Billing software for contractors and service trades

Most contract work starts with a quotation. Make it in BillBabu App the same way as a bill: the client, the work items, the quantities and the rates, with a valid-until date. Share the PDF on WhatsApp. Each quotation shows where it stands: draft, sent, accepted, rejected, expired or converted.

When the client says yes and the work is done, turn the quotation into a tax invoice on your phone or in the web app, without typing the items again. If the measured work came out different from the quotation, edit the quotation's quantities before you convert it, or edit the bill afterwards. More on quotations and estimates, a ready quotation format, and turning estimates into invoices.

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Save each kind of work once as an item, with its rate, unit, SAC or HSN code and GST rate. An item can be a service (work, labour, repairs) or goods (material you sell separately). Services don't touch your stock.

The units that fit contract work:

• Sqft or Sqmt for painting, flooring, false ceiling, tiling and waterproofing.
• Mtr for pipelines, cable runs, skirting and railings.
• Nos for wiring points, fixtures, fans, taps and AC units serviced.
• Day for labour by the day; Hour for a technician's time.
• Month for an annual maintenance contract billed monthly.

Labour for two days at ₹1,200 a day is "2 Day × ₹1,200". Painting 1,200 sq ft at ₹18 is "1,200 Sqft × ₹18". If you type a new item on a bill, it is saved to your list for next time.

Bill To the client's office, Ship To the site. In the Android app's bill form you can add a Ship To address with its own state and GSTIN, and the buyer's order number, which is where the client's work order or PO number goes. Both print on the bill PDF, so the client's accounts team can match your bill to their order. See Bill To and Ship To on a GST invoice.

The place of supply fills in from the client's state, and you can change it on the bill. For work on a building, ask your CA which state to pick, because it decides whether the bill shows CGST + SGST or IGST.

Clients rarely pay the full bill in one go. Every client has a ledger with every bill, every payment and what is still due. Record each payment by cash, UPI, cheque, card or bank transfer, with a reference number and a note, and the amount due drops. Part payments are fine. Share the client's statement as a PDF when you ask for the balance. More on party ledgers.

If your client deducts TDS: record the amount you actually received. The bill does not show TDS and the app has no TDS field, so the TDS part will still show as due. You can record it as a separate payment with the method "Other" and a note such as "TDS deducted by client"; ask your CA how they want it recorded. For how TDS on contractor payments works, read TDS on payments to contractors (194C).

We don't state a GST rate on this page, because for contract work the rate depends on what the job is and who it is for: a works contract for a building, pure labour, a repair, or material sold on its own, and whether the client is a household, a business or the Government.

Construction services come under SAC heading 9954 in the GST rate notification for services (Notification 11/2017-Central Tax (Rate)), which has separate entries for different kinds of construction work. Several works-contract entries, for Government earthwork contracts and offshore oil and gas work, changed on 22 September 2025, as listed in the GST Council's 56th-meeting annexure (PIB). Ask your CA for the SAC code and rate for each type of job you do, save it on the item, and every bill uses it. You can also change the rate on any bill line.

BillBabu App has no reverse-charge field. If some of your work falls under reverse charge, talk to your CA first; see reverse charge under GST.

Shree Balaji Interiors, Jaipur (Rajasthan) quotes Mehta Dental Clinic, Jaipur (GSTIN on the quotation) for an interior job, valid for 15 days. The clinic accepts, the work is done, and the quotation is turned into this tax invoice. The parties and prices are made up.

GST goes on top at the rate your CA confirms for this work, and the SAC code on each line is for your CA to confirm too. The contractor and the clinic are both in Rajasthan, so in this case the GST would be split half CGST and half SGST. See the full GST bill format.

Start free, no card needed; unlimited bills need Pro (paid). Your first 5 invoices and 5 estimates cost nothing, in the Android app and the web app. After that, Pro is ₹99 a month or ₹999 a year. New users in the Android app can start Pro monthly at ₹9 for the first 14 days; it then renews at ₹99 a month until cancelled in Google Play. Lifetime is one payment of ₹2,999 in the Android app until 31 December 2026, then ₹4,999. BillBabu App has no free-forever plan. Prices as published on the pricing page; the price the app shows before you pay is the price you pay.

What other billing apps cost: billing software prices in India.

Is there a free invoice app for contractors?

You can start BillBabu App free, with no card: your first 5 invoices and 5 estimates cost nothing. For unlimited bills you need Pro, which is paid. Some other apps list free plans with limits; see billing software prices in India.

Can I make a quotation and turn it into a bill?

Yes. Make the quotation with a valid-until date, share it, and when the work is done turn it into a tax invoice on your phone or in the web app. If the final quantities changed, edit the quotation before you convert it, or edit the bill afterwards.

Can I make RA (running account) bills?

No. BillBabu App makes separate tax invoices. It has no running-bill format with previous and current quantities, no measurement book and no retention.

How do I bill labour by the day?

Save the labour as a service item with the unit Day, and enter the number of days on the bill, such as "6 Day × ₹900". Use Hour for work charged by the hour.

My client deducts TDS. How do I record it?

Record the amount you received as a payment. The bill does not show TDS. The TDS part will still show as due, so you can record it as a payment with the method "Other" and a note; ask your CA how they want it shown. See TDS on payments to contractors.

What GST rate applies to contract work?

It depends on the type of work and the client: a works contract, pure labour, a repair or material sold separately, and whether the client is a household, a business or the Government. Ask your CA for each type of job and save that rate on the item. General information, not tax advice.

I'm not registered for GST. Can I use it?

BillBabu App bills print as "Tax Invoice", and there is no bill of supply yet. Check with your CA before using it if you are not registered for GST or are under the composition scheme.

I bill by the hour or on a monthly retainer. Is this the right app?

For hourly or day work, yes: use the units Hour and Day. There are no recurring invoices, so a monthly retainer is a new bill each month. For time tracking and retainers, read billing for time, milestones and retainers.