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Proposals and invoices for architects, from the first sketch to the final drawing set.
An architect's product is a set of drawings and a series of decisions. The fee only stays fair if the scope, the phases and every change to the brief are written down.
By Abrar · Updated · 9 min read
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The short answer
An architect's paper has five parts: a written agreement signed before work begins, a fee split by phase, a priced way to handle changes and additional services, a clear statement of who may use the drawings, and an invoice per phase. In California the law lists what the agreement must say. InvoiceWren keeps the proposal, the changes and the payments on one job.
How an architecture project runs on paper
The work moves in phases, and so does the money. Each step below gives the client a reason to say yes, and gives you a record if the brief changes.
- 1
The inquiry
A client describes a house, an addition or a renovation. Write down the address, what they want in their own words, their budget and the date they hope to move in.
- 2
The site and the program
Visit the site, measure what exists and list what the building must do: rooms, uses, limits. This list is the brief that every later change is measured against. BLS lists giving preliminary estimates of cost and construction time among an architect's duties [1].
- 3
The proposal and the fee
Name the services and the phases. AIA's summary of its standard owner-architect agreement describes five phases of basic services: schematic design, design development, construction documents, procurement and construction. It also lists compensation methods, such as a percentage of the construction budget and a stipulated sum [2].
- 4
The written agreement
Get it signed before you start. California requires an architect to use a written contract, executed before work begins unless the client knowingly states in writing that work may start sooner, and it lists what the contract must contain [3].
- 5
The design phases
Deliver each phase and record the client's sign-off. Keep the dates. A phase that is signed off is a phase you can invoice.
- 6
Changes and additional services
The client adds a bedroom after the schematic phase. California's list requires the contract to describe the procedure for additional services and contract changes [3], and AIA's summary says additional services "may arise as the project proceeds" [2]. Price the change and get a yes before you redraw.
- 7
The phase invoices
Invoice each phase when it is signed off. Show the fee for the phase, any approved additional service, and what has been paid.
- 8
The final payment and the drawings
Collect the final payment, then release the drawings for the use the agreement allows. California says an architect may reasonably withhold consent to use the instruments of service for lack of full payment [3].
Where architect paperwork goes wrong
Most of these come from work that started on a phone call, or a fee that was one number.
Starting before the agreement is signed
The client is in a hurry, so you sketch while the contract waits. California requires the written contract to be executed before the architect begins work, unless the client knowingly states in writing that work may start sooner [3].
What to do: Send the agreement first. Start when it is signed.
Redrawing for free
The brief says three bedrooms. After the schematic phase it becomes four. AIA's summary separates basic services from supplemental and additional services, and says additional services "may arise as the project proceeds" [2]. California requires the contract to say how additional services and changes are handled [3].
What to do: Price the change as an additional service, and get a yes before you redraw.
One lump fee
A single number for the whole design leaves nothing to invoice when the client pauses after phase two. AIA's summary describes five named phases of basic services [2].
What to do: Split the fee by phase, so each phase can be invoiced when it is signed off.
Nobody said who may reuse the drawings
California requires the contract to include a statement identifying the ownership and use of instruments of service [3], and says no one may use an architect's instruments of service without written consent [3]. The Copyright Office says copyright covers an architectural work embodied in plans or drawings, but not standard features such as windows and doors [4]. A transfer of copyright ownership is not valid unless it is in writing and signed [5].
What to do: Write the allowed use into the agreement, and name who owns the drawings.
The title and the stamp
California makes it a misdemeanor for an unlicensed person to use a term confusingly similar to "architect" [3], and New York allows only a licensed person to use the title [6]. Both states have exemptions or limits that differ, so read your own.
What to do: Print your license number on the proposal, the agreement and the invoice.
A fee tied to a budget nobody wrote down
AIA's summary lists a percentage of the construction budget as one way to set a fee [2]. If the percentage and the budget are not both written, the fee moves when the budget does, and the client may not expect that.
What to do: Write the percentage, the budget it applies to, and what happens if the budget changes.
What InvoiceWren does for an architect
The proposal, each phase, every change and every payment sit on one job. You and your client are looking at the same numbers.
A proposal with each phase as a line
Write schematic design, design development, construction documents and procurement support as their own lines, and put the use of the drawings in the terms. Your client reads it on their phone and signs it there.
Progress invoices for each phase
Send a progress invoice when a phase is signed off. The approved proposal carries across, so nothing is typed twice.
Change orders for additional services
The client wants a fourth bedroom? Send a change order with the price. They approve it on their phone before you redraw, and a change that is waiting is never counted as approved.
Saved items for what you quote often
Save "site measure and as-built drawing", "extra design option" and "permit set revisions". The next proposal takes a tap per line.
Photos on the line they belong to
Add site photos to a line, so the existing conditions sit beside the phase that depends on them.
A balance that is explained
The final invoice shows the proposal, each approved change and each payment, line by line.
The client portal for the whole job
Your client opens one page for the project: every document, every payment and your messages. They do not need an account.
Estimates and approval · Change orders · Deposits, progress and final invoices · Getting paid and receipts
Need a document right now? Make a free estimate or a free invoice with no sign-up, then bring the job into InvoiceWren when you are ready.
Rules to check, by place
Architect rules are set by each state, and they differ. These are examples from official pages we read on Nov 14 2026. They are not every rule. Check yours.
- Every state: BLS says all states and the District of Columbia require architects to be licensed. The usual path has three steps: a bachelor's degree in architecture, a paid internship, and passing the Architect Registration Examination [1]. NCARB adds that each state has a different set of rules for practicing architecture [7].
- California: the Architects Practice Act (Apr 01 2026 edition) says an architect shall use a written contract, executed before work begins unless the client knowingly states in writing that work may begin earlier [3]. The contract must include a description of the project and of the services, the basis of compensation and method of payment, the architect's name, address and license number, the client's name and address and the project address, the procedure for additional services and contract changes, the procedure to end the contract, a statement identifying the ownership and use of instruments of service, and a statement in at least 12-point type about the California Architects Board [3]. The requirement has exceptions, for example when the client will not pay compensation [3].
- California: no one may use an architect's instruments of service without consent in a written contract, agreement or license. The architect may reasonably withhold consent for cause, including lack of full payment [3].
- California: the Act does not prohibit anyone from preparing plans for single-family dwellings of woodframe construction not more than two stories and basement in height, and for some other small buildings, with limits [3]. Using a term confusingly similar to "architect" without a license is a misdemeanor [3].
- New York: only a person licensed or otherwise authorized under the article may practice architecture or use the title "architect" [6].
- Federal: the Copyright Office says an architectural work is the design of a building as embodied in a building, plans or drawings. Standard features, standard configurations of spaces, purely functional features and interior design are not protected [4]. A transfer of copyright ownership must be in writing and signed [5].
- We did not read the full AIA agreement forms, which are paid documents, only AIA's summary of one of them. We did not read a Texas page, and we did not read a page on sales tax for design services.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Ask your state's architect board or a lawyer before you rely on a rule.
Checklist
Questions
Does an architect need a written contract?
In California, yes. The Architects Practice Act says an architect shall use a written contract, executed before work begins unless the client knowingly states in writing that work may begin earlier, and it lists what the contract must contain [3]. Other states differ, so check yours.
How do architects charge?
AIA's summary of its standard owner-architect agreement lists several compensation methods, including a percentage of the construction budget and a stipulated sum, and mentions hourly rates as another [2]. Whatever you choose, write it in the agreement.
What are the phases of an architect's work?
AIA's summary describes five phases of basic services: schematic design, design development, construction documents, procurement and construction [2].
What is an additional service?
AIA's summary says additional services "may arise as the project proceeds", and separates them from supplemental services named when the agreement is signed [2]. In InvoiceWren you send a change order, and the client approves it on their phone.
Who owns the drawings?
The agreement should say. California requires a statement identifying the ownership and use of instruments of service [3]. A transfer of copyright ownership must be in writing and signed [5].
Can I hold back the drawings until I am paid?
In California an architect may reasonably withhold consent to use the instruments of service for cause, including lack of full payment [3]. Put the rule in your agreement.
Does copyright protect a house design?
The Copyright Office says an architectural work is the design of a building as embodied in a building, plans or drawings. It does not protect standard features such as windows and doors, or standard configurations of spaces [4].
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Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook, Architects. Checked .
- AIA Contract Documents: Summary of B101-2017, Standard Form of Agreement Between Owner and Architect. Checked .
- California Architects Board: Architects Practice Act, Apr 01 2026 edition (PDF). Checked .
- U.S. Copyright Office: Circular 41, Copyright Registration of Architectural Works. Checked .
- U.S. Copyright Office: Title 17, chapter 2, section 204 (execution of transfers). Checked .
- New York Education Law, section 7302: Practice of architecture and use of title "architect". Checked .
- NCARB: Become an Architect. Checked .
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