Interior Design Invoices — Elegant, Editable, Built to Get You Paid

How to Invoice as an Interior Designer (Without the Awkward Money Conversation)

Interior design billing is tricky because you're running two businesses on one invoice: a service (your design fees) and a procurement operation (the furnishings you specify and buy for the client). Blur the two and clients get confused, your margin disappears, and you spend install week arguing about a sofa. Here's how to bill cleanly — and actually get paid.

Separate Design Fees From Furnishings — Always

Your letter of agreement should already define how you charge. Most studios use one of these for the design fee:

• Flat fee by phase — concept, design development, procurement, installation. Bill each phase as it completes. This is the cleanest for the client to approve.
• Hourly — your rate × hours, itemized by date or phase. Common for consultations and smaller decorating jobs.
• Cost-plus on furnishings — a lower (or no) design fee, with your margin coming from the markup on FF&E.

Whatever the model, the furnishings — your FF&E (furniture, fixtures, and equipment) — belong on their own lines, invoiced at procurement when you place the orders.

Show the Trade Discount and Markup the Way Your Contract Spells It Out

This is where designers leave money on the table. If you bill cost-plus, show the trade (wholesale) cost and add your markup as a visible percentage. If you bill flat/retail, you charge a set price and keep the trade discount as your margin. Pick one and be consistent. Don't forget reimbursables — samples, mileage, site visits, and freight — which clients cover on top of the fee.

Apply the Retainer, Set Terms, and Handle Sales Tax

Most engagements open with a signed retainer or design deposit. Show it as a credit against the balance so the running total is always right. Net 15 and Net 30 are standard on design fees, but furnishings are usually billed before the order is placed — you're fronting the vendor deposit, so the client should fund it first. If you resell furnishings, you'll typically collect sales tax on the goods (not on design services) and need a resale certificate on file. Apply tax to the furnishing lines only.

Avoid the Mistakes That Stall Payment

• One vague line — "Interior design services, $28,000" gets questioned every time. Itemize by phase.
• Mixing fees and furnishings — keep them in separate sections so the client can read it.
• Forgetting the retainer — bill the gross and you'll get an email instead of a payment.
• Taxing the wrong lines — tax goods, not your design service, where your state allows it.

EZdoc handles the formatting and the math so your invoice looks as considered as your work. Describe the project, apply the retainer, add your studio logo, and download a print-ready PDF in about 30 seconds. Generate your interior design invoice now — three free AI generations to dial it in, then save it as a template and bill every project in seconds.