Free excavation invoice template
A dirt-work invoice is not a generic invoice. It bills machine hours, loads, material and extras, and the customer wants to match each line to something they saw. Use the layout below, then fill it in with the free invoice generator and download a PDF.
What should an excavation invoice include? The job address and dates, what the invoice is billed against (the estimate, contract or change orders), and line items grouped by type: machine hours, operator time, loads hauled, imported material, disposal fees, mobilization and extras. Then any deposit already paid, any retainage held, tax if you charge it, the total due and your payment terms.
The lines a dirt-work invoice needs
Machine, size and hours, billed at your hourly rate. Operator on its own line if you bill it separately.
Loads times your per-load rate, with the haul ticket numbers on the line so a disputed load can be matched.
Fill, stone or topsoil brought in, by yard or ton.
Moving the machine to the site and back, as its own line.
One line per approved change order, with its number.
Deposit as a credit, retainage as a held-back line, so the amount due now is clear.
More on the pieces: mobilization, retainage, time and materials, change orders, deposits and progress billing and what to keep on haul tickets.
Example invoice, printable
Sample numbers only. Put in your own rates.
| Description | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excavator, 3 hours | 3 hr | $150.00 | $450.00 |
| Operator | 3 hr | $60.00 | $180.00 |
| Loads hauled off, tickets 1041 to 1046 | 6 loads | $120.00 | $720.00 |
| Stone, imported | 12 tons | $30.00 | $360.00 |
| Disposal fee | 1 | $85.00 | $85.00 |
| Mobilization | 1 | $250.00 | $250.00 |
| Change order 1: extra 20 ft of trench | 1 | $300.00 | $300.00 |
| Subtotal | $2,345.00 | ||
| Less deposit paid | -$500.00 | ||
| Less retainage held (10% of subtotal) | -$234.50 | ||
| Due now | $1,610.50 | ||
Also add the job address, dates, what you are billing against, your payment terms and your company details. Lien and payment rules vary by state, so check yours.
Common questions
The job address and dates, what the invoice is billed against (the estimate, contract or change orders), and line items grouped by type: machine hours, operator time, loads hauled, imported material, disposal fees, mobilization and extras. Then any deposit already paid, any retainage held, tax if you charge it, the total due and your payment terms.
Yes. Getting the machine to the site and back is real cost that does not depend on how many hours it digs, so it reads cleaner and holds up better as its own line than buried in the hourly rate.
Give each approved change order its own line with its number and amount, so the customer can match it to what they signed. Extras with no signed change order are a common source of invoice disputes.
A deposit shows as a credit line under the subtotal. Retainage is the part of the amount the customer holds back until the job is finished, shown as its own line so both sides can see what is due now and what is still held.
No. Late fee limits and lien notice rules vary by state, so check yours before you put them on an invoice. This template does not state any.
Yes, on Pro and up. TrackOver turns the finished job into an invoice, and once you set up payments the customer can pay by card or bank link. You can also record a check or cash. The 7-day free trial, with no card needed, includes invoicing.
Related: estimate template, excavation invoicing software, invoicing for excavation contractors, TrackOver for excavation.
TrackOver turns the finished job into an invoice without retyping. Invoicing is on Pro and up, and the 7-day free trial, with no card needed, includes it.
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