Invoice Template for Self-Employed Contractors in Quebec

A well-made invoice gets you paid faster and protects you in an audit or a dispute. Here's a ready-to-use template, and everything it needs to include in Quebec.

Download the free Excel invoice template (.xlsx)

Or create your invoices directly in L'app du travailleur, for free.

The template includes every required item described below. Each line amount, GST, QST, and the total are calculated automatically. Replace the example with your details, change the invoice number every time, and export it as PDF to send it. The Instructions tab walks you through each step.

What a Quebec invoice must include

Revenu Québec is specific about what's required. An incomplete invoice can be rejected by a client or cause problems in an audit.

Your identity (the supplier):

• Your name or business name
• Your address
• Your GST and QST numbers (if registered)
• Your RBQ licence number (if you do construction work, see below)

Transaction details:

• The invoice date
• A sequential, unique invoice number
• Your client's name
• A description of the work or services provided
• The subtotal
• GST and QST amounts, shown separately, if the invoice exceeds $150
• The total due

Important: For invoices over $150, showing taxes separately is a legal requirement. "GST and QST included" in the total isn't sufficient.

The NEQ: when to include it

The NEQ (Québec enterprise number) is the 10-digit number the Registraire des entreprises assigns to every registered business.

• You do business under a name other than your legal name (e.g. "Jean Tremblay — Plumbing" or "JT Renovations"): registration is mandatory, and you have an NEQ.
• You work under your own first and last name only (e.g. "Jean Tremblay"): registration is optional.
• You have a corporation (inc.): it always has an NEQ.

The NEQ isn't one of the items Revenu Québec requires for GST/QST purposes. Putting it on your invoice is still good practice: it shows your business is registered, and commercial or public-sector clients often ask for it before they pay you.

The RBQ licence: required in construction

If you do construction work (renovation, electrical, plumbing, roofing, excavation…), you need a licence from the Régie du bâtiment du Québec. The Building Act requires you to show your licence number on your estimates, quotes, contracts, statements of account, and invoices, as well as in your advertising.

• Format: Licence RBQ : XXXX-XXXX-XX (10 digits)
• Exception: members of the Corporation des maîtres électriciens (CMEQ) and the Corporation des maîtres mécaniciens en tuyauterie (CMMTQ) don't have to display it, since their corporation's logo identifies them. Nothing stops you from including it anyway.

A careful client checks your licence in the RBQ registry before paying. A missing or wrong number can delay your payment.

An example layout

INVOICE #2026-004

Issued by:
Jean Tremblay — Plumbing
456 Boulevard des Artisans, Laval QC H7L 2N3
GST: 123456789 RT0001   QST: 1234567890 TQ0001
NEQ: 1171234567   RBQ licence: 5678-1234-01

Billed to:
Résidences du Lac Inc.
Date: October 19, 2026   Due: November 18, 2026 (30 days)

─────────────────────────────────────
Description                    Amount
─────────────────────────────────────
Water heater replacement       $650.00
Labour — 3 h × $85/h           $255.00
─────────────────────────────────────
Subtotal                       $905.00
GST (5%)                        $45.25
QST (9.975%)                    $90.27
─────────────────────────────────────
TOTAL                        $1,040.52
─────────────────────────────────────

Payment: Interac e-Transfer to jean.tremblay@email.com
Due within 30 days. Interest of 1.5% per month
(18% per year) on any overdue balance, as set out
in the accepted quote.

Payment terms and late fees

Always include a due date. Without a deadline, your client has no reason to pay quickly. The most common terms:

• Due on receipt: for small amounts and individual clients
• Net 15 or net 30: the total is due 15 or 30 days after the invoice date. Write the exact date ("Due by November 18, 2026") rather than just "30 days".
• Deposit and progress payments: for large contracts, a deposit up front and then a payment at each stage reduces your risk

Late fees must be agreed in advance. In Quebec, you can claim interest on a late payment at the rate agreed with your client. Without an agreement, the legal rate of 5% per year applies. For your rate to hold up:

• Set it out in your quote or contract, accepted by the client before the work starts. A line added only on the invoice is easier to dispute.
• If you express the rate per month, also state the annual equivalent (e.g. "1.5% per month, or 18% per year"). Otherwise, the Interest Act limits what you can claim to 5% per year.
• With individual clients, stay reasonable: a court can reduce a rate or fees it finds abusive.

The day an invoice becomes overdue, follow up right away: see how to follow up with a client who hasn't paid.

Common mistakes

• Calculating QST on the amount that includes GST. Since 2013, QST is calculated on the subtotal, just like GST. $905 × 9.975% = $90.27, not $94.79.
• Charging taxes without being registered. If you don't have GST and QST numbers, you can't collect them.
• Reusing or skipping invoice numbers. Numbering must be unique and sequential, with no unexplained gaps.
• Leaving out the RBQ licence number on an invoice for construction work.
• Writing "30 days" without an exact due date. 30 days from when? An exact date removes any ambiguity and makes following up easier.
• A description that's too vague. "Miscellaneous work" invites disputes. Spell out the work, quantities, and hourly rate.
• Adding late fees that were never agreed with the client.

When a spreadsheet template stops working

A template works fine at first. But once you pass 10–15 invoices a month, the cracks start to show:

• Manual numbering → errors or duplicates
• No payment tracking → you lose track of what's paid and what isn't
• Forgotten follow-ups → thousands of dollars left sitting
• Manual emailing → one more step every single time

At that point, an app like L'app du travailleur easily saves you an hour a week, and recovers unpaid invoices you'd otherwise have forgotten about.

Information to keep outside the invoice itself

Some things don't belong on the invoice, but you still need to have them on hand:

• The date each invoice was sent (to prove formal notice if it comes to that)
• Delivery/read confirmations, when available
• Signed quotes that justify the amount billed and the agreed payment terms — see how to write a quote in Quebec

If a client disputes an invoice, it's your paper trail that speaks for you.