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Contractor Invoicing Software
Contractor invoicing software for progress billing & project costs.
Invoice by milestone, track every subcontractor dollar, and protect your margins on every project. A general contractor bills across weeks or months of work, with material purchases, subcontractor costs, permit fees, change orders, retainage holdbacks, and progress milestones all generating separate line items on a single project.
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Milestone progress billing
Subcontractor cost tracking
Retainage holdbacks
Milestone reached
Invoice one click away
Retainage
Tracked across projects
The Problem
Why General Contractor Invoicing Is Different
Most invoicing software is designed for simple transactions: service performed, invoice sent, payment received. General contracting does not work that way. One missed line item on a $200,000 renovation is not a rounding error, it is thousands of dollars in lost profit.
The reality
One project, many line items
- A signed contract with a 10-20% deposit before work begins
- Progress payments tied to completion milestones
- Material purchases billed at cost-plus markup
- Subcontractor invoices passed through to the client
- Change orders, retainage holdbacks, and a final invoice
What generic tools get wrong
Simple invoices force workarounds
- No progress billing tied to project milestones
- Nowhere to track subcontractor costs and markup
- Change orders left undocumented and unbilled
- Retainage forgotten, so money owed slips away
- Spreadsheet workarounds mean double entry and errors
With Bella FSM
Built for construction billing
- Milestone progress invoices from the project record
- Subcontractor costs tracked with cost-plus markup
- Change orders documented with client approval
- Retainage calculated and released at project close
- One set of numbers for office, PM, and field
What contractor billing must handle
Key features of Bella FSM contractor invoicing software
Construction billing spans months, milestones, subcontractor costs, change orders, and retainage. Bella FSM captures every line item so a $200,000 project doesn't leak profit through the cracks.
Milestone Progress Billing
Define billing phases, deposit, framing, rough-in, finish, final. Invoice each one as it completes, straight from the project record.
Subcontractor Cost Tracking
Record sub invoices against each project, apply cost-plus markup, and compare actual costs to your original estimates in real time.
Change Order Billing
Document scope changes with photos and client approval, then adjust the contract value and add the line item to the next invoice automatically.
Retainage & Holdbacks
Calculate 5–10% holdbacks on each invoice, track total receivable across projects, and generate the release invoice at closeout.
Cost-Plus & Pass-Through
Bill materials and sub labor with itemized markup so every pass-through cost lands on the client invoice instead of your margin.
One Financial Picture
Payment history and job-costing reports tie every invoice back to the client record and the project budget, so office and field share one truth.
Bill as milestones are reached
Keep cash flowing
Progress Billing Tied to Project Milestones
Progress billing is the backbone of general contractor cash flow. You cannot wait until a three-month project is complete to send an invoice. When combined with the trade scheduling tools, your office staff can see exactly which milestones have been reached and generate the corresponding invoice without calling the job site for updates.
- Define billing milestones when creating the project (deposit, framing complete, rough-in, finish, final)
- Generate milestone invoices directly from the project record
- Track completed vs remaining billing against the total contract value
- Send milestone invoices digitally with supporting documentation attached
- Monitor payment status for each milestone across all active projects
1-click
invoice at every milestone
invoice at every milestone
Cash Flow Tip · Bill On Time
Set up project milestones before day one on site
Set up your project milestones in Bella FSM before the first day on site. When each phase is complete, the invoice is one click away instead of an end-of-month scramble to reconstruct what was done.
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60–70% of project cost, tracked
Protect your margin
Track Subcontractor Costs & Pass-Through Billing
On most general contracting projects, subcontractor labor and materials represent 60-70% of total project cost. If you are not tracking these costs in real time, you cannot know your actual margin until the project is over. With subcontractor details stored in the customer and subcontractor records hub, payment history and performance records are always accessible when awarding new work or negotiating rates.
- Record subcontractor invoices against specific projects
- Track cost-plus markup percentages for materials and labor
- Compare actual subcontractor costs against original estimates
- Generate client invoices that include itemized sub costs with markup
- Monitor total subcontractor spend vs budget across all active projects
Approval before work begins
Protect your profit
Change Order Documentation & Billing
Change orders are where general contractors either protect their profit or silently absorb costs. When a homeowner upgrades countertops mid-project or a commercial client adds a second bathroom, the scope changes. Undocumented change orders are one of the top causes of profit erosion for small to mid-size general contractors — Bella FSM creates that paper trail automatically.
- Create change orders tied to the original project and contract
- Document the scope change with descriptions, photos, and cost impact
- Capture client approval with digital signatures before work begins
- Automatically adjust the total contract value and remaining billing
- Include change order line items on the next progress invoice
$25K–$50K, never lost track of
Money owed to you
Retainage & Holdback Management
On commercial projects, property owners typically hold back 5-10% of each progress payment as retainage. This amount is released only after the project passes final inspection and the punch list is complete. For a $500,000 project, that is $25,000-$50,000 sitting in holdback. Without retainage tracking, contractors often lose track of money owed to them.
- Record retainage percentages per project at contract setup
- Calculate and display holdback amounts on each progress invoice
- Track total retainage receivable across all active projects
- Generate the final retainage release invoice when the project closes
One set of numbers
One connected operation
How Invoicing Connects with CRM & Scheduling
Contractor invoicing should not exist in a silo. When billing data is disconnected from your project schedule and client records, you end up with errors, delays, and frustrated clients. Client records in the customer and subcontractor records hub stay synchronized with every invoice, and completed phases in the trade scheduling tools trigger billing automatically.
- Completed project milestones automatically flag for invoicing
- Client contact information pre-populates from client records
- Payment history feeds back into the client profile for a complete financial picture
- Subcontractor billing connects with scheduling for accurate cost allocation
- Job costing reports compare estimated vs actual revenue and costs
Frequently Asked
Frequently Asked Questions About Contractor Invoicing Software
What is contractor invoicing software?
Contractor invoicing software is a billing platform built for the complexity of construction projects. It handles progress billing, subcontractor cost tracking, change orders, retainage, and milestone-based payments that generic invoicing tools cannot support.
Can contractor billing software handle progress payments?
Yes. Bella FSM supports staged billing tied to project milestones. You can define payment phases when creating the project, then generate invoices as each milestone is completed.
Does contractor invoicing software track subcontractor costs?
Yes. Bella FSM allows you to record subcontractor invoices against specific projects, track markup percentages, and compare actual costs against original estimates to protect your margins.
How does contractor invoicing software handle change orders?
Bella FSM lets you create change orders tied to the original project, document scope changes with client approval, and automatically adjust the contract value and billing schedule.
Does contractor invoicing software integrate with scheduling?
Yes. Bella FSM connects scheduling with invoicing so completed milestones can trigger invoice generation. Client and project details flow through the system without duplicate data entry.
Bill with confidence
Stop chasing payments and start billing with confidence.
Invoice by milestone, track every subcontractor dollar, document every change order, and never lose track of retainage again. Start your free trial with Bella FSM today — no credit card required.
What you get on day one
- Milestone progress billing from the project record
- Subcontractor cost tracking with cost-plus markup
- Change orders with digital client approval
- Retainage tracking and release invoices
- Billing that stays in sync with client records and scheduling