Carpenter invoice template
Carpentry splits neatly in two on paper: what you make in the workshop and what you fit on site. The invoice should show both, partly because customers want to see it, and partly because that line is exactly where CIS and the VAT reverse charge start and stop applying.
Saved on this device only — nothing is uploaded.
Invoice details
Your business
Adds your VAT number below, plus VAT columns and a VAT section.
Stored on your device only and embedded in the PDF. PNG or JPG, under 1MB.
Bill to (your client)
VAT
CIS (construction)
Domestic reverse charge
Appearance
Items
Discount, deposit & payment
Receiving a deposit can create a VAT tax point. Check HMRC guidance if unsure.
Your business name
Invoice
INV-0001
Bill to
Client name
- Invoice date
- 01/10/2026
| Description | Qty | Unit | VAT | Net |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | 1 | £0.00 | 20% | £0.00 |
- Net total
- £0.00
- VAT 20%
- £0.00
- Total VAT
- £0.00
- Total
- £0.00
Supply-only and supply-and-fit are different supplies
Making a run of units in the workshop and delivering them is a supply of goods. Installing them is a supply of construction services. When you do both, the invoice reads better split — "Bespoke oak wardrobes, manufacture — £2,400" and "Installation — 3 days @ £240" — and that split has consequences beyond presentation.
Off-site manufacture of building components is excluded from the construction reverse charge, and delivering materials is outside CIS altogether; fitting them on a contractor's site is inside both. A single merged line makes that impossible to apply correctly, and it's the contractor's QS who will raise it. Splitting also lets a customer accept the units and arrange their own fitter without you having to re-quote.
Deposits on bespoke work — and the rule that protects you
Made-to-measure joinery means buying timber and ironmongery for one specific customer, so a materials deposit up front is reasonable. Invoice it as its own document ("Deposit — materials for bespoke wardrobes, 40% of £2,400"), not as a note on the final bill, and show it as a deduction when you invoice the balance.
Here's the part worth knowing. Contracts signed in a customer's home normally give them 14 days to cancel under the Consumer Contracts Regulations — but goods made to the consumer's specifications or clearly personalised are exempt from that cancellation right. Bespoke joinery generally falls in that exemption; a stock door you're simply hanging does not. Set the terms out in writing when you take the deposit, because the exemption protects work you've already cut.
Quoting when timber prices move
Sheet materials and hardwood don't hold a price for long, so put a valid until date on every quote — 14 or 30 days — and say whether the figure is fixed or subject to material costs at the time of ordering. A quote is a fixed price once accepted, so a quote with no expiry that a customer digs out five months later is a problem of your own making. The quote vs estimate guide covers which to send.
When the job's done, convert the accepted quote straight into an invoice — the lines carry over and a fresh invoice number is issued, so the customer receives a bill that matches the price they agreed, item for item.
Site work for a contractor
First fix, second fix, staircases, studwork, roofing carpentry — installation work for a contractor sits inside CIS, and the deduction of 20%, 30% or 0% applies to the labour part of your invoice. Timber and fixings you bought and are recharging stay out of the calculation, provided you can evidence them.
The CIS invoice generator applies the deduction and, where you and the contractor are both VAT registered, the domestic reverse charge wording as well. Fitting a kitchen for the homeowner who lives in it? No contractor, no CIS, no reverse charge — the standard invoice on this page is the right document.
A typical carpenter invoice
Example line items you might add:
- Bespoke oak wardrobes, workshop manufacture — £2,400
- Installation on site — 3 days @ £240
- Materials — timber, MDF, ironmongery
- Less deposit paid 4 Sept — −£960
Frequently asked questions
Should I split manufacture from installation on the invoice?
Yes. Beyond being clearer for the customer, off-site manufacture of components is excluded from the construction reverse charge and delivering materials falls outside CIS, while fitting on a contractor’s site is inside both. A merged line cannot be treated correctly.
Can I ask for a deposit on bespoke joinery?
Yes, and it is normal where you are buying materials for one specific job. Invoice the deposit as its own document and show it as a deduction on the final invoice so both the customer and your records reconcile.
Can a customer cancel a bespoke order after signing at home?
Contracts signed in the customer’s home usually carry a 14-day cancellation right, but goods made to the customer’s specifications or clearly personalised are exempt from it. Bespoke joinery generally sits in that exemption — put the terms in writing when you take the deposit.
Why should a carpentry quote have an expiry date?
Because an accepted quote is a fixed price, and timber and sheet material costs move. A valid-until date of 14 or 30 days stops an old quote being accepted at a price you can no longer buy the materials for.
Does CIS apply to carpentry?
To installation work paid for by a contractor, yes — the deduction applies to the labour element. Supplying goods you manufactured off-site is not a construction operation, and work billed directly to a homeowner has no CIS in it at all.