours and rates: amounts, totals and tax calculate with built-in formulas.
To use Google Sheets, upload the file to Drive and choose Open with → Google Sheets; the formulas carry over.
PDF
Use Print or save as PDF in the template section above to print just the template, or fill it in Word or Google Docs first and export it (File → Save As → PDF in Word, File → Download → PDF document in Google Docs).
Example: Fold Architects invoice for The Mercer Family
A filled-in example for a two-storey rear extension. Both companies are fictional.
Invoice details
Invoice number: INV-0142
Invoice date: 3 June
Due date: 17 June
From: Fold Architects
Bill to: The Mercer Family
Line items
Item
Description
Qty / time
Rate
Amount
Feasibility and brief
Site visit, measured survey review, options
Fixed fee
$2,200.00
$2,200.00
Concept design
Two layout options and 3D massing
Fixed fee
$3,800.00
$3,800.00
Planning application
Drawings, design statement and submission
Fixed fee
$3,200.00
$3,200.00
Technical design
Building regulations drawings and specification
Fixed fee
$4,500.00
$4,500.00
Planning fee (passed through)
Local authority application fee
1 item
$258.00
$258.00
Totals
Subtotal: $13,958.00
Tax: Not charged in this example
Total due: $13,958.00
Payment terms: 14 days, by bank transfer or card link
Notes
Thank you for your business. Please quote the invoice number with your payment.
Send invoices from Angelwood
Angelwood’s invoicing creates invoices with line items, tax and discounts, can build an invoice from approved billable time, and lets clients view and pay through Stripe in their portal.
Name each line the way your quote or agreement did. If the client can match “Feasibility and brief” to what they approved, the invoice gets paid without questions.
02
Bill the way architects get paid.
Invoice at the end of each work stage, or monthly in proportion to stage progress. Architects price as a percentage of construction cost, a fixed fee per work stage (such as RIBA Plan of Work stages in the UK or AIA phases in the US), or hourly for small commissions.
03
Keep the evidence close.
Record additional services, such as client changes after sign-off, as their own lines. Reference the approved quote, timesheet or report behind each invoice, so any query is answered in one message.
Split the total fee across stages, such as feasibility, concept, planning and technical design, and invoice each stage on completion or monthly by progress. Show the stage on the invoice.
What payment terms should I put on an invoice?+
Fourteen or thirty days are the most common. Write the actual due date on the invoice as well as the terms, and include every way the client can pay.
Do I need to number my invoices?+
Yes. Give every invoice a unique number in sequence, such as INV-0042. It makes payments easy to match and is required for tax records in many countries.
Can I edit this template in Word or Google Docs?+
Yes. Download the Word (.docx) file and open it in Microsoft Word, or upload it to Google Drive and choose Open with → Google Docs. There’s also a Markdown version for any text editor. No account or email address is needed.
How do I save it as a PDF?+
Fill it in, then export it: File → Save As → PDF in Word, or File → Download → PDF document in Google Docs. On this page you can also print just the template or save it as a PDF from your browser’s print dialog.
Does the Excel version calculate totals?+
Yes. Enter quantities, hours and rates and the amounts, subtotal, tax and total calculate automatically. It also works in Google Sheets: upload it to Drive and open it with Google Sheets.