Bricklayer invoice template: per 1,000 bricks, day work and extras
Bricklayers are often paid by the number of bricks or blocks laid, not by the hour. That makes the invoice a list of quantities rather than a list of days. Here is a layout you can copy, a worked CIS example, and how to keep extras and day work from being argued down.
On this page
How bricklayers are usually paid
Bricklaying is one of the trades where price work is normal. You agree a rate per 1,000 bricks (sometimes per m² of wall, or per block), lay as much as you can, and are paid for what is built. Day work covers the jobs that do not fit a count: tying into an existing wall, repairs, standing by while another trade finishes. Many weekly invoices mix the two.
Every figure on this page is an illustration so the arithmetic is clear. They are not market rates, and the rate you agree depends on the brick, the bond, the height and the access.
The invoice layout
Each price work line needs four things: where (plot or elevation), what (facing brick, common brick, blockwork), how many and the rate. Keep a separate line for each plot or elevation, so the contractor can tick it against what is built.
| Line | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plot 7, facing brickwork, front and side elevations | 3,400 bricks | £390.00 per 1,000 | £1,326.00 |
| Plot 7, lintels set | 6 | £18.00 each | £108.00 |
| Day work: tying new return into existing wall (1 day, order ref 114) | 1 day | £190.00 | £190.00 |
| Wall ties and cavity trays bought for plot 7 (receipt attached) | 1 | £42.60 at cost | £42.60 |
| Total | £1,666.60 |
Per-1,000 sums are easy to get wrong. 3,400 bricks is 3.4 thousand, and 3.4 × £390.00 is £1,326.00. Write the multiplication on the line if your contractor checks by calculator.
CIS on a bricklaying invoice
Bricklaying is construction work, so a contractor will normally make a CIS deduction. HMRC's guidance for contractors says the deduction is worked out from the invoice total after taking away VAT and what you paid for materials yourself, then applying 20% if you are registered, 30% if you are not, or 0% with gross payment status.
In the example, labour is £1,326.00 + £108.00 + £190.00 = £1,624.00. The £42.60 of ties and trays is materials you paid for, so it is left out of the deduction base.
| Step | Amount |
|---|---|
| Invoice total | £1,666.60 |
| Less materials you paid for | £42.60 |
| Labour subject to CIS | £1,624.00 |
| CIS deduction at 20% | £324.80 |
| Paid to you (£1,666.60 − £324.80) | £1,341.80 |
If you were not registered, the 30% deduction would be £487.20 and you would be paid £1,179.40. That is a good reason to register as a CIS subcontractor before your first job. The deduction is an advance payment towards your own tax and National Insurance, not an extra cost. See the CIS refund calculator to estimate what happens at year end.
Extras and day work
Most arguments on brickwork are about things that were not in the original rate: a change of brick halfway up, a curved wall, working from a hop-up because scaffold is not ready, or going back to rebuild something another trade damaged. Treat each as its own line, name the instruction ("per site manager, 3 Oct") and invoice it in the same period. A variation raised weeks later is far harder to get paid.
For day work, show the date, the hours or the day, and who asked for it. The half-day and part-day rates guide covers how to charge short days fairly.
Counting bricks fairly
- Agree the count method first: bricks delivered minus bricks left, bricks counted on the wall, or area × bricks per m². Each gives a slightly different total.
- Agree how waste and openings are handled. Cut bricks, bonding at openings and reveals are often priced separately.
- Photograph progress before the next trade covers it, and keep a note of the date.
If you are VAT registered
Where the CIS reverse charge applies, you do not add VAT to your invoice and the contractor accounts for it. It must be clear on the invoice that the reverse charge applies. If you are not VAT registered, you do not add VAT at all. See the guide to the domestic reverse charge invoice.
Bricklayer invoice checklist
- Your name, address and UTR if the contractor asks for it, and a unique invoice number.
- Contractor's name and address, the site and the plot.
- Invoice date, the period covered and the due date.
- Price work lines with quantity, unit and rate.
- Day work lines with date, who instructed it and hours.
- Materials you bought, on separate lines at cost.
- CIS summary: total, materials, labour, deduction, amount payable.
- Bank details and payment terms.
Prefer to start from a download? Use the free CIS invoice template and add your own price work lines.
More trade invoice guides
Other trades invoice differently. See the guides for labourer, plumber, joiner and carpenter, painter and decorator, groundworker, electrician and plasterer, or browse all trade invoicing guides. For the rules that apply to every trade, read the invoice requirements for sole traders, and use the day rate calculator to turn a day rate into an hourly rate.
Frequently asked questions
How do bricklayers invoice price work?
List each plot or elevation with the number of bricks or m², the rate (for example per 1,000 bricks) and the amount, so the contractor can check it against what is built.
Does CIS apply to bricklaying?
Yes. Bricklaying is construction work, so the contractor normally deducts 20% (30% if you are not registered) from the labour part of your invoice.
Should wall ties and DPC be on the invoice?
Only if you bought them. Show them on separate lines at cost, with receipts, so the CIS deduction is not taken from them.
When should I invoice extras?
In the same period they happen, as separate lines naming who instructed the work. Late variations are much harder to recover.
Sources
- What you must do as a CIS subcontractor – GOV.UK
- CIS contractors: make deductions and pay subcontractors – GOV.UK
- Invoices: what they must include – GOV.UK
This guide is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules and rates change, so check the linked GOV.UK pages for the current position.