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Contractor Invoicing Software
General 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.
Milestone progress billing
Subcontractor cost tracking
Retainage holdbacks
Milestone reached
Invoice one click away
Retainage
Tracked across projects
In plain English
What is general contractor invoicing software?
General contractor invoicing software is a billing system for construction projects that get paid in stages rather than all at once. It holds the contract value, splits it into milestone draws, records subcontractor and material costs with markup, adds approved change orders, withholds retainage where the contract calls for it, and turns each finished phase into an invoice the client can review and pay.
Remodels and custom homes
For a remodeler or home builder, residential contractor invoice management means a deposit, then framing, rough-in, finish, and final draws, each billed the day the phase wraps up.
Commercial builds with retainage
On commercial work the owner holds back 5-10% of every progress payment. GC billing management software tracks that holdback and produces the release invoice once the punch list closes.
Bella FSM covers both ends. It works as residential contractor billing management software for a two-person remodeling crew and scales to a GC running a dozen active projects. 14-day free trial, no credit card.
56% of small businesses are owed money on unpaid invoices, $17,500 on average, and 47% carry invoices more than 30 days overdue, per the QuickBooks 2025 late payments data summarized in the 2026 State of Small Field Service Businesses.
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 software 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 route scheduling and dispatch tools, your office staff can see exactly which milestones have been reached and generate the corresponding invoice without calling the job site for updates.
Residential contractor billing management from deposit to final
- Define billing milestones when creating the project (deposit, framing complete, rough-in, finish, final)
- Generate milestone invoices directly from the project record
- Send milestone invoices digitally with supporting documentation attached
Construction progress billing software that tracks what is left to bill
- Track completed vs remaining billing against the total contract value
- Monitor payment status for each milestone across all active projects
That is the line between construction billing software and a generic invoice app: the milestone plan drives every bill. Residential contractor invoicing management works the same way, with fewer draws and a shorter punch list.
Explore route scheduling & dispatch
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 records hub, payment history and performance records are always accessible when awarding new work or negotiating rates.
Every sub invoice logged to its project
- Record subcontractor invoices against specific projects
- Compare actual subcontractor costs against original estimates
- Monitor total subcontractor spend vs budget across all active projects
Cost-plus markup on materials and sub labor
- Track cost-plus markup percentages for materials and labor
- Generate client invoices that include itemized sub costs with markup
Pass-through costs are where GC invoice management usually leaks, so every sub bill is tied to a project before it reaches the client. Good construction invoicing software shows the markup line by line instead of burying it.
Explore customer & property records
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.
Scope changes with photos and the client's sign-off
- 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
Contract value and remaining billing update on approval
- Automatically adjust the total contract value and remaining billing
- Include change order line items on the next progress invoice
Contractor invoice software that skips this step leaves the extra work unbilled. For the paperwork side of the process, read our guide to change order management for contractors.
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$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.
Set the holdback once, at contract setup
- Record retainage percentages per project at contract setup
- Calculate and display holdback amounts on each progress invoice
The release invoice, ready at closeout
- Track total retainage receivable across all active projects
- Generate the final retainage release invoice when the project closes
Because the holdback sits on every statement, general contractor bill management stays accurate through a long commercial job.
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One set of numbers
One connected operation
General contractor billing management in one connected system
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 records hub stay synchronized with every invoice, and completed phases in the route scheduling and dispatch tools trigger billing automatically.
Contractor invoicing system linked to client records
- 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
Job costing that compares estimates with actuals
- Subcontractor billing connects with scheduling for accurate cost allocation
- Job costing reports compare estimated vs actual revenue and costs
Bella FSM runs as general contractor billing management software rather than a standalone invoice tool, so every number traces back to the project it came from.
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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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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. That is the core of general contractor invoice management: one record holding the contract value, approved changes, and every amount already billed.
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. A progress billing contractor on a residential job usually bills a deposit, then framing, rough-in, finish, and final, with the amount billed to date shown against the contract value.
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. Job costing then shows spend against budget on every active project, which is exactly where GC invoicing management tends to break down in a spreadsheet.
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. The approved line item lands on the next progress invoice with photos and a signature attached, so the extra work gets billed instead of absorbed. That catch is a large part of what general contractor bill software is for.
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. When a phase is marked complete, its milestone is flagged for billing, so general contractor invoicing management no longer depends on a phone call to the job site.
How does contractor or progress billing typically work?
Progress billing splits a construction contract into stages. The client pays a deposit, then an invoice goes out as each milestone is reached, such as framing, rough-in, and finish. Commercial owners often hold back 5-10% of each payment as retainage until final inspection. Contractor billing management software tracks each stage against the total contract value.
What should the best contractor invoicing software include?
For a general contractor, look for milestone progress billing, subcontractor cost tracking with markup, change orders with client approval, retainage tracking, and job costing that compares estimates to actuals. Online payments and a QuickBooks sync spare the office from double entry. Bella FSM includes all of it as a billing system for contractors, with a 14-day free trial.
Bill with confidence
Put progress invoicing software to work on your next project
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