Plumbing invoices are usually written on a doorstep, often on a phone, sometimes with a customer watching. They still need to be clear enough that nobody rings you three days later asking what the $340 was for.
This template is built for that reality: fast to complete, hard to argue with.
Invoice before you leave the job
Works on your phone. Add labour and parts, download the PDF, email it to the customer on the spot.
Key takeaways
| Line | Example | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Call-out / diagnostic | Call-out fee (weekday) — $65 | State if credited against work done |
| Labour | Labour — 2.5 hrs @ $85/hr — $212.50 | Show the hours, not just a total |
| Emergency uplift | Out-of-hours surcharge (Sun 08:40) — $90 | Only if disclosed beforehand |
| Parts | Each part named, with qty and unit price | See below |
| Disposal | Removal of old cylinder — $45 | Often forgotten, legitimately billable |
| Warranty | 12 months on labour; parts per manufacturer | Text line, not a charge |
| Tax | Rate applied per local rules | Labour and parts may differ |
Compare “Parts — $186” with:
The itemised version takes ninety extra seconds and almost never gets queried. The single figure invites a phone call, and phone calls cost you more than ninety seconds.
Built for working on site
No app to install and no account to create — open it in your phone browser and invoice the job.
The rule is simple: disclose before you attend. A customer who agreed to an out-of-hours rate on the phone at 11pm pays it. A customer who discovers it on the invoice disputes it, leaves a bad review, and tells their neighbours.
Say it explicitly when the call comes in — “That’s an out-of-hours call-out, so it’s $110 to attend plus $120 an hour, is that OK?” — and then restate the same figures on the invoice. The invoice line becomes a confirmation rather than a revelation.
A single line costs nothing and does two useful things — it reassures the customer, and it defines the boundary of what you will return for free:
“Workmanship guaranteed for 12 months from the date of this invoice. Parts are covered by the manufacturer’s warranty. Guarantee excludes faults arising from pre-existing pipework, freezing, or third-party alterations.”
If a landlord or agency does drag, payment reminder email templates has wording that works.
Electricians, handymen and general contractors have their own versions of this template.
Either approach is fine, but state which on the invoice. Crediting it when work proceeds is customer-friendly and common; keeping it separate is also normal for emergency work. What causes complaints is ambiguity.
20–50% is typical and widely accepted — it covers your sourcing time, stock-holding and warranty exposure. You do not need to disclose the markup on a fixed-price job; on a cost-plus arrangement, check what your contract requires.
It depends entirely on jurisdiction. Some places tax labour on real property, some exempt it, and some apply a reduced rate to certain domestic work. Check your local rules rather than copying another region’s invoice.
Leave a written invoice with clear payment details and a due date rather than arguing on site. Follow up in writing the next day. Keep photographs of the completed work — they resolve most disputes quickly.
Create your plumbing invoice
Free, works on any phone, PDF ready to email or print before you drive away.