The EZ Invoices Blog

Product updates, tips, and stories from the field. Built for contractors, by people who get it.

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Due on Receipt vs. Net 30: Which Should Contractors Use?

The payment terms on your invoice decide how long you wait for your money. Here is when to use each one.

November 4, 2026

EZ Invoices Team

4 min read

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Quote vs. Estimate vs. Bid: What Contractors Should Send

Customers use these words interchangeably. They are not the same, and picking the right one protects your price.

How to Invoice a Service Call (and Charge for the Trip)

A service call is short, so the bill gets skipped or underpriced. Here's how to write one that covers the drive, the diagnosis, and the fix.

Contractor Invoice Template: The Fields That Get You Paid

A contractor invoice template is only useful if the customer can see the job, the price, and how to pay. The fields that belong on every bill.

Invoice Numbers and Records: What Contractors Should Keep

A simple invoice number and a copy of what you sent will save you the next time a customer asks what they already paid. What to keep, and what an invoice is not.

How to Invoice a Property Manager or General Contractor

A homeowner can pay from the driveway. A property manager or general contractor pays when the bill matches the unit, the scope, and their process. How to write that invoice.

Year-End Invoicing Checklist for Contractors

Two months left in the year. Collect what you are owed, clean up open invoices, and get your records ready before tax season lands on you.

Close Out the Job Before You Leave the Driveway

The last five minutes on site decide whether you get paid today or chase the invoice next week. A short close-out checklist for photos, the bill, and the payment link.

Painting Invoice: Rooms, Prep, and Materials

A painting invoice that says "paint house" is how color, prep, and extra coats turn into a dispute. What to list so the customer knows what they approved.

Run Your Contracting Business From Your Phone

You are on a job site, not at a desk. A simple daily routine for estimates, invoices, and payments that fits in the truck between jobs.

Late Fees on Contractor Invoices: When and How to Use Them

A late fee only works if the customer agreed to it before the job. How to set one up, how much is reasonable, and when to waive it.

Landscaping Invoice: Visits, Materials, and Cleanup

A landscaping invoice has to cover more than "yard work." How to bill a cleanup, a planting day, or a string of visits so the customer knows what they are paying for.

How to Invoice a Roofing Job

Roofing invoices cover tear-off, materials, and work the customer cannot see from the curb. How to bill the job so the price matches the roof you actually built.

1099s for Contractors Who Hire Subs: What to Collect Now

If you pay subcontractors, January brings 1099-NEC forms. What changed for 2026, what to collect from each sub, and how to avoid the January scramble.

How to Follow Up on an Unpaid Invoice Without the Awkward Call

Most unpaid invoices are forgotten, not refused. A short, specific follow-up — with the amount, the due date, and a way to pay — collects more than a vague "just checking in."

HVAC Invoice: Service Calls, Parts, and Labor

An HVAC invoice should separate the visit, the diagnosis, the part, and the labor. How to bill a service call so the customer can see what they paid for.

Going Out on Your Own: The Paperwork Checklist for New Contractors

Leaving a crew to start your own business? The paperwork you need before the first job, from a business bank account to your first invoice.

What to Do When a Customer Disputes Your Invoice

The customer says the bill is too high. How to respond calmly, what proof settles it, and how to stop the next dispute before it starts.

Plumber Invoice: What to Include on the Bill

Plumbing invoices get disputed when the leak is already closed up. List the fixture, the hidden repair, and the parts so the customer can see what they paid for.

Electrician Invoice: What to Include So It Gets Paid

An electrician invoice should name the circuit, the device, and the labor. What to list on a service call or a small project so the customer knows what they are paying for.

Should Contractors Take Credit Cards? Fees, Pros, and Cons

Card fees feel like money lost. Waiting two weeks for a check costs more. An honest look at taking cards as a contractor.

Stop Fronting the Whole Job: Deposits and Progress Payments

You should not buy materials for a job you have not been paid to start. How to split a contractor invoice into a deposit, progress, and final payment without confusing the customer.

How to Write a Contractor Estimate a Homeowner Will Approve

An estimate gets a yes when the homeowner can see the work, the price, and what is not included. How to write one without turning it into a contract lecture.

Slow Season: How Contractors Keep Cash Coming In

Fewer calls when the weather turns. Ways to keep money coming in through the winter, starting with the invoices you already sent.

How to Set Your Hourly Rate as a Contractor

Your old wage is not your rate. How to work out an hourly rate that covers your truck, tools, insurance, and the hours you do not bill.

Sales Tax on Contractor Invoices: What to Put on the Bill

Whether you charge sales tax depends on your state and on what you are billing. How to show tax on a contractor invoice without guessing.

How to Invoice for Materials Without an Argument

Material charges cause fights when the customer cannot see what you bought or why it costs more than the shelf price. How to put materials on the invoice.

How to Write a Change Order a Customer Will Approve

Extra work that lives only in a text message is how contractors eat the cost. Write the change down, show what you found, and get a yes before you keep going.

How to Itemize a Contractor Invoice So the Price Makes Sense

Customers stall on lump-sum bills because they cannot see what they are paying for. How to itemize a contractor invoice without writing a novel.

Payment Terms for Contractors: Due on Receipt, Net 15, or Net 30

Payment terms are the date you agreed to get paid. How to pick due on receipt, net 15, or net 30 — and put that date on the invoice.

What Customers Check Before They Pay a Contractor Invoice

Most customers are not looking for a reason to refuse. They are looking for a reason to trust the number. Here is what they check, and how to answer it on the invoice.

How to Text an Invoice to a Customer (and Get It Paid)

A text gets opened. A vague text does not get paid. How to send a contractor invoice by text with the amount, the job, and a link.

Before and After Photos Belong on the Invoice

A customer who can see the work is easier to pay. Why contractors attach before, during, and after photos to the invoice, and which shots are worth sending.

Estimate vs. Invoice: What’s the Difference (and When to Send Each)

Estimates and invoices look similar but do opposite jobs. Here is the plain-English difference, when to send each one, and how to turn an approved estimate into an invoice without retyping it.

How to Get Paid Faster as a Contractor: 7 Ways That Actually Work

Late payments are a cash-flow killer. These seven practical habits — from invoicing on site to texting a card payment link — get the money into your account in days instead of weeks.

How to Write a Contractor Invoice That Gets Paid Fast (Step-by-Step)

A plain-English guide to writing a professional contractor invoice: exactly what to include, how to separate materials and labor, and how to get paid on the spot instead of waiting weeks.