Architecture billing depends on fee basis, stage, and recoverable expenses. Everhour tracks billable work behind each invoice.
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Architecture firms use invoices to turn professional services into a clear payment request: design work, technical documentation, feasibility studies, site administration, reimbursable expenses, and agreed taxes. The invoice should show the client, project, invoice date, invoice number, payment terms, fee basis, line items, and amount due. For United States private-sector work, no single federal invoice form controls ordinary business invoices.
The fee structure matters more for architecture firms than for many service businesses. A project billed as a percentage of construction cost needs a different line-item structure than a lump-sum appointment or hourly feasibility study. If the appointment uses stages, the invoice should identify the stage billed, the percentage or amount assigned to that stage, and any previously billed amount.
Common architecture fee methods include percentage of construction cost, lump sum, and hourly time charge. For percentage-based fees, RIBA describes the percentage as applied to construction cost excluding VAT, usually from an initial construction budget. For hourly work such as feasibility studies, RIBA describes hourly rates with capped hours, with client approval required before the cap is exceeded.
A practical invoice line can read: "Technical design, RIBA stage 4, lump-sum stage fee, 40% complete this billing period." Another can read: "Feasibility study, senior architect, 12 hours at $175 per hour, within approved 20-hour cap." This level of detail keeps the invoice tied to the appointment instead of reducing design work to a vague professional-services charge.
Architecture invoices get messy when firms blend professional fees with pass-through costs. RIBA identifies statutory payments for planning applications or building control, travel, and printing as costs in addition to the architect's fee. Put those items in separate lines or a separate expense section so the client can distinguish service charges from recoverable project costs.
United States sales-tax treatment needs a state and local check, not a national VAT/GST assumption. The United States does not use a national VAT or GST invoice regime, and service taxability varies by state and service type. California generally taxes retail sales of tangible personal property and only some service or labor charges, while Texas defines 16 broad categories of taxable services.
A one-off invoice is enough for a small fixed-fee project, a single feasibility study, or a short consulting engagement with clean terms. It works when one person knows the scope, the fee basis, the expenses, and the billing date. Keep the invoice, the agreed fee basis, and a short narrative of work performed with the project records.
A managed workflow becomes necessary when several architects, designers, and consultants log time across stages, projects, and clients. Everhour can separate billable and non-billable time through project billing status, task-level non-billable controls, custom task rates, member-rate exceptions, and admin reports that show billable time, non-billable time, billable amount, and cost.
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Use the fee basis from the written appointment. Architecture invoices commonly follow a percentage of construction cost, lump sum, or hourly time charge. The invoice should name the basis clearly, then show the matching detail: stage percentage, fixed project amount, hourly role and rate, or approved capped hours.
Monthly billing and end-of-stage billing are both common. RIBA describes architects as usually invoicing monthly, with some billing at the end of RIBA work stages. The better choice is the schedule recorded in the appointment, because the invoice should match the client's approved payment trigger.
List reimbursable expenses separately from the architect's fee. Planning application payments, building control payments, travel, and printing are commonly treated as costs in addition to the professional fee. A separate expense section gives the client a cleaner review path and keeps fee progress from being confused with pass-through charges.
United States sales tax depends on state and local rules, nexus, the place of sale, and whether the service or deliverable is taxable. There is no national VAT or GST invoice regime. A firm should apply the relevant state and local rule instead of adding one national tax rate to every architecture invoice.
Keep the written appointment, agreed fee basis, invoice, payment record, and narrative of work performed. RIBA's Code of Practice says practice records should include agreed fees or fee-calculation basis and details of fees rendered and paid, including invoices and narratives of work performed.
Everhour lets admins set project billing status, mark specific tasks as non-billable, apply custom task rates, and use member-rate exceptions. Admin reports can show billable time, non-billable time, billable amount, and cost, so architecture firms can review invoiceable work before billing the client.
Track approved architecture hours by project, stage, and task before billing. Everhour turns billable and non-billable time into clearer invoice review and client-ready billing.
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