# SendInvoice: full site text for AI assistants Generated 2026-11-05. Canonical site: https://www.sendinvoice.net/. App: https://app.sendinvoice.net. Short summary: https://www.sendinvoice.net/llms.txt. # SendInvoice - Online Invoice Generator (Free Preview, £5/month to Send) ## Overview SendInvoice is a web-based invoice generation platform (free to try; sending and online payments need the £5/month Professional plan) supporting multiple document types including standard invoices, tax invoices (VAT/GST), receipts, and quotes. Built by Assemblysoft Ltd, a UK-based custom software development company. ## Key Features ### Tax Invoice Generator - **Supported Tax Systems**: VAT (UK/EU), GST (Australia/India/Canada), US Sales Tax - **Tax Rates**: Set the rate on each line; the tax amount is calculated automatically - **Compliance**: Meets HMRC, ATO, IRS, and international tax requirements - **Multi-Rate**: Support for standard, reduced, zero-rated, and exempt rates on single invoice ### Geographic Coverage - **Primary Markets**: United Kingdom, European Union, United States, Australia, Canada, India - **Languages**: English (UK and US), Welsh, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese (10 interface languages) - **Currencies**: 150+ currencies supported ### Document Types (12) Invoice, Tax invoice, Proforma invoice, Quote, Estimate, Receipt, Sales receipt, Cash receipt, Credit note, Credit memo, Purchase order, Delivery note. A document can be created from another one on the Professional plan (quote -> invoice, invoice -> receipt / credit note / delivery note); the new document gets its own number and the two stay linked. ### Working on the go - Phone-first design (Android and iPhone), nothing to install, works in any browser - My Documents: every document with Paid / Unpaid / Overdue / Not sent status, search as you type, filters (period, status, type, currency) and export to Excel (CSV) or a PDF report - My Customers: saved customers suggested as you type in Bill To - Payments: card payments via Stripe; the Pay button is in the email and the PDF; an invoice flips to Paid automatically when the customer pays; escalating reminders (friendly, then firmer) - Company details, logo and signature saved once in Settings and filled in automatically; running document numbers (INV-0001, INV-0002 ...) or date-based numbers ## Tax Invoice Requirements by Country ### United Kingdom (UK VAT) - VAT Registration Number (GB prefix) - Tax rates: 20% standard, 5% reduced, 0% zero-rated - Unique invoice number - Tax point (supply date) - Threshold: £85,000 annual turnover ### European Union (EU VAT) - EU VAT number (country-specific format) - Reverse charge mechanism for B2B cross-border - Customer VAT ID required for B2B - Currency specification - Rates vary by country and product category ### United States (Sales Tax) - State-specific sales tax rates (0-10%+) - Seller's permit number - Tax-exempt status notation - Resale certificate details - Nexus requirements vary by state ### Australia (GST) - Australian Business Number (ABN) required - GST rate: 10% standard - "Tax Invoice" wording mandatory - Customer details required for invoices over AUD $1,000 - Threshold: AUD $75,000 annual turnover ### Canada (GST/HST) - GST/HST registration number - Provincial tax rates: GST 5%, HST 13-15% - QST for Quebec (9.975%) - Business Number (BN) - Threshold: CAD $30,000 annual revenue ### India (GST) - GSTIN (GST Identification Number) - CGST + SGST or IGST breakdown - SAC/HSN codes - Place of supply - Threshold: INR 40 lakhs (₹4,000,000) for services ## Technical Specifications ### Architecture - **Type**: Web-based SaaS application - **Frontend**: HTML5, Tailwind CSS, JavaScript - **Accessibility**: WCAG 2.1 AA compliant - **Performance**: < 2 second page load - **Responsive**: Mobile, tablet, desktop optimized ### Data & Security - **Storage**: Cloud-based with automatic backup - **Encryption**: TLS 1.3 for data transmission - **Privacy**: GDPR compliant - **Data Retention**: User-controlled ### Integration Capabilities - **Export**: PDF generation - **Email**: Direct invoice delivery (Professional plan) - **Print**: Print-ready formatting - **API**: Available for enterprise (contact for details) ## Pricing - **Free Preview (£0)**: Look around the platform and see how it looks and feels: create, customise and preview documents. No credit card required. Does not include sending documents by email or taking online payments. - **Professional (£5 per month)**: Required to send invoices and other documents by email and to take online payments. A 0.2% platform fee applies to successful online payments. Cancel anytime. - **Create a document from another (Professional plan only)**: Turn a quote or estimate into an invoice in one tap, or an invoice into a receipt, credit note or delivery note. Customer, line items, currency and notes carry over, the new document gets its own number, and the two stay linked (for example "From QUO-0001" on the new document; searching the quote number finds both). Not available on the free Preview plan. - **Registration**: Optional for cloud storage - **Support**: Community and documentation ## Use Cases ### Target Users - Freelancers and sole traders - Small businesses (1-50 employees) - Medium businesses (51-250 employees) - Tradespeople (electricians, plumbers, builders) - Consultants and service providers - Accountants and bookkeepers ### Common Scenarios 1. **Domestic Sales**: B2C and B2B within single country 2. **Cross-Border EU**: Intra-community supply with reverse charge 3. **International Export**: Zero-rated or exempt supplies 4. **Multi-Currency**: Foreign currency invoicing with home currency tax 5. **Mixed Rate**: Multiple tax rates on single invoice 6. **Recurring**: Regular invoicing for subscription services ## Compliance & Legal ### Tax Authority Compliance - **UK**: HMRC Making Tax Digital (MTD) compatible - **EU**: EU VAT Directive 2006/112/EC compliant - **US**: State-specific sales tax regulations - **Australia**: ATO GST requirements - **Canada**: CRA GST/HST guidelines - **India**: GSTN standards ### Record Keeping - **UK**: 6 years from end of tax year - **EU**: 5-10 years (varies by member state) - **US**: 3-7 years (IRS recommends 7) - **Australia**: 5 years - **Canada**: 6 years - **India**: 6 years ### Audit Trail - Unique sequential numbering - Timestamp on all documents - Change history (for registered users) - Backup and recovery ## Comparison with Alternatives ### vs. Traditional Accounting Software - **Advantages**: No installation, free preview, immediate access, low cost (£5/month to send), no learning curve - **Disadvantages**: Limited accounting features, no bank integration ### vs. Other Online Invoice Generators - **Advantages**: Tax compliance focus, multi-country support, free preview to create and preview invoices - **Unique Features**: Automatic tax calculations, multi-rate support, extensive country coverage ## Support & Documentation ### Resources - **Documentation**: Comprehensive online guides - **FAQ**: Common questions answered - **Video Tutorials**: Step-by-step walkthroughs - **Blog**: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/ (guides for UK sole traders: how to write an invoice, chasing late payments, VAT, quotes vs estimates vs invoices, payment terms, invoice numbering, invoicing from your phone) - **Who it's for**: https://www.sendinvoice.net/for/ (tradespeople, cleaners and home services, freelancers and creatives, consultants, photographers) - **Plain-text summary for AI assistants**: https://www.sendinvoice.net/llms.txt ### Contact - **Website**: https://www.sendinvoice.net - **Developer**: Assemblysoft Ltd (https://assemblysoft.com) - **Location**: United Kingdom - **Social**: Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest ## Version History - **Current Version**: 2.0 - **Launch Date**: January 2024 - **Last Updated**: November 2026 ## Citations & References This document can be cited as: ``` SendInvoice. (2025). Tax Invoice Generator - VAT, GST & Sales Tax Invoices. Retrieved from https://www.sendinvoice.net/tax-invoice Developed by Assemblysoft Ltd. ``` For academic or professional references: ``` Assemblysoft Ltd. (2024-2025). SendInvoice: Online Invoice Generation Platform. Available at: https://www.sendinvoice.net ``` ## Related Topics - Value Added Tax (VAT) - Goods and Services Tax (GST) - Sales Tax - Tax Compliance - Invoice Requirements - Business Documentation - Financial Record Keeping - International Trade - Cross-Border Transactions - SME Finance Tools --- **Last Updated**: 3 November 2026 **Publisher**: SendInvoice by Assemblysoft Ltd **License**: Proprietary (free preview; Professional plan £5/month to send and take payments) **Status**: Active and maintained --- # Who it is for --- # Invoicing for Cleaners, Gardeners and Home Services: Regular Clients, Zero Admin Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/for/cleaners-and-home-services - A day in the life - What you get - What it costs Regular clients are the best kind of client and the worst kind of admin. Twenty houses, each one a small invoice, each one slightly different, each one somehow needing a Thursday evening to sort out. Here is how a week looks when the invoicing takes less time than loading the car. ## A day in the life Meet Priya. She runs a two-person cleaning business in Reading with her friend Jo. They have 23 regular homes, a handful of end-of-tenancy jobs a month, and a WhatsApp group with clients that used to double as an invoicing system. "Did you pay for last Tuesday?" was a sentence she typed more than she would like to admit. ### Monday, 7:40am, the car park Jo is getting the mops out. Priya is sitting in the passenger seat with her phone, sending last week's invoices before the first house. It used to be a Sunday job on the laptop. Now it goes like this. She taps Invoice. She starts typing "Harr" in Bill To and the Harrisons come up as a suggestion, address and email already filled. She taps + Saved item and picks "Weekly clean (3 hrs)" at £54. Done. Next: the Patels, saved item "Fortnightly clean (2 hrs)", £36, plus "Oven clean" at £45 because they asked last time. Next: the Okafors. Eleven invoices in nine minutes, each one numbered, each one with the logo Jo's nephew drew, each one sent with a Pay button. ### Wednesday, 12:30pm, a bench in the park A new enquiry, an end-of-tenancy in a three-bed. Priya sends an estimate for £240 from the bench, with the lines broken out so the landlord can see what he is getting. He replies "go ahead" by four o'clock. On Friday, when the job is done and the oven is a colour it has not been for years, she opens the estimate and creates the invoice from it. New number, same lines, linked to the estimate so nobody can later wonder what was agreed. She opens My Customers on the laptop that evening to add his second property, because landlords breed properties. The list is where she now goes when she cannot remember a gate code; it lives in the notes against the customer. ### Friday, 6:15pm, the kitchen table Friday is money night, and it used to be the worst part of the week. Scrolling WhatsApp, cross-checking the bank app, working out who paid for what. Now it is a glance. Priya opens My Documents on her phone and filters to Unpaid. Seventeen invoices went out this week; fourteen have the green tick. Of the three left, two are regulars who always pay by bank transfer on a Saturday, so she leaves them. One is a client who is now two weeks overdue and showing red. She taps it and sends the firmer reminder, the one that mentions the amount and the due date without being rude. She does not have to compose it. She does not have to feel awkward about it either, because it comes from "the system", which is a surprisingly useful thing for a system to be. The Saturday transfers arrive. She marks them paid with a tap each. Then she goes to the pub with Jo, which is the point of all this. This is what the same invoice looks like being made on a phone, recorded in the real app (no sound): ## What you get - Saved items. Your standard cleans, extras and hourly rates saved once and added with a tap. - Customer suggestions as you type. Start typing a name in Bill To and the details fill in. - My Customers. Every client with contact details, searchable, exportable. - Pay by card from the email. A Pay button in every invoice email and PDF, through Stripe. Paid invoices flip to Paid on their own. - Mark as paid by hand. For the bank-transfer regulars and the cash-in-an-envelope regulars. - Paid, Unpaid, Overdue, Part paid. Filter My Documents by period and status for the Friday check. - Escalating reminders. Friendly, then firmer, without you having to write either. - Estimates and quotes for one-off jobs. End-of-tenancy and deep cleans quoted on the spot, then turned into the invoice with Create from this. - Receipts in one tap. A receipt from the invoice for anyone who needs one for their landlord or their expenses. - Export to Excel or PDF. A month's invoices as a CSV for your accountant or a PDF report for yourself. ## What it costs The free preview is £0 with no card. Create, customise, download and print invoices and estimates with a preview watermark. If you hand paper invoices to clients and are paid in cash, that might honestly be enough. Sending by email, the Pay button, reminders, payment status and the My Documents and My Customers lists are on the Professional plan at £5 a month, cancel any time. Online card payments carry a 0.2% platform fee on successful payments plus Stripe's own fee; on a £54 weekly clean that is about 11p to SendInvoice. For a business sending 60 or 70 small invoices a month, the flat fee matters: services that take a percentage of every card payment, 2.5% and up at the time of writing, would cost more than the whole subscription on a single week's cleans. The one thing SendInvoice does not do is send invoices on a schedule by itself. Priya's nine-minute Monday is the trade-off, and she says she prefers seeing each one go. ## Do this in SendInvoice Set up your saved items and your regulars once, then invoice the whole week from the car park on Monday morning. Friday's money check becomes a glance at one list. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can SendInvoice send my invoices automatically every week? No. SendInvoice does not have recurring or scheduled invoices. What it does have is saved items and customer suggestions, so a weekly invoice for a regular client takes a few taps: pick the customer, add the saved item, send. Most people find that quicker than managing a schedule. ### I have a lot of small invoices. Will the list get messy? My Documents has search, filters by period, status, document type and currency, and an export to Excel (CSV) or a PDF report. Filtering to "Unpaid, last month" is the usual Friday habit. ### Some clients pay cash. How do I record that? Open the invoice and tap Mark as paid. If they want something for their records, create a receipt from the invoice in one tap and hand it over by email. ### I am not VAT registered. Is that a problem? Not at all. Most small cleaning and gardening businesses are below the VAT threshold. Leave the tax fields empty and do not show VAT. If you do register, add your VAT number and rates in Settings. Check with your accountant or HMRC if you are unsure. ### Can my colleague use it too? SendInvoice is a single sign-in, not a multi-user team product. Many two-person businesses share one account on the phone that handles the admin, which works well when one person does the invoicing. --- # Invoicing for Consultants and Coaches: Deposits, Milestones and Fewer Awkward Emails Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/for/consultants - A day in the life - What you get - What it costs Consulting is a job made of conversations, and the worst conversation is the one about money. The deposit you did not ask for, the milestone you forgot to bill, the "just following up on this" email you rewrote four times. Here is a month where the paperwork does the asking and you do the work. ## A day in the life Meet Amara. Freelance marketing consultant in Manchester, mostly three-month engagements with small firms who have never had a marketing person before. She is brilliant in a workshop and allergic to chasing. Last year she finished a project in June and was paid in October, because she felt rude asking twice. ### Day one, 10:00am, the kick-off call ends New client, a regional accountancy practice, a £6,000 three-month engagement. Before the call she had already decided this one would be different: a 30% deposit up front, two milestone invoices, no invoice sitting unsent because she "didn't want to seem pushy". The call ends, the proposal is accepted, and she opens SendInvoice on the laptop. She picks Proforma invoice, types "Marketing engagement, deposit (30%)", £1,800, due on receipt. Her consultancy details and bank details come from Settings. There is a Pay button in the email. She sends it at 10:12, while the goodwill is warm, and feels oddly grown-up about it. The finance partner pays by card before lunch. ### Week five, 4:30pm, the first milestone The audit and strategy phase is signed off. Amara creates an Invoice, "Phase 1: audit and strategy", £2,100, 14-day terms, with a short line in the terms about statutory interest that she has never once needed to enforce but likes having there. Numbered INV-0031, in sequence with the rest of her year. She opens My Documents to check the other engagements. The view is the honest version of her month: Paid in green, Unpaid, one Overdue in red from a coaching client who always pays, just late. She knows where she stands without opening the bank app, which matters when you are deciding whether you can take a week off in August. ### Week seven, 8:50am, the awkward email that is not awkward The coaching client is now three weeks late on £450. Old Amara would have drafted something, deleted it, drafted it again, added "no rush!" and sent nothing. New Amara taps the invoice, sends the friendly reminder, and goes to make coffee. It arrives branded with her business, with the PDF and the Pay button, and it reads as what it is: a system doing its job. The client pays that afternoon and apologises, which is a sentence she did not have to write. If it had stayed unpaid, the next reminder is firmer. The escalation is built in, which means the decision to escalate is not a personal one. That turns out to be the whole trick with awkward emails: not writing them. ### Month end, 9:00pm, the accountant wants a list Her accountant asks for the quarter's invoices. Amara filters My Documents to the last quarter, Paid and Unpaid, Invoice and Proforma, and exports to Excel. Thirty seconds. Then a PDF report of the overdue ones for herself, because there is one client she needs to have a conversation with. The send step and the paid check, recorded in the real app (no sound). Note the Pay now button in the send dialog: ## What you get - Deposits as proformas. A proforma invoice for money up front, with a Pay button, then a proper invoice when the work is done. - Milestone invoices in sequence. Running numbers per document type (INV-0031, INV-0032) so phases stay in order. - Part paid status. For the client who pays half now and half "when the board signs it off". - Escalating reminders. Friendly, then firmer, branded with your business, PDF and Pay button included. - Terms with formatting. Payment terms, a late-payment line and your cancellation policy, saved once and shown on every document. - Pay by card from the email. Stripe-powered; the invoice flips to Paid automatically. Bank transfers you mark paid by hand. - Filters and export. Period, status, type and currency; export to Excel (CSV) or a PDF report. - My Customers. Every client and their details, suggested as you type on the next invoice. - Quotes that become invoices. Send a quote for the engagement and create the invoice from it when they say yes. - Credit notes. Scope reduced after invoicing? Issue a credit note from the invoice rather than editing history. ## What it costs The free preview is £0 and needs no card. You can create, customise, download and print any document type with a preview watermark, which is enough to see how your invoices would look. Sending by email, the Pay button, reminders, Paid/Unpaid/Overdue/Part paid tracking, My Documents and My Customers with filters and export, saved items and premium templates are on the Professional plan at £5 a month, cancel any time. Card payments carry a 0.2% platform fee on successful online payments plus Stripe's own fee: £3.60 on a £1,800 deposit. Bank transfers cost nothing extra. For a consultant sending a handful of larger invoices a month, that flat fee is the cheaper shape. Tools charging 2.5% to 2.9% per card payment, at the time of writing, would take £45 or more off the same deposit. What you do not get is accounting, time tracking or recurring invoices. If you need those, SendInvoice sits alongside them rather than replacing them. ## Do this in SendInvoice Send the deposit proforma while the kick-off call is still warm, invoice each milestone in sequence, and let the reminders have the awkward conversation for you. ## Frequently asked questions ### Should the deposit be a proforma or an invoice? A proforma invoice is the usual choice for money requested before work starts: it asks for payment without being a final tax document. When the project completes, you issue the real invoice. SendInvoice creates both in a tap and keeps them in the same list. If you are VAT registered, ask your accountant how they want deposits treated for the tax point. ### Can I invoice in stages for a longer project? Yes. Create a separate invoice for each milestone, for example "Phase 1: audit" and "Phase 2: strategy". Running numbers keep them in order and the client's name links them in My Customers. Part paid status covers an invoice settled in instalments. ### How do reminders work? Open an unpaid invoice and send a reminder. The first is friendly; later ones are firmer. They go out branded with your business and include the PDF and the Pay button. SendInvoice does not send them on a schedule by itself; you choose when. ### Can I charge interest on a late payment? For business customers, the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 allows statutory interest at 8% plus the Bank of England base rate and fixed compensation of £40, £70 or £100 depending on the debt size, at the time of writing. Mention it in your terms. Check with your accountant before you apply it. ### Can I get a month's invoices out for my accountant? Yes. Filter My Documents by period and export to Excel (CSV) or a PDF report. Your accountant gets a tidy list; you get your evening back. ### Does it do time tracking or retainers? No. SendInvoice is an invoicing tool, not time tracking or accounting. Many consultants add a line such as "Retainer, November" with a saved item and send it at the start of each month. --- # Invoicing for Freelancers and Creatives: Look Professional, Get Paid by Card Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/for/freelancers-and-creatives - A day in the life - What you get - What it costs The work is good. The invoice is an afterthought, knocked up in a template someone emailed you in 2019, with "INVOICE" in a font you would never use for a client. It gets paid eventually. Eventually is the problem. Here is a week where the invoice is the last thing a client sees, and it looks like you made it. ## A day in the life Meet Tom. Freelance graphic designer, works from the back bedroom in Bristol, three regular UK clients and a growing handful in Germany and the Netherlands found through a friend of a friend. He is excellent at logos and terrible at asking for money. An invoice would sit in Drafts for a week because sending it felt like asking a favour. ### Monday, 9:15am, the desk A brand identity for a café in Bath is finished and signed off. Tom opens SendInvoice on the laptop, picks Invoice from the document type picker and the page is already half done: his studio name, address, logo and the signature he drew on the phone with a finger, all pulled in from Settings. He types "Bris" in Bill To and the café comes up with its email. Three lines: logo design £900, stationery suite £350, brand guidelines PDF £250. Terms: 14 days, in his own words, with a polite line about late payment interest that he copied from the Late Payment Act once and never had to use. The live preview on the right updates as he types. It looks like a document from a studio, not a spreadsheet with ambitions. It is the last piece of your work the client sees. ### Tuesday, 2:00pm, a client in Hamburg Tom's German client wants to pay a 40% deposit before he starts their packaging project, and they want the paperwork in euros and, ideally, in German, because their bookkeeper is not interested in learning English for a Bristol designer. He switches the interface language to German, picks Proforma invoice from the picker (it sits under Invoices, next to Tax invoice) and sets the currency on the document to EUR. His descriptions he writes himself; the labels, the headings and the email wrapper follow the language. €1,400 deposit, due on receipt, Pay button included. The bookkeeper in Hamburg pays by card on Wednesday morning. ### Thursday, 7:30pm, the sofa The café invoice went out Monday. Tom, out of habit, braces for the usual two-week wait. Instead his phone buzzes: paid, £1,500, by card, from the Pay button in the email. He did not have to send a "just checking you received this" message. The relief is out of proportion to the event, and he enjoys it anyway. One older invoice to a marketing agency is a week overdue. He opens it on the phone, taps Send, and chooses the friendly reminder. It goes out with his branding, his reply-to address and a PDF attached. If it is still unpaid next week, there is a firmer one. He does not have to write either; the awkwardness was always in the writing. Here is an invoice being built in the real app. The preview on the right updates as you type, so what you send is exactly what you saw (no sound): ## What you get - Invoices that look like your work. 100+ templates, your logo, a drawn or typed signature, premium templates on the paid plan. - Your details filled in once. Studio name, address, bank details and terms live in Settings and appear on every document. - Multi-currency. A default currency plus 150+ others per document, and a currency filter in My Documents. - 10 interface languages. English (UK/US), Welsh, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, Polish and Portuguese. - Deposits with a proforma. A proforma invoice for the deposit, a normal invoice for the balance, both with a Pay button. - Pay by card from the email. Stripe-powered Pay button; the invoice flips to Paid automatically. - CC, BCC and reply-to. Copy in the client's accounts team, make replies land in your inbox. - Escalating reminders. Friendly first, firmer later, sent from your phone. - Quotes that become invoices. Send a quote for a project, then create the invoice from it with one tap, linked and renumbered. - Credit notes done properly. Scope changed after you invoiced? Create a credit note from the invoice instead of editing history. ## What it costs The free preview is £0, no card required. You can create, customise, download and print documents, with a preview watermark. If you only want to see what your invoice could look like, start there. Sending by email, the Pay button, reminders, Paid/Unpaid tracking, My Documents and My Customers, saved items and premium templates are on the Professional plan at £5 a month, cancel any time. Card payments carry a 0.2% platform fee on successful online payments plus Stripe's own fee: £2.40 on a £1,200 invoice. If a client pays by bank transfer there is no fee at all; you just mark it paid. For comparison, at the time of writing PayPal invoicing takes 2.9% plus a fixed fee per payment and Wave Pro is around $16 a month. On Tom's typical £4,000 month, a flat £5 plus Stripe's fee is the cheaper deal by some distance. What SendInvoice will not do for you is bookkeeping, bank feeds or your tax return. It is an invoicing tool, and it stays in its lane. ## Do this in SendInvoice Build an invoice that looks like it came from your studio, send it in your client's currency and language, and let them pay by card from the email. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can I invoice a client in euros while my default is pounds? Yes. Set your default currency in Settings and change the currency on any individual document. SendInvoice supports 150+ currencies, and My Documents can be filtered by currency so you can see your euro invoices separately. ### Can the invoice be in the client's language? SendInvoice has 10 interface languages: English (UK and US), Welsh, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, Polish and Portuguese. Switch language before you create or send a document and the labels follow. Your line descriptions are whatever you type. ### Do I charge VAT to EU clients? If you are not VAT registered, you must not charge or show VAT to anyone. If you are registered, business-to-business services to EU clients are often outside the scope of UK VAT under the place-of-supply rules, but this depends on what you sell and to whom. Check with your accountant or HMRC before you decide. ### How do I take a deposit before starting work? Send a proforma invoice for the deposit with the Pay button. When the project is done, create the final invoice. Both appear in My Documents and you can see at a glance which has been paid. ### Can I add my signature and a different logo for a side project? Yes. Upload a logo or pick one from the library, and add a signature by drawing, uploading or typing it. You can change both on a document before sending. ### Is there a fee on card payments? Yes: a 0.2% platform fee on successful online payments plus Stripe's own fee. On a £1,200 invoice the platform fee is £2.40. Bank transfers carry no fee; you mark those paid by hand. --- # Invoicing for Photographers: From Booking Deposit to Final Gallery, Without the Chasing Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/for/photographers - A day in the life - What you get - What it costs A wedding is eighteen months of excitement for the couple and eighteen months of admin for you. The quote, the deposit that holds the date, the balance that is due "before the gallery", the reminder you are dreading sending to people who cried on your shoulder in August. Here is how one booking goes when the paperwork is three taps at each stage. ## A day in the life Meet Ellie. Wedding photographer in the Cotswolds, 28 weddings a year, a dog called Pixel and a camera bag that costs more than her car. She loves the couples. She did not love the spreadsheet called "Payments FINAL v3" or the fact that she once nearly lost a date because a deposit email sat in Drafts for a week. ### January, 8:30pm, the enquiry Hannah and Sam want a full-day package for a September wedding at a barn near Chipping Campden. They have asked for "a proper quote" because Sam's dad is paying for half and wants to see it written down. Ellie opens SendInvoice on the sofa. Her studio name, logo and a signature she drew on the phone are already there from Settings. Quote: full-day coverage £2,200, second shooter £450, fine-art album £390. Terms: 25% deposit to secure the date, balance due two weeks before the wedding. QUO-0022, sent at 8:41. ### February, 11:15am, the date is held They say yes. The old routine involved typing the package out again as a deposit request, and the new one involves opening the quote on the laptop and tapping Create from this. Proforma invoice is one of the suggested types. The couple's details, the three lines and the total come across; the deposit becomes a single line for £760, with a note that the balance follows in August. New number, "From QUO-0022" printed on it so nobody ever wonders what the £760 was for. Sam's dad pays it by card from the email that afternoon. The proforma flips to Paid with a green tick, and the date goes in the diary in pen. That tick is the moment the booking becomes real. ### August, 7:50am, the balance Three weeks out. The old Ellie would be composing a careful email, worrying about tone. Instead she opens the quote on her phone, taps the action sheet, Create from this, Invoice. The balance is £2,280, due 1 September. She sends it with the Pay button while Pixel waits by the door. A week before the due date nothing has arrived. She does not draft anything. She taps the invoice and sends the friendly reminder, which goes out with her branding, the PDF and the Pay button. Hannah replies within the hour: "so sorry, wedding brain, paying now". Card payment, green tick, and Ellie has not had to be the person who asks twice. ### October, 10:00pm, the gallery goes live Six hundred edited photos, the album on order, and one last tap: Create from this, Receipt, for the couple's wedding folder. Then she opens My Documents and scrolls the year. Twenty-eight weddings, each a quote, a proforma and an invoice, nearly all green. Two balances for next spring are still Unpaid, as they should be. One from a corporate shoot is Overdue and red, and she sends the firmer reminder without thinking about it. "Payments FINAL v3" has not been opened since March. The package quote becoming the invoice, recorded in the real app (no sound): ## What you get - Quotes that become deposits and balances. A quote for the package, a proforma for the deposit, an invoice for the balance, each created from the last and linked. - Pay by card from the email. Stripe-powered Pay button in every email and PDF; the document flips to Paid on its own. - Mark as paid by hand. For bank transfers and the cash from the couple's parents. - Escalating reminders. Friendly first, firmer later, branded as you, so you never have to be the one who asks twice. - Receipts in one tap. A receipt from the paid invoice for the wedding folder. - Paid, Unpaid, Overdue, Part paid. The whole season at a glance in My Documents, with filters by period and status. - Saved items. "Full-day coverage", "Second shooter", "Fine-art album" saved once, added in a tap. - Your look. 100+ templates, your logo, a drawn or uploaded signature; it looks like your brand, not an accounts department. - My Customers. Every couple and every venue, suggested as you type. - Credit notes. Album upgrade cancelled? A credit note from the invoice rather than an edited PDF. ## What it costs The free preview is £0 and asks for no card. You can create, customise, download and print quotes, proformas and invoices with a preview watermark. It is a good way to see your branding on a document before you commit to anything. Sending by email, the Pay button, reminders, Paid/Unpaid tracking, My Documents and My Customers, saved items and premium templates are on the Professional plan at £5 a month, cancel any time. Card payments carry a 0.2% platform fee on successful online payments plus Stripe's own fee: £4.56 on a £2,280 balance. Bank transfers cost nothing extra. Wedding invoices are large and few, which is exactly where a flat fee wins. At the time of writing, services taking 2.5% to 2.9% per card payment would cost £57 or more on that same balance. What SendInvoice does not do is contracts, galleries, scheduling or bookkeeping. It handles the money paperwork and leaves the rest to the tools you already have. ## Do this in SendInvoice Quote the package, turn it into the deposit proforma when they say yes, and invoice the balance from your phone three weeks out. Let the reminders do the chasing. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the best way to take a booking deposit? Send a proforma invoice for the deposit, created from the quote so the package details carry over. It includes a Pay button so the couple can pay by card. When they do, the proforma flips to Paid and the date is yours. ### Can I invoice the balance before I deliver the gallery? Yes. Create the balance invoice from the original quote or proforma; the new document gets its own number and stays linked. Many photographers send it the week after the wedding with a note that the gallery goes live on payment. ### Can couples pay by card? Yes. They tap Pay in the email or on the PDF and pay through Stripe. You can also be paid by bank transfer and mark the invoice paid by hand. ### I am not VAT registered. Do I show VAT? No. If you are not VAT registered you must not charge or show VAT. Leave the tax fields empty. If you register later, add your VAT number and rates in Settings. Check with your accountant or HMRC if you are unsure where you stand. ### Can I send a receipt once the balance is paid? Yes. From the paid invoice, tap Create from this and choose Receipt. The details carry over and it goes out with your branding. Couples like having one for the wedding folder. ### Does it do contracts or galleries? No. SendInvoice is for quotes, invoices, receipts and the other documents around getting paid. Your contract and gallery tools stay as they are; SendInvoice handles the money paperwork alongside them. --- # Invoicing for Tradespeople: Quote on Site, Invoice From the Van, Paid Before Tea Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/for/tradespeople - A day in the life - What you get - What it costs You did not become a plumber to do paperwork. Yet every job ends the same way: a scrap of paper, a promise to "send the invoice tonight", and a week of wondering whether the money is coming. Here is what a Tuesday looks like when the quote, the invoice and the payment all happen from the phone in your pocket. ## A day in the life Meet Dan. He is a plumber in Leeds, works alone, drives a van with a dent he keeps meaning to fix, and until recently invoiced from a notebook with a cracked spine. His wife did the typing on a Sunday. Neither of them enjoyed it. ### 8:10am, a kitchen in Headingley A leaking stop tap, a tired boiler and a customer who wants to know "roughly what we're looking at" before she says yes. Dan used to say a number out loud and hope she remembered it kindly. Now he opens SendInvoice on his phone, taps Quote, and types three lines while the kettle boils: replace stop tap £85, service boiler £95, parts £42. His business details are already there from Settings. His logo is on it. It looks like it came from a company with an office. He sends it before he has finished his tea. The quote is numbered QUO-0017, the customer has a PDF in her inbox, and Dan has not written anything on his hand. ### 1:30pm, the van outside a Greggs She said yes by text at 11. The job is done, the stop tap no longer weeps, and the old Dan would now be thinking about doing the invoice "later". Later meant Sunday, which meant ten days before anyone was asked for money. Instead he opens the quote and taps Create from this. SendInvoice offers Invoice as the first suggestion. One tap and everything carries over: the customer, the address, the three lines and the total. The invoice gets its own number, INV-0042, and a small line that says "From QUO-0017" so the two stay linked. He checks the total, adds "thanks for the brew" to the notes, and that is the document done. ### 1:32pm, still in the van Send is a dialog, not a project. The customer's email is already filled in from the quote. The PDF is attached. There is a Pay button in the email, because Dan connected Stripe in Settings on a quiet evening in about four minutes. He taps Send and starts the engine. ### 5:45pm, home, boots off He checks My Documents while the dinner is on. INV-0042 has a green tick. She paid by card at 2:15pm, probably while the kettle was still warm. No "did you get my invoice?", no chasing, no Sunday typing. One from a landlord is turning red, so Dan taps it and sends a friendly reminder. It takes less time than reading this sentence. That is the whole trick. Not more software. Just doing the invoice at the moment the job ends, from the thing already in your hand. Here is the invoice-from-the-van step, recorded in the real app on a phone (no sound, about 20 seconds): And the quote-to-invoice step on a bigger screen. The lines, the customer and a reference back to the quote all carry over: ## What you get - Quotes and estimates on site. Create a quote or estimate in a few taps with your details filled in automatically. - Quote to invoice in one tap. Create from this turns QUO-0017 into INV-0042 with a new number and a link back to the quote. - Pay by card from the email. A Pay button in every invoice email and PDF, powered by Stripe. The invoice flips to Paid on its own. - Mark bank transfers and cash as paid by hand. One tap on the action sheet. - Paid, Unpaid, Overdue, Part paid. My Documents shows the state of every job without a spreadsheet. - Escalating reminders. Friendly first, firmer later, sent from your phone. - Saved items. "Call-out charge", "Service boiler", "Hourly rate" saved once and dropped in with a tap. - Receipts and credit notes from the invoice. A receipt for the customer who pays cash, a credit note if you overcharged, both created from the original. - Running numbers. INV-0001, INV-0002 and so on, per document type, so your records are tidy when the accountant asks. - Bank details and tax fields. Show VAT per line if you are registered; leave it off cleanly if you are not. ## What it costs The free preview costs nothing and needs no card. You can create, customise, download and print quotes and invoices, with a preview watermark. It is a fair way to find out whether you like it. Sending by email, the Pay button, reminders, payment tracking and the My Documents and My Customers lists are on the Professional plan: £5 a month, cancel any time. Card payments carry a 0.2% platform fee on successful online payments, plus Stripe's own fee. On a £222 boiler job that is about 44p to SendInvoice. Compare that with services that take 2.5% or more of every card payment, which at the time of writing would be over £5 on the same job, and the flat fiver starts to look like what it is: cheaper for anyone sending more than a couple of invoices a month. Being honest: if you send one invoice a month and are happy to be paid by bank transfer, the free preview with the watermark may be all you need. The £5 earns its keep when you want to stop chasing. ## Do this in SendInvoice Quote on site, turn it into an invoice from the van, and let the customer pay by card before you are home. Your business details are set up once and remembered. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can I really do all of this from my phone? Yes. SendInvoice runs in the browser on any phone, tablet or desktop, and it was designed phone-first. There is nothing to install, so you can quote, invoice and check who has paid from the van. ### I am not VAT registered. Do I still need to show VAT? No. If you are not VAT registered you must not charge or show VAT. Leave the tax fields empty and your invoice stays correct and simple. If you register later, you can add your VAT number and rates in Settings. Check with your accountant or HMRC if you are unsure about your position. ### Does the quote and the invoice stay linked? Yes. When you create an invoice from a quote, the new document gets its own number and carries a reference such as "From QUO-0017", so you and the customer can see where it came from. ### How does the customer pay? They tap the Pay button in the email or on the PDF and pay by card through Stripe. The invoice flips to Paid automatically. If they pay by bank transfer or cash instead, you mark it paid by hand in one tap. ### What does it cost? The free preview lets you create, customise, download and print documents with a preview watermark. Sending by email, taking card payments, reminders and payment tracking are on the Professional plan at £5/month, cancel any time. Card payments carry a 0.2% platform fee on successful online payments, plus Stripe's own fee. ### Can I add a deposit for bigger jobs? Yes. Send a proforma invoice for the deposit before you order materials, then send the final invoice when the job is done. Both are created in a couple of taps and both show up in My Documents. --- # Guides --- # Call-out Fees, Out-of-hours Rates and Emergency Work: State Them, Invoice Them, Get Paid Before You Leave Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/call-out-fees-and-emergency-work-invoices - What a call-out fee is, and what it is not - Setting out-of-hours rates - Stating them up front, and proving you did - Invoicing it clearly - Worked example: Jo's midnight lockout - Getting paid before you leave - When the bill goes to a landlord, an agent or an insurer - The habit in one line Jo is a locksmith in Bristol. Her phone goes at 11.40pm: a woman locked out of a flat in Bedminster, keys inside, two-year-old asleep at her mum's and a shift at 6am. Jo quotes the night call-out and the likely cost on the phone, texts it so there is a record, and is there in twenty minutes. Forty minutes later the door is open, the cylinder is replaced with an anti-snap one, and the customer is holding her phone looking at an invoice for £193 with a Pay button on it. She pays before Jo has put the drill back in the van. That is the whole art of emergency work: price it up front, invoice it clearly, get paid before you leave. ## What a call-out fee is, and what it is not A call-out fee is a fixed charge for turning up. It pays for the drive, the fuel, the fact that you answered the phone at midnight, and the diagnosis you do when you get there. It is separate from the labour of actually fixing the thing, and separate again from parts. There are two common structures, and both are fine as long as you say which you use: - Call-out plus labour from arrival. "£85 call-out, then £60 an hour on site." Simple and honest for jobs that could be five minutes or three hours. - Call-out including the first hour (or half hour). "£120 covers attendance and the first hour; £60 an hour after that." Customers like it because most jobs finish inside the hour and the number they were told is the number they pay. What a call-out fee is not: a penalty, a tip, or something to spring on the customer at the end. If the first time the customer hears the words "call-out fee" is on the invoice, you have already lost the argument, whatever the law says. ## Setting out-of-hours rates Nothing in UK law limits what you charge for evenings, nights, weekends or bank holidays, provided the customer agreed to it before you started. The common patterns: | Band | Typical approach | Example | | Standard hours (say 8am to 6pm, Mon to Fri) | Base call-out and hourly rate | £55 call-out, £45 an hour | | Evening (6pm to 10pm) and Saturday | Base plus a fixed uplift, or 1.5 times | £70 call-out, £60 an hour | | Night (10pm to 6am), Sunday, bank holidays | Roughly double, or a higher flat call-out | £85 call-out, £60 an hour, 1-hour minimum | Three decisions to make once and write down, so you are not inventing numbers at midnight: - Your bands and the hours they cover. Put them on your website, on your quote template and in the notes on your phone. - A minimum charge. A one-hour minimum out of hours is normal. Nobody should drive across a city at 2am for twenty minutes of labour at the standard rate. - Whether the fee is payable if you cannot fix it. Usually yes: the call-out is for attending. If you offer "no fix, no fee", define it precisely, because a customer will remember the slogan and forget the small print. Parts are always on top, at your usual price. For a locksmith that is the cylinder; for a plumber, the valve; for an electrician, the RCD. The labour and materials post covers how to show them. ## Stating them up front, and proving you did This is the part that decides whether you get paid. Emergency customers are stressed, tired and not listening carefully. Whatever you say on the phone, half of it will not land. So: - Say it on the phone, slowly: "It's £85 for the night call-out, then £60 an hour with a one-hour minimum, plus any parts. A new cylinder is usually £40 to £60. So you're probably looking at £150 to £200 all in. Is that OK?" - Then text it before you set off. "Hi, Jo from Keys Bristol. As discussed: night call-out £85, labour £60/hr (1 hr min), parts extra. Likely £150-£200. On my way, with you in about 20 mins. Please reply OK." That text is your contract. - Get the "please come now". When you agree a job at a customer's home, consumers generally have a 14-day cancellation right. If they ask you to start immediately, you can charge for work done, but you want that request on record. "Please reply OK and I'll come straight away" does it in one line. Keep claims about this cautious; it is an area where the detail matters. - Put the bands on your invoice template too, in the terms, so the invoice confirms what the text said. ## Invoicing it clearly An emergency invoice should be readable by someone who was not there: the customer's partner, a landlord, an insurer. That means: - The call-out as its own line, labelled with the band: "Emergency call-out, out of hours (22:00 to 06:00)". - Labour as its own line with the time on site and the minimum applied if it was: "Labour, 40 minutes on site, charged at 1-hour minimum". - Each part as its own line with enough description to identify it. - Date, time called, time arrived, time left in the description or the notes. This is what justifies the rate, and it is the first thing an insurer or a letting agent asks for. - The address attended, which may not be the billing address, in the notes. - What was done, in plain words: "Non-destructive entry via lock manipulation; existing cylinder replaced with anti-snap euro cylinder, 3 keys supplied." Everything else is the ordinary stuff every invoice needs: a unique number, your details, the customer's name and address, the date, the amount, and no VAT shown if you are not registered. How to invoice as a locksmith walks through the full layout for that trade; the same lines work for an emergency plumber or electrician. ## Worked example: Jo's midnight lockout Jo is a sole trader and not VAT registered, so there is no VAT on this invoice. The customer, Ms Okafor, is a private tenant paying personally. Invoice INV-0412 from Keys Bristol (J. Bennett) to Ms D. Okafor, Flat 3, 41 North Street, Bedminster, Bristol. Date 18 October 2026. Payment due on receipt. | Description | Qty | Unit | Amount | | Emergency call-out, out of hours (22:00 to 06:00). Called 23:40, arrived 00:02, left 00:45, 18 Oct 2026. Rate agreed by text 23:44. | 1 | £85.00 | £85.00 | | Labour: non-destructive entry to front door by lock manipulation; remove and replace cylinder. 40 minutes on site, charged at 1-hour minimum. | 1 hr | £60.00 | £60.00 | | Euro cylinder, 35/45, anti-snap, anti-pick, 3 keys supplied | 1 | £48.00 | £48.00 | | Total due | £193.00 | Notes: Not VAT registered. Attended at the above address at the customer's request to start immediately. Entry gained without damage to door or frame. Cylinder guaranteed 12 months. Paid by card on site. Within the £150 to £200 Jo texted. Times on the invoice. What was done, in words the customer can repeat to her landlord. Nothing to argue about, which at 1am is worth more than the £48 on the cylinder. ## Getting paid before you leave Emergency work has the best moment for getting paid of any trade: the problem is fixed, the relief is enormous, and you are standing right there. Leave with the invoice "to be paid later" and you have turned a grateful customer into a debtor who will reconsider the price in the cold light of day. The habit: - Create the invoice on your phone while you pack up. Thirty seconds if your call-out and labour rates are saved items. - Send it to the customer's email, with the PDF attached and a Pay button in the email. - Show them the Pay screen on your own phone if they are standing next to you, so they are not hunting for an email at 1am. They tap, pay by card, done. - If they want to pay cash, take it, mark the invoice paid, and create a receipt from it in one tap. If they want to do a bank transfer, ask them to do it now, on their phone, and mark it paid when it shows. Card payments through SendInvoice go via Stripe, and the invoice flips to Paid on its own when the payment goes through, so there is nothing to reconcile at the end of a long night. At the time of writing the platform fee is 0.2% on successful online payments plus Stripe's own fee, which on a £193 invoice is a few pence more than most card readers and does not involve carrying a reader. Getting paid on the day compares the options properly. ## When the bill goes to a landlord, an agent or an insurer A lot of emergency work is for tenants but paid for by someone else. Two rules: - Find out who is paying before you start, and get the letting agent's email or the landlord's name on the phone. If the agent is paying, ask for a purchase order number or job reference and put it on the invoice; some agents will not pay without one. - Put the property address on the invoice as well as the billing address, because the agent has forty properties and yours is just "the Bedminster one". Agents and landlords' companies are businesses, so 30-day terms are normal and, if they pay late, the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act applies: statutory interest and a fixed sum of £40 or more per invoice. That does not apply to a private tenant paying personally; for them you are limited to what your terms say and, if it ever went to court, interest at the court's discretion. Invoicing landlords and letting agents covers the whole relationship. For insurance claims, the customer usually pays you and claims it back, and the insurer wants the times, the cause, what was done and a note that entry was non-destructive (or why it was not). Write the invoice as if an assessor will read it, because one might. ## The habit in one line Text the price before you leave, invoice from the doorstep with the times on it, and show them the Pay button before you show them the van. Emergency customers are the easiest customers in the world to get paid by, for about fifteen minutes. Use the fifteen minutes. ## Do this in SendInvoice Save your call-out and out-of-hours rates as items, build the invoice on your phone in the time it takes to pack the tools, and send it with a Pay button so the customer can pay by card before you leave. Free to create and preview; £5 a month to send, take card payments and track what is paid. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is a call-out fee and what does it cover? A call-out fee is a fixed charge for attending, separate from the work itself. It covers the time to get to the job, the fuel and the fact that you are available at short notice. Some trades include the first half hour or hour of labour in it; others charge labour from arrival on top. Either is fine as long as you say which before you set off. ### Is it legal to charge more out of hours? Yes. There is no law limiting what you charge for evening, night, weekend or bank holiday work, provided the customer agreed the rate before you started. The risk is not the law but the dispute: a customer who did not know the night rate was double will argue, and may win. State it clearly in writing, a text is enough, before you leave the house. ### Can a customer refuse to pay a call-out fee if I could not fix the problem? Not if the fee was agreed in advance as a charge for attending. You turned up, diagnosed the problem and spent your time; the fee is for that. Make it clear on the phone and in your text whether the call-out is payable regardless of outcome, and if you offer no-fix-no-fee, say precisely what that means. ### Does the 14-day cooling-off period apply to emergency work? Contracts agreed at the customer's home generally give a consumer a 14-day cancellation right, but if they ask you to start straight away, which in an emergency they always do, you can charge for the work done. Keep a record of that request: a text saying please come now, or a line in your reply confirming they have asked you to start immediately. ### How do I get paid before I leave an emergency job? Create the invoice on your phone while you pack the tools, send it to the customer's email with a Pay button, and show them the Pay screen on your own phone if they are standing beside you. A card payment marks the invoice paid on the spot. If they pay cash, mark it paid and issue a receipt; if bank transfer, ask them to do it while you are there. ### Should the invoice show the time of the call-out? Yes. Put the date, the time you were called and the time you arrived and left in the description. It justifies the out-of-hours rate, and if the invoice is ever queried by the customer, a landlord or an insurer, the times are the first thing they want. --- # CIS Invoice Example for Subcontractors (Labour, Materials and the 20% Deduction Line) Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/cis-invoice-example-for-subcontractors - What CIS is, in one breath - What goes on a CIS invoice - The worked example: Jamal's October invoice - How to show the deduction on the invoice - How the deductions come back - Getting paid by a contractor - If you are VAT registered - The records to keep Jamal is a groundworker. For most of October he has been on a site in Walsall for Carver Construction, digging and shuttering footings for a row of six houses: twelve days of his labour at £200 a day, plus £650 of concrete, rebar and type 1 he bought himself. The invoice says £3,050. The money that lands is £2,570. The £480 difference is not a mistake and it is not lost; it is the Construction Industry Scheme doing exactly what it is meant to. Here is how to write the invoice so that the number on the bank statement is the one you expected. ## What CIS is, in one breath The Construction Industry Scheme is HMRC's way of collecting tax from construction subcontractors at source. When a contractor (a building firm, a developer, or any business that spends heavily on construction) pays a subcontractor for construction work, the contractor must deduct a slice of the payment and hand it to HMRC on the subcontractor's behalf. At the time of writing the rates are: | Your CIS status | Deduction | Who this is | | Registered subcontractor | 20% of the labour element | Most sole-trader subbies who have registered with HMRC | | Not registered (or could not be verified) | 30% of the labour element | Anyone who has not registered, or whose details did not match HMRC's record | | Gross payment status | 0% | Subcontractors who have applied for and been granted gross status (turnover and compliance tests apply) | Two facts that matter for every invoice. First, the deduction applies to labour only. Materials you bought for the job are not deducted from, and neither is VAT if you charge it. Second, CIS only applies between a contractor and a subcontractor. If you dig a soakaway for Mrs Patel at number 12, she is a private homeowner, not a CIS contractor, and there is no deduction; you invoice her like any other customer. The deductions are not a cost. They are tax paid in advance, and they come back at the end of the year (more on that below). But they do take money out of your account now, so you need to know they are coming. ## What goes on a CIS invoice A CIS invoice is a normal UK invoice with three additions. Start with the basics every invoice needs: a unique number, your name or business name and address, the contractor's name and address, the date, a description of the work and the amount. Then add: - Labour and materials on separate lines. The contractor needs your labour figure to calculate the deduction, and you need it to check their statement. One line for "groundworks, 12 days" and one for "materials: concrete, rebar, type 1" is enough. If you have several labour lines (different rates, different weeks), that is fine; what matters is that materials are never mixed in with them. - Your UTR (Unique Taxpayer Reference). The contractor uses it, with your name and National Insurance number, to verify you with HMRC and find out which rate to apply. Put it in your business details so it appears on every invoice to a contractor. - The deduction and the amount payable. A line reading "Less CIS deduction, 20% of £2,400 labour" with the figure, and a clear "Amount payable" below it. The contractor is the one legally responsible for calculating and deducting, but showing it yourself means you both agree the number before the payment run. Materials should be shown at what they actually cost you. Contractors are entitled to ask for evidence, and HMRC expects the materials figure to reflect the direct cost, so keep the merchant receipts with the invoice. If you have marked materials up, the mark-up is really labour, and the contractor may treat it that way. Ask your accountant how to handle it if your margins on materials are significant. ## The worked example: Jamal's October invoice Jamal is a registered subcontractor (20%) and is not VAT registered. Twelve days on site at £200 a day, plus materials he bought at the merchant with the contractor's agreement. J. Hussain Groundworks · Jamal Hussain, sole trader · UTR 12345 67890 · Invoice INV-0071 · Date 31 October 2026 · Due 30 days Bill to: Carver Construction Ltd, Unit 4, Bentley Business Park, Walsall · Site: Plots 1-6, Mill Lane, Walsall · Order no.: CC-2211 | Description | Qty | Unit price | Amount | | Labour: groundworks to plots 1-6, excavation and shuttering of strip footings, 1-28 October | 12 days | £200.00 | £2,400.00 | | Materials: ready-mix concrete, rebar and mesh, MOT type 1 (receipts attached) | 1 | £650.00 | £650.00 | | Invoice total | £3,050.00 | | Less CIS deduction, 20% of £2,400.00 labour | -£480.00 | | Amount payable | £2,570.00 | Notes: Not VAT registered. CIS deduction applies to labour only; materials shown at cost. Please provide a payment and deduction statement for this payment. Bank details below. Follow the arithmetic once and it never confuses you again. The deduction is 20% of the labour (£2,400), which is £480. It is not 20% of the invoice total (that would be £610, and a contractor who deducts that is deducting from your materials, which they should not). The amount that should land in Jamal's account is £3,050 less £480: £2,570. If Jamal had not registered, the same invoice would read "Less CIS deduction, 30% of £2,400.00 labour: -£720.00" and the amount payable would be £2,330. Same work, £240 less in the bank this month, all of it recoverable eventually, none of it worth lending to HMRC. With gross payment status there is no deduction line at all and the amount payable is the full £3,050; Jamal would settle his tax through Self Assessment like any other sole trader. ## How to show the deduction on the invoice SendInvoice does not calculate CIS for you, and nor does it need to; the sum is one line of arithmetic and you want to see it. Add the labour and materials as ordinary lines, then add a line for the deduction with a negative amount ("Less CIS deduction, 20% of £2,400 labour", -£480.00), so the total at the bottom is the amount payable. If you would rather keep the gross total as the invoice total, put the deduction and the amount payable in the notes instead. Either way, the contractor sees the labour figure, the rate and the net amount, which is all they need to match it to their payment run. Save "Labour: groundworks, day rate" and "Materials at cost" as saved items and the next month's invoice is a quantity change and a date. Your UTR lives in your saved business details so it is on every invoice without thinking about it. ## How the deductions come back This is the part new subbies worry about most, so here it is plainly. Every CIS deduction is tax paid in advance on your behalf. At the time of writing, the process for a sole trader is: - The contractor sends you a payment and deduction statement for each payment (or each tax month), showing the gross amount, the materials, the labour and the deduction. They must give you this; if they do not, ask. Keep every one. Photograph it and store it with the invoice. - At the year end you fill in your Self Assessment return, reporting your full income (the £3,050, not the £2,570) and, in the CIS box, the total deducted across the year. - HMRC sets the deductions against the tax and Class 4 National Insurance you owe. If more was deducted than you owe (common in a first year, or any year with big expenses), the difference is refunded. If less, you pay the balance. For Jamal, that means twelve months of 20% deductions on labour have very likely covered most or all of his tax bill before he fills in a single box. The refund, where there is one, is real money; subbies who lose their statements lose the evidence for it. Check your own position with your accountant or HMRC, especially if you trade through a limited company, where the rules differ. ## Getting paid by a contractor CIS tells you how much will be deducted. It says nothing about when you will be paid, and that is where subcontractors get hurt. A few protections: - Agree the terms before you start, and put them on the invoice. 30 days is common; some contractors run "end of month following", which can mean nearly 60 days from the work. - Quote their order number and the site on every invoice. A contractor's accounts office cannot pay "groundworks, October". - You are a business invoicing a business, so the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 applies in full: statutory interest at 8% above the Bank of England base rate and a fixed sum (£40, £70 or £100 depending on the debt, at the time of writing) if they pay late. You rarely need to use it; knowing it, and saying so politely at 14 days overdue, usually does the job. The ladder is in how to chase an unpaid invoice. - Construction contracts between businesses are also covered by the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996, which gives you a right to staged payments on longer jobs, a payment notice process and adjudication. It is worth knowing it exists if a contractor is holding money back; the basics are in invoicing a main contractor as a subcontractor. Contractors do not pay by card button, as a rule; they pay by BACS on a run. Mark the invoice paid when it arrives, and check the amount against your "amount payable" line. If it is short by exactly 10% of your labour, they have deducted 30%; ring the accounts office and get re-verified before the next run. ## If you are VAT registered CIS and VAT are separate, but they meet on the same invoice. Two points. The CIS deduction is always worked out on the labour excluding VAT, so the VAT never gets deducted from. And if you and the contractor are both VAT registered, most CIS work falls under the VAT domestic reverse charge, under which you do not charge VAT at all and the contractor accounts for it. The invoice looks different enough that it has its own post: the VAT reverse charge for construction invoices, with a full example. ## The records to keep For every CIS job: the invoice, the materials receipts, the contractor's payment and deduction statement, and the bank entry showing what landed. Keep them for at least five to six years. Making Tax Digital for Income Tax applies from April 2026 for the self-employed with income over £50,000 (£30,000 from April 2027 and £20,000 from April 2028), and quarterly updates are far easier when the invoices already show labour and materials separately and the statements are filed next to them. Jamal's £480 is sitting with HMRC with his name on it. In January it will come off his tax bill, and the bit that is left over will come back. The invoice that made that painless took four minutes in the van: two lines, a deduction, a UTR, and the number he expected on the bank statement. ## Do this in SendInvoice Put your UTR in your saved business details, keep labour and materials on separate lines, add the CIS deduction as a line so the amount payable is right there, and send it to the contractor from the site. Free to create and preview; £5 a month to send, track what has been paid and export the year for your accountant. ## Frequently asked questions ### Does CIS apply to work I do for homeowners? No. CIS deductions are made by contractors, which means construction businesses and certain other businesses that spend heavily on construction. A private homeowner having their own house worked on is not a CIS contractor, so you invoice them normally with no deduction line. The scheme only comes into play when you are paid by a contractor for construction work. ### Is the CIS deduction taken from the whole invoice? No. The deduction applies to the labour element only. Materials you bought for the job are excluded, and so is any VAT if you are VAT registered. That is why a CIS invoice shows labour and materials on separate lines: the contractor needs the labour figure to work out the deduction, and so do you to check their statement. ### Why has the contractor deducted 30% instead of 20%? Because HMRC could not verify you as a registered subcontractor, so the contractor had to use the higher rate. Usually that means you have not registered for CIS, or the details the contractor used (name, UTR, National Insurance number) did not match HMRC's records. Register, give the contractor the exact details on your HMRC record, and ask them to re-verify you. ### How do I get the CIS deductions back? They are not lost; they are tax paid in advance. As a sole trader you report your income and the total CIS deducted on your Self Assessment return, and the deductions are set against the tax and National Insurance you owe. If more was deducted than you owe, HMRC refunds the difference. Keep every payment and deduction statement, because that is your evidence. Check with your accountant or HMRC for your own position. ### Does my invoice have to show the CIS deduction? Strictly it is the contractor who must calculate and deduct it, and they must give you a payment and deduction statement. But showing the deduction and the net amount payable on your invoice avoids the 'why is this £480 short?' conversation and makes it easy to match their statement to your invoice. Most contractors expect it, and your UTR should be on there too. ### I am VAT registered. Does CIS change how I charge VAT? Not the deduction itself, which ignores VAT entirely, but VAT-registered subcontractors invoicing VAT-registered contractors usually fall under the domestic reverse charge for construction, which means you do not charge VAT and the contractor accounts for it. That changes the look of the invoice; our separate reverse charge guide covers it with a worked example. --- # Day Rate vs Fixed Price for Trades: When Each Works and How to Invoice It Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/day-rate-vs-fixed-price-for-trades - The two models, plainly - When a day rate works - When a fixed price works - The hybrid most experienced trades use - How each looks on the quote - How each looks on the invoice - Worked example: Gareth's hallway, invoiced - Protecting yourself from scope creep - So which should you use Gareth is a painter and decorator in Swansea. He is standing in a hallway, stairs and landing in a 1920s terrace looking at three layers of woodchip, a cracked ceiling and a customer who wants a price. He could say £1,150 fixed and pray about what is under the paper. He could say £220 a day and watch her face fall because she cannot budget for "a day, maybe five". Twenty years in, he knows the honest answer is a bit of both, and he knows how to put that on a quote and then on an invoice so nobody feels caught out. ## The two models, plainly Day rate: you charge for your time, usually by the day or half day, plus materials. The customer carries the risk of the job taking longer. You are paid for every hour you work, and no more. Fixed price: you quote a single figure for a defined scope. You carry the risk of it taking longer. If you are quick, you earn more per hour; if you hit woodchip over blown plaster, you earn less. Most of the arguments tradespeople have with customers come from mixing the two up without saying so: pricing a job "about £1,100" in the customer's head and "£220 a day, probably five" in yours. The fix is not to pick one model forever. It is to choose deliberately for each job and write it down. ## When a day rate works - The scope is genuinely unknown. Stripping paper, opening up a floor, chasing a leak, "see what you can do with the garden". You cannot price what you cannot see. - The customer wants to control the scope. Some customers like to say "do the hallway first, then we'll see". A day rate lets them stop whenever they like without an argument about a fixed price for half a job. - You are working for another trade or a builder. Most subcontract labour is day rate or price-per-unit, and the builder expects a daily figure. If you are under the Construction Industry Scheme, remember the deduction applies to the labour line; the CIS invoice example covers it. - Small jobs. Half a day of odd jobs does not need a quote with exclusions. Hourly or half-day rates and a clear invoice are enough. The weakness of a day rate is that the customer has no ceiling, and a nervous customer with no ceiling becomes a customer who stands behind you asking why you are having a brew. Two things fix that: give a best-guess number of days up front, and send a two-line text at the end of each day saying what you did and how many days are used. ## When a fixed price works - The scope is clear and you have done it fifty times. Two coats on four walls and a ceiling in a freshly plastered room is a known quantity. Price it, and be rewarded for being good at it. - The customer is comparing quotes. Homeowners choose between tradespeople on price far more than on rate. "£1,150 for the hallway, stairs and landing" is a thing they can say yes to. "£220 a day" is a thing they have to think about. - You are fast. If you consistently finish in four days what others take five to do, a fixed price pays you for it. A day rate pays you less for being better. - Bigger jobs with deposits and stages. You cannot sensibly take a 30% deposit against "some days". A fixed price gives you something to take a percentage of; see deposits and staged payments. The weakness of a fixed price is scope creep: the "while you're here" that turns four days into six with no change to the number. More on that below, because it is where most of the money leaks. ## The hybrid most experienced trades use Gareth's answer to the woodchip is this. Fixed price for everything he can see and define: prep after stripping, two coats to walls and ceilings, woodwork undercoat and gloss, £980. Day rate for the one thing he cannot see: stripping the paper and making good whatever is under it, £220 a day, estimated one to two days. The customer gets a firm number for most of the job, and a clearly fenced-off bit of uncertainty with a best guess attached. Other versions of the same idea: - A provisional sum on a fixed-price quote: "Allow £150 for repairs to ceiling; actual cost to be agreed once exposed." - Day rate to open up, then a fixed price. One paid day to strip and inspect, then a firm quote for the rest. Common for roofs, floors and anything behind plasterboard. - A fixed price with written exclusions: "Price excludes repairs to plaster beyond minor filling; any such work to be quoted separately before proceeding." The common thread: the uncertain part is named, fenced and priced per unit before you start, so when it happens nobody is surprised. ## How each looks on the quote A fixed price belongs on a quote: a firm offer, with a scope, exclusions, a validity period and payment terms. A day rate belongs on an estimate, because the final figure is by nature a guess, and calling it a quote invites the customer to treat your best guess as a ceiling. The quote, estimate or invoice post explains the difference in law and in practice. A day-rate estimate needs four things most people leave off: - What a day is. "8 hours on site, 8am to 4.30pm with half an hour for lunch." Otherwise a day means whatever the customer decides it means. - Whether materials are included. Almost always no; say so, and say how they are charged. - A best-guess number of days, or a range, and the words "final invoice based on days actually worked". - What happens if it runs over: "I will let you know by text if the job looks likely to exceed the estimate before continuing." A fixed-price quote needs the scope in enough detail that an extra is obviously an extra: rooms, surfaces, number of coats, what is being filled and what is not, who moves the furniture, who disposes of the waste. How to write a trade quote goes through the full list. ## How each looks on the invoice Fixed price: one line for the agreed work, referencing the quote number, then any agreed variations as separate lines, then materials if they were excluded from the price, then any deposit deducted. The customer can lay the invoice next to the quote and see the numbers match. Day rate: a labour line showing the number of days (half days as 0.5) and the rate, with the dates worked in the description; then materials on their own lines, itemised where the customer would recognise them and bundled as sundries where not. The labour and materials post covers the layout. If the days ran over the estimate, a short note saying why, with a reference to the text where the customer agreed it. In both cases, SendInvoice can create the invoice from the quote or estimate in one tap, so the customer details and the description carry over and the invoice shows "From QUO-0203" or "From EST-0045". For a day-rate job you then change the quantity to the days actually worked; for a fixed price you add the variation lines. ## Worked example: Gareth's hallway, invoiced Gareth is a sole trader and not VAT registered, so there is no VAT anywhere on this. The stripping took a day and a half, which he told the customer by text at the end of day one ("Three layers and some loose plaster behind the bottom one. Looks like a day and a half for stripping and making good, not one. OK?" "Fine, thanks for letting me know."). Invoice INV-0157 from G. Rees Decorating to Mrs L. Hughes, 9 Mansel Street, Swansea. Date 24 October 2026. From EST-0045 / QUO-0203. Payment due within 7 days. | Description | Qty | Unit | Amount | | Day rate: strip three layers of woodchip from hall, stairs and landing walls, make good loose and blown plaster, fill and sand. Worked 20 Oct (full day) and 21 Oct (morning). Agreed by text 20 Oct. | 1.5 days | £220.00 | £330.00 | | Fixed price as per QUO-0203: prep, mist coat where required, two coats matt emulsion to walls and ceilings of hall, stairs and landing; undercoat and gloss to skirting, architraves, doors and handrail. Completed 24 Oct. | 1 | £980.00 | £980.00 | | Trade matt emulsion, 2 x 10L, colour as chosen | 2 | £58.00 | £116.00 | | Trade undercoat and gloss, 2.5L each | 1 | £52.00 | £52.00 | | Lining paper, 1400 grade, 4 rolls | 4 | £9.00 | £36.00 | | Filler, caulk, sandpaper, masking and sundries | 1 | £24.00 | £24.00 | | Total due | £1,538.00 | Notes: Not VAT registered. Day rate based on 8 hours on site as per estimate EST-0045. Pay by card using the link in this email or by bank transfer to the details below. Mrs Hughes was told £980 fixed plus one to two days at £220 plus materials. She got exactly that, with the day-and-a-half agreed on the day it happened. There is nothing on the invoice she has not already seen. ## Protecting yourself from scope creep Scope creep is the quiet killer of fixed prices and the quiet irritant of day rates. On a fixed price, every "could you just" is unpaid. On a day rate, every "could you just" is paid but lands on the invoice as a surprise. The defence is the same for both. - Write the scope down before you start, in enough detail that extras are visible as extras. "Walls and ceiling" means the customer will assume the woodwork is in. "Walls and ceiling; woodwork excluded" does not. - When something is asked for, stop and price it. Not in your head. Out loud or by text: "The cupboard doors would be another half day, £110. Want me to?" Then wait for the yes. Invoicing variations and extras has the exact habit. - On a day rate, report daily. A two-line text at 4.30pm: "Day 2 done. Stripping finished, started filling. On track for 5 days." It takes 20 seconds and makes the final invoice unarguable. - On a fixed price, protect the number with exclusions, not vagueness. A tight scope with a list of what is not included is friendlier than a vague scope you then have to defend. - Price the hidden stuff per unit before you find it. "Plaster repairs beyond minor filling at £220 per day, agreed before proceeding." Then when the plaster comes off with the paper, the price is already agreed. ## So which should you use If you have to pick a default: fixed price for domestic customers on work you can see and have done before; day rate for other trades, for investigation, and for the part of any job you cannot define. Say which you are using on every quote or estimate, define what a day is, and invoice with the days and the dates on the line. The model matters less than the clarity. And whichever you choose, invoice on the last day, from the hallway, before the dust sheets are back in the van. Everything else about getting a decorating invoice paid is in how to invoice as a painter and decorator. ## Do this in SendInvoice Send a quote for the fixed price or an estimate for the day rate, then turn it into the invoice in one tap with the days and materials on their own lines and a Pay button in the email. Free to create and preview; £5 a month to send and get paid by card from the job. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is a day rate or a fixed price better for a tradesperson? Neither is better in general. A day rate protects you when the scope is uncertain, such as stripping old wallpaper or opening up a ceiling. A fixed price rewards you for being quick and gives the customer certainty, which wins more domestic work. Many experienced trades use a fixed price for the defined work and a day rate for anything that turns up once they start. ### What should a day rate include? Say exactly what a day is: the hours on site, whether travel is included, and whether materials are extra. A typical line on a quote reads: day rate £220, based on an 8-hour day on site, materials charged separately at cost plus handling. Without that, a customer may assume a day runs until the job is done and that the paint is included. ### How do I invoice a day-rate job? One line for the labour showing the number of days (or half days) and the rate, with the dates worked in the description, then materials on their own lines. If the job ran over the estimate, say why in the notes, and refer back to any text where the customer agreed the extra time. Send a brief end-of-day message during the job so the invoice never surprises anyone. ### What if a fixed-price job takes longer than I thought? If the delay is because the job was harder than you reasonably expected, that is the risk you took when you priced it, and you absorb it. If it is because the customer added work or something hidden came to light that no one could have seen, that is a variation: stop, price it, get a yes in writing, and add it to the invoice as its own line. ### Should I use a quote or an estimate for day-rate work? An estimate. A quote is a fixed offer, and a day-rate job is by its nature an informed guess at the number of days. Head the document Estimate, give a range of days or a best guess with the rate, and say clearly that the final invoice will be based on days actually worked. For fixed-price work, use a quote. ### Can I switch from day rate to fixed price partway through a job? Yes, by agreement. A common pattern is a day or two on day rate to open up and find out what you are dealing with, then a fixed price for the rest once the scope is clear. Put the switch in writing, even as a text, with the fixed price and what it covers, so the two parts of the job are invoiced cleanly. --- # Deposits and Staged Payments for Tradespeople: How Much, What to Send, and Keeping It Fair Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/deposits-and-staged-payments-for-tradespeople - Why deposits exist, and what they are not - How much to ask for - The paper trail from quote to final invoice - Splitting a job into stages - Worked example: Marcus's re-roof - Keeping it fair, and legal - Getting the stages paid without chasing Marcus is a roofer in Stockport. He has just priced a strip and re-tile on a 1930s semi at £7,800, and the tiles, battens and membrane alone are £2,900 before a ladder goes up. Two years ago he bought the materials for a job like this out of his own pocket, the customer "changed their mind" the week before the start, and he spent a month selling pallets of tiles at a loss. He does not do that any more. Now the job starts with a deposit, moves on stage invoices, and ends with a final invoice, and every one of those is a document the customer can see and pay on their phone. ## Why deposits exist, and what they are not A deposit does three jobs. It covers the materials you have to order before you earn a penny. It tells you the customer is serious, which matters when you are turning other work away to hold the slot. And it keeps your cash flow level on a job that will run for weeks. What a deposit is not is a profit. It is the customer's money, held against work you have promised to do. If the job does not happen because of you, it goes back. If you treat it as yours the moment it lands, the first cancelled job will hurt twice. Deposits and stage payments also change the conversation at the end. A customer who has paid 70% of a job in stages, each one tied to something they could see, is far less likely to argue over the last 30% than one presented with a single £7,800 bill on the day you take the scaffold down. ## How much to ask for Nothing in UK law sets a maximum deposit for work done for a private customer. Common practice is: - 10% to 30% of the job for most domestic work. The bigger the job, the lower the percentage tends to be. - The cost of the materials you need to order up front, which is often the most honest figure and the easiest to explain: "The deposit covers the tiles and membrane, which I have to order a fortnight before we start." - More than a third only for bespoke or non-returnable items you are buying on the customer's behalf: a made-to-measure window, a particular boiler, a kitchen worktop cut to template. Say why on the quote. A 50% deposit on a £600 job looks greedy and makes a careful customer wonder whether you will turn up. A 10% deposit on a £20,000 extension leaves you carrying too much risk. Marcus asks for 30% because that roughly matches his materials, and he says so in one line on the quote. ## The paper trail from quote to final invoice For a job with a deposit and stages, you will send four or five documents. Each one has a job, and keeping them straight is what stops arguments later. - The quote. States the scope, the price, the deposit and the stage plan: "30% on acceptance, 35% on completion of strip and membrane, 35% on completion." If you have not already, read how to write a trade quote that protects you; the stage plan belongs there, not in a text sent later. - A proforma invoice for the deposit. It looks like an invoice and has a number the customer can quote, but it is a request for payment in advance rather than a record of work done. Reference the quote on it. - A receipt when the deposit arrives. One tap in SendInvoice creates a receipt from the proforma. Customers like having it, and it is your evidence of what was paid and when. - Stage invoices as each milestone is reached. Each one describes what has been done, not just "stage 2". - The final invoice, which shows the whole job, deducts the deposit and the stage payments already received, and leaves the balance due. If you are VAT registered, be aware that receiving a deposit usually creates a tax point, which means VAT is due on it in that period and the customer needs a proper VAT invoice for it. Many VAT-registered trades simply issue a VAT invoice for the deposit instead of a proforma. Check with your accountant; it is a small thing that trips people up. ## Splitting a job into stages Stage payments are for jobs that run longer than a week or so, or where your outlay climbs steeply partway through. The rules of thumb: - Tie stages to things the customer can see. "Strip complete, membrane and battens on" is a stage. "End of week two" is not, because weather, deliveries and a rotten purlin can all move week two. - Keep yourself close to the money. At any point in the job, the gap between what you have spent in labour and materials and what you have been paid should be something you could absorb if the customer stopped paying tomorrow. For most sole traders that is a week or two of work, no more. - Make the final payment meaningful but not frightening. A final stage of 10% is easy for a customer to "forget". A final stage of 50% is a cliff edge for you. Somewhere between 20% and 35% works for most domestic jobs. - Invoice the stage the day it is reached. Not the Friday after. Send it from the van while the customer is still looking at the new membrane. If your customer is a business (a landlord's company, a main contractor, a shop), the Construction Act gives you a legal right to staged payments on construction contracts lasting more than 45 days, with a payment notice process on top. It does not apply to work for homeowners, so for domestic jobs the stage plan is simply part of the contract you agreed on the quote. For contractor work, see invoicing a main contractor as a subcontractor. ## Worked example: Marcus's re-roof Marcus is a sole trader and is not VAT registered, so there is no VAT on any of these. The quote, QUO-0074, is for £7,800 with a stage plan of 30 / 35 / 35. Proforma invoice PRO-0031 (sent on acceptance of QUO-0074) | Description | Amount | | Deposit, 30% of quoted price, strip and re-tile of main roof at 14 Elm Grove, as per QUO-0074. Covers tiles, membrane, battens and fixings to be ordered before start. | £2,340.00 | | Total due | £2,340.00 | Stage invoice INV-0112 (sent the day the strip, membrane and battens were done) | Description | Amount | | Stage 1: old tiles and battens stripped and removed, breathable membrane fitted, new treated battens fixed. 35% of quoted price as per QUO-0074. | £2,730.00 | | Total due | £2,730.00 | Final invoice INV-0118 (sent on completion) | Description | Amount | | Strip and re-tile of main roof, 14 Elm Grove, as per QUO-0074: labour, tiles, ridge, membrane, battens, fixings, scaffold and waste removal | £7,800.00 | | Less deposit received 3 October (PRO-0031) | -£2,340.00 | | Less stage 1 payment received 17 October (INV-0112) | -£2,730.00 | | Balance due | £2,730.00 | Notes: Not VAT registered. Payment due within 7 days. Pay by card using the link in this email or by bank transfer to the details below. Ten-year workmanship guarantee as per quote. Notice the final invoice tells the whole story on one page: the full price, what was paid and when, and what is left. If the customer's partner, who never saw the quote, opens it, they can follow it without a phone call. ## Keeping it fair, and legal A few points that protect the customer, which in turn protect you, because fair terms are the ones that hold up when things go wrong. - Keep deposit money accessible. If you cannot do the job, it goes back. If you have spent it on last month's wages, that is a horrible fortnight. - Cooling off. When you agree a job in the customer's home, a consumer generally has 14 days to cancel under the Consumer Contracts Regulations. If they want you to start inside that window, get them to say so in writing; a text saying "yes please, start Monday" is enough. You can then charge for work done if they cancel, but you may still owe back the unused deposit. This is an area to keep cautious on; our simple terms for tradespeople post covers the wording. - Say what the deposit is for. "Covers materials ordered before start" is the honest line, and it explains why a late cancellation might cost the customer something. - Receipt every payment. A deposit paid in cash with no receipt is a dispute waiting to happen. The receipts for cash jobs post explains why it matters for HMRC too. - Do not hold the customer's money hostage. If you are three weeks late starting because of other jobs, offer the deposit back rather than making them chase. The ones who stay will stay for the right reasons. ## Getting the stages paid without chasing Stage payments only smooth your cash flow if they actually get paid on the day. The habit that works: send the proforma or stage invoice by email the moment the stage is reached, with a Pay button in the email, and tell the customer face to face that you have sent it. People pay a £2,730 invoice far more readily when the roofer who just showed them the finished battens is standing in the kitchen than when it arrives three days later. In SendInvoice the proforma, each stage invoice and the final invoice can all be created from the original quote, so the customer details, the job description and the reference to QUO-0074 carry over and the documents stay linked. When a card payment comes through, the document flips to Paid on its own; a bank transfer you mark as paid by hand. The My Documents list then shows exactly where the job stands: deposit Paid, stage 1 Paid, final Unpaid, which is the one to keep an eye on. If the job changes partway through (a rotten purlin, a request for a Velux while the roof is open), do not quietly fold it into the final invoice and hope. Price it, get a yes in writing, and add it as its own line or its own invoice; invoicing variations and extras walks through it. ## Do this in SendInvoice Quote the job, turn the accepted quote into a deposit proforma in one tap, then stage invoices and a final invoice that all reference it, each with a Pay button in the email. Free to create and preview; £5 a month to send and take card payments from the roof. ## Frequently asked questions ### How much deposit can a tradesperson ask for in the UK? There is no legal maximum for work done for a private customer. Common practice is 10% to 30% of the job, or roughly the cost of the materials you need to order before you start. Anything much above a third makes customers nervous and is hard to justify unless you are buying something expensive and non-returnable on their behalf, such as a bespoke window or a specific boiler. ### Which document do I send to ask for a deposit? A proforma invoice. It looks like an invoice, carries a number, and gives the customer something to pay against, but it is not a final tax invoice and does not go in your sales ledger as a sale. When the deposit lands, issue a receipt. The deposit is then deducted on the stage invoices or the final invoice. ### Is a deposit refundable if I cannot do the job? Yes. A deposit is money paid towards work you have agreed to do. If you cannot do it, the customer is owed it back, less any genuine costs you incurred at their request that you cannot recover. Keep deposit money accessible rather than spending it on another job's wages, and say in your terms what happens if either side cancels. ### How do I split a big job into stages? Tie each stage to something the customer can see, not to a calendar date: strip and membrane done, first fix done, plastering done, completion. Keep each stage small enough that you are never more than a week or two of labour and materials ahead of the money, and make the final payment large enough to matter but not so large the customer sits on it. ### Does a deposit affect the 14-day cooling-off period? For a contract agreed in the customer's home, a consumer generally has 14 days to cancel. If they want you to start inside that window, ask them to confirm it in writing (a text is fine). You can then charge for work done if they cancel, but you may still need to refund the unused part of the deposit. Keep claims cautious and check current guidance. ### If I am VAT registered, do I charge VAT on a deposit? Receiving a deposit normally creates a tax point, so you account for VAT on it in that period and the customer needs a VAT invoice for it. The simplest approach is to issue a VAT invoice for the deposit when it is paid rather than a proforma alone. Check with your accountant, as the rules on tax points can catch people out. --- # The 6 Documents a One-Person Business Actually Needs (and the 6 It Doesn't) Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/documents-a-one-person-business-needs - The principle: one document per moment - The six you need - The six you do not need (yet, or ever) - At a glance - Twelve types, grouped so you are not scrolling - Keeping them, and the one tax thing to know Search for "small business documents" and you get lists of forty things: statements, remittance advices, debit notes, packing slips, timesheets, all presented as if a wedding photographer with a Nikon and a diary needs an accounts department. She does not. Most one-person businesses need about six documents, and two of those only if you sell physical things. Here is the honest list, what each must say, and the ones you can cheerfully ignore. ## The principle: one document per moment Every piece of paperwork answers one question at one moment in a job. Before: what will it cost? After: what do you owe me? Later: did you pay? Later still: did I get it wrong? If a document does not answer a question you are being asked, you do not need it. Meet Leah, who photographs weddings and the occasional corporate headshot day. She is not VAT registered (yet). ## The six you need ### 1. A quote (or an estimate) When: before the work, when a customer asks "how much?". What must be on it: your business name and contact details, the customer's name, what is included (and what is not), the price, whether VAT is included if you are registered, how long it is valid for, and a reference number. A quote is a fixed price; an estimate is a best guess that may change. Pick the one that matches how sure you are, and say which it is on the document. Example: "QUO-0031: Full-day wedding coverage, Saturday 14 June, 10 hours, online gallery, 400 edited images: £1,650. Valid 30 days. 25% deposit to secure the date." Leah quotes everything, having once been burnt by a verbal "about fifteen hundred" remembered as twelve. ### 2. An invoice When: after the work, or at agreed stages. The one that gets you paid, and the one HMRC cares about. What must be on it: a unique sequential number, your name or business name and address, the customer's name and address, the date, a description of what you supplied, the amount and when it is due. If you are VAT registered, add your VAT number, the VAT rate and amount, the tax point and the net total; that version is sometimes called a tax invoice, and every invoice a registered business sends needs to be one. If you are not registered, do not show VAT at all. Add bank details and payment terms (the law assumes 30 days if you say nothing). Example: "INV-0074: Wedding photography, 14 June, as per QUO-0031: £1,650.00. Less deposit paid (PRO-0012): £412.50. Balance due within 14 days: £1,237.50." Leah makes the invoice from the quote with Create from this, so the details match and the invoice shows "From QUO-0031". ### 3. A receipt When: after the customer has paid, if they want proof. Business customers nearly always do. What must be on it: its own number, the date payment was received, who paid and who was paid, the amount, how it was paid, and which invoice it settles. VAT details if you are registered. A receipt, sales receipt or cash receipt are the same idea with different wording. Example: "REC-0040: Received with thanks £1,237.50 by card on 20 June, in settlement of INV-0074." Leah only issues receipts for the headshot days, where the office manager needs one for expenses. ### 4. A credit note When: after an invoice, when you need to reduce it: you overcharged, something was returned, you agreed a discount, or the invoice was wrong. Issue one of these instead of editing or deleting a sent invoice, so the numbers stay in sequence and the customer's copy still matches yours. What must be on it: its own number, the date, your details and the customer's, the invoice it relates to, what is being credited and why, the amount, and the VAT if you are registered. In the US this is a credit memo; the credit note page has the layout. Example: "CN-0006 against INV-0074: Second shooter not required on the day, as agreed: credit £150.00." Leah has issued three in four years. ### 5. A proforma invoice (for deposits) When: before the work, when you want money up front: a deposit to hold a date, a part-payment for materials. A proforma looks like an invoice and can carry a Pay button, but it is not a real invoice: it does not go into your sales and, if you are VAT registered, does not create a tax point. The proper invoice comes at the end and shows the deposit already paid. What must be on it: the same details as an invoice, clearly labelled "Proforma", with the amount requested and what it is for. Example: "PRO-0012: 25% deposit to secure 14 June, as per QUO-0031: £412.50." Once the proforma is paid, Leah can turn down other enquiries for 14 June without worrying. ### 6. A purchase order and a delivery note (only if you buy or ship goods) If you sell services, skip this section with a clear conscience. A purchase order is what you send a supplier to order goods: a numbered list of what you want, at what price, delivered where and when. It stops "I ordered twelve" / "you said ten" arguments. Larger customers sometimes insist on sending you one; if so, put their PO number on your invoice. A delivery note goes with goods you send out: what is in the box, how many, who it is for, no prices. It proves what was delivered if there is a dispute. Example: "PO-0003: 2 boxes A3 fine art paper, 310gsm, £118 each, deliver by 28 June." Leah has sent two, both for album stock. She has never needed a delivery note; galleries go by link. ## The six you do not need (yet, or ever) Real documents with real uses, mostly in businesses with a finance team. For one person they are overhead. - Customer statements. A monthly list of everything a customer owes you. Useful when one customer has twelve open invoices; with one or two, a reminder on the specific invoice does the job better. - Remittance advice. A note from the payer saying "we have paid invoices X, Y and Z". You might receive these from big companies. You will never send one. - Debit notes. The opposite of a credit note: asking for more than the original invoice. Just send another invoice for the extra. - Packing slips. A delivery note's cousin, for warehouses. A delivery note or a line on the invoice covers it. - Timesheets as a customer document. Keep one for yourself if you bill by the hour; the customer just needs "Headshot day, 7 hours at £95" on the invoice line. - A separate terms and conditions contract. For most small jobs, the terms on the quote and invoice are the contract: when payment is due, what happens if it is late, what the deposit covers. Twelve pages nobody reads protect you less than a clear sentence everybody reads. None of these is wrong. They are answers to questions nobody is asking you. ## At a glance | Document | When | Points back to | Needed by | | Quote / estimate | Before the work | Nothing | Everyone | | Proforma invoice | Before the work, for a deposit | The quote | Anyone who takes deposits | | Invoice | After the work | The quote and any proforma | Everyone | | Receipt | After payment | The invoice | Anyone with business customers | | Credit note | When an invoice needs reducing | The invoice | Everyone, occasionally | | Purchase order / delivery note | When ordering or shipping goods | Each other | Only if you buy or ship goods | ## Twelve types, grouped so you are not scrolling SendInvoice offers 12 document types: Invoice, Tax invoice, Proforma invoice, Quote, Estimate, Receipt, Sales receipt, Cash receipt, Credit note, Credit memo, Purchase order and Delivery note. That covers all six above plus their regional names (tax invoice for the VAT-registered, credit memo for American clients, three receipts depending on how you were paid). Twelve is a long list to scroll on a phone, so the type picker groups them: Invoices, Quotes, Receipts, Credits and Other. Leah has never opened Other. Each type keeps its own number sequence (QUO-, PRO-, INV-, REC-, CN-), and because any document can be created from another with Create from this, the chain for a job writes itself: proforma from the quote, invoice from the quote, receipt from the invoice. Each shows where it came from, so My Documents tells a job's whole story in a few rows. ## Keeping them, and the one tax thing to know Keep a copy of everything you issue. HMRC expects sales records (mostly invoices and credit notes) kept for at least 5 to 6 years; quotes, proformas and receipts are worth keeping alongside because they explain the invoices. A searchable list you can export to Excel or PDF is enough. If you are self-employed with income over £50,000, Making Tax Digital for Income Tax applies from April 2026, with lower thresholds following in 2027 and 2028 at the time of writing. It asks for digital records, not new documents; numbered invoices in one place are most of the way there. Check with your accountant or HMRC for what applies to you. ## Do this in SendInvoice All twelve document types are included, grouped in one picker, each with its own numbering, and any document can be created from another in one tap. Set your details once and every quote, invoice and receipt carries them. ## Frequently asked questions ### Do I need a quote and an estimate, or just one? One. Use a quote when you can give a fixed price and an estimate when you cannot. Most businesses settle on whichever fits their work, and only switch for the odd job where the scope is unusually certain or unusually vague. ### Is a tax invoice different from a normal invoice? A tax invoice is simply an invoice that shows the VAT details HMRC requires: your VAT number, the rate, the VAT amount, the tax point and the net total. If you are VAT registered, every invoice you send needs these, so "tax invoice" is really just the name for a VAT-compliant invoice. If you are not registered, you never need one. ### Do I need a proforma invoice for a deposit? It is the cleanest way. A proforma asks for payment before the work without creating a real invoice or, for VAT-registered businesses, a tax point. When the job is done you issue the proper invoice showing the deposit already paid. ### When would a one-person business use a purchase order? Only if you buy goods from suppliers regularly, or if a larger customer insists on issuing one to you before they will accept your invoice. Many sole traders go years without needing one, and that is fine. ### Do I need to send customer statements? Rarely. A statement lists all of a customer's invoices and payments over a period. If you have a handful of customers each with one or two invoices, a reminder on the specific overdue invoice does the job better. Statements earn their keep when a customer has many open invoices at once. ### What records do I legally have to keep? Copies of every invoice you issue and receive, plus records of money in and out. Keep them for at least 5 to 6 years. Quotes, receipts and credit notes are worth keeping with them, because together they explain the invoices. ### Does SendInvoice have all these document types? Yes. There are 12 types: Invoice, Tax invoice, Proforma invoice, Quote, Estimate, Receipt, Sales receipt, Cash receipt, Credit note, Credit memo, Purchase order and Delivery note. They are grouped in the type picker so you are not scrolling past ones you never use. --- # Getting Paid on the Day: Card Payments for Tradespeople Without a Card Reader Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/getting-paid-on-the-day-card-payments-for-trades - The Friday afternoon problem - Option 1: the Pay button in the invoice email - Option 2: show them on your phone - Option 3: bank transfer, while you are there - Option 4: cash, with a receipt - What about a card reader - Fees compared, honestly - Worked example: Ayesha's invoice, paid in the kitchen - The routine that makes it stick Ayesha finished a kitchen splashback at four on a Friday: metro tiles in a herringbone, grouted, sealed, the hob wiped down. £420, agreed on the quote, due on completion. The customer loved it, said "I'll do the transfer tonight", and Ayesha drove home feeling good. By Wednesday she had sent two texts. By the following Friday she was wondering whether a tiler is allowed to be annoyed about £420 from someone who was so nice about the work. She is. And the fix is not a card reader. ## The Friday afternoon problem Trades have a particular version of the late-payment problem. The job is in someone's home, the customer is standing right there, and the natural moment to be paid is the moment you finish. Miss it, and you are chasing. Not because the customer is dishonest, but because once you have left, your £420 joins the queue behind the school run, the car tax and the thing they meant to do with the bank app. So the aim is simple: make paying as easy as admiring the work, and do it before the van door shuts. There are four ways, and a one-van business should use three of them. ## Option 1: the Pay button in the invoice email This is the one most tradespeople have not tried, and it changes the job. You build the invoice on your phone, usually from the quote you already sent, and email it from the customer's kitchen. The email, and the PDF attached to it, carry a Pay button. The customer opens it on their phone, taps Pay, enters their card details once in a Stripe checkout, and the invoice flips to Paid on your screen with a green tick, while you are still packing up. What you need: a free Stripe account connected once in Settings under Payment Gateway, and the £5-a-month plan to send emails and take payments. No hardware, nothing to charge, nothing to leave on the dashboard of the van. What to say: "I've just emailed the invoice; there's a Pay button in it if you want to do it by card now, or the bank details are on the PDF." Said in the room, with the finished splashback behind you, that line gets paid nine times out of ten. ## Option 2: show them on your phone Some customers, especially older ones, do not want to go and find their phone. Fine. Send the invoice, then open the email on your own phone and hand it over: "Tap Pay there, pop your card details in, and it's done." They are entering their own card into a checkout page in front of you, exactly as they would online, and your phone never sees the card number. You get the Paid tick, they get a receipt by email, and nobody has to remember anything tonight. This is also the answer for emergency and call-out work, where you may be leaving at eleven at night: the post on call-out fees and emergency work goes into payment before you leave on a Saturday. ## Option 3: bank transfer, while you are there Bank transfer is free, and with Faster Payments it usually lands in minutes. The only thing wrong with it is the word "tonight". The fix is to ask for it now: "If you'd rather do a transfer, the details are on the invoice; if you do it now I can see it land before I go." Watch them do it, see the notification, mark the invoice paid from your phone. If they genuinely cannot do it now, say thank you, and know that the email with the Pay button is sitting there for the moment they can. Bank details on the invoice should be your business account, and the reference should be the invoice number. The post on invoicing from your phone covers setting bank details once so they appear on every document. ## Option 4: cash, with a receipt Cash is legal, instant, and still common for small jobs. Issue a numbered receipt on the spot, record it the same day and declare it like any other income. Receipts for cash jobs and HMRC records covers the habit that keeps cash clean. ## What about a card reader Card readers are good at what they are for: lots of small in-person sales, a market stall, a café. A tradesperson takes one or two payments a day, often for hundreds of pounds, often from someone who is not standing next to them when the invoice goes out. For that, a reader is a thing to charge, carry, pair with your phone and not lose, and it still only works if the customer is in the room with their card. The payment link works whether they are in the room or not. It is the same button in the email they can tap on Friday afternoon in the kitchen or on Saturday morning in bed. And it marks the invoice paid for you, so your list of who owes what stays true without a spreadsheet. ## Fees compared, honestly Every way of taking a card payment costs something; the question is how much and what you get for it. These are the figures at the time of writing; providers change their pricing, so check their own pages before deciding. | Method | What it costs | On Ayesha's £420 | Notes | | SendInvoice Pay button (Stripe) | 0.2% platform fee plus Stripe's card fee, around 1.5% + 20p for standard UK cards | About £7.30 | No hardware; works remotely; invoice marked paid automatically; £5/month plan covers sending and reminders too | | Typical card reader | Around 1.7% per transaction plus the reader (roughly £19 to £99) | About £7.15 plus the reader | Customer must be present with the card; you record the payment against the invoice yourself | | Invoice tools charging a percentage | Square around 2.5% on invoice payments; PayPal around 2.9% plus a fixed fee | About £10.50 to £12.50 | Percentage pricing grows with your invoice sizes | | Bank transfer | Free | £0 | Depends on the customer doing it; you mark it paid by hand | | Cash | Free | £0 | Receipt, log, bank it | Per transaction, a reader and a payment link cost about the same. The difference is everything around the transaction: no hardware, payment from anywhere, and an invoice that marks itself paid. Stripe charges more for some cards (international and some corporate cards, for example), so a few payments will cost a little more than the figure above; the Stripe pricing page has the detail. And remember that surcharging consumers for paying by card has been banned in the UK since 2018, so the fee is yours to absorb, the same as a shop does. Build it into the price. ## Worked example: Ayesha's invoice, paid in the kitchen Ayesha is a sole trader and not VAT registered, so no VAT appears. The quote was accepted by text; the invoice was created from it on her phone, and the customer-supplied tiles are noted so there is no confusion about what was in the price. Invoice INV-0089 from Ayesha Khan Tiling to Mr D Lewis, 31 Hawthorn Close. Created from QUO-0077. Due on completion, 7 November. Pay by card using the Pay button, or by bank transfer (details below). | Description | Qty | Unit price | Amount | | Labour: kitchen splashback, herringbone pattern, 3.2 m2, prepare, tile, grout and seal | 1 | £340.00 | £340.00 | | Materials: flexible adhesive, grout (Anthracite), silicone, tile trim | 1 | £80.00 | £80.00 | | Tiles supplied by customer | 1 | £0.00 | £0.00 | | Total due (no VAT; not VAT registered) | | | £420.00 | Paid by card 7 November, 16:12. Thank you. The card fee on this invoice, 0.2% to the platform and Stripe's own fee, comes to roughly £7.30 at the time of writing, so Ayesha receives about £412.70. Against that, the alternative was a fortnight of texts about £420, and the small sour feeling that goes with them. She would pay £7.30 to skip that every single time, which is the right way to think about it: the fee buys certainty, not just convenience. ## The routine that makes it stick Getting paid on the day is a habit more than a feature. The habit, in order: - Put it on the quote. "Payment due on completion by card link or bank transfer." A customer who agreed to that is not surprised when you ask. Writing a trade quote covers the rest of the wording. - Walk them round the finished work. Two minutes. It is the moment they are most pleased and most ready to pay. - Create the invoice from the quote on your phone, so the figures match what they agreed and the two documents stay linked. - Send it while you are there, and say the line: Pay button in the email, or transfer now. - Watch for the green tick. If it comes, say thank you and go. If it does not, you have a dated invoice with a Pay button in it and reminders that go out on their own. Bigger jobs follow the same pattern with more steps: a deposit on a proforma, stage invoices, and a final invoice on completion. Deposits and staged payments works through it. For a tiler specifically, how to invoice as a tiler covers per-square-metre pricing and customer-supplied tiles. Ayesha's next splashback, the following Tuesday, went like this: finished at half three, walked the customer round, sent the invoice from the kitchen, said the line. The customer tapped Pay on her own phone while asking whether Ayesha could do the bathroom in January. Paid at 15:41. Ayesha was home by four, and the bathroom is booked. ## Do this in SendInvoice Connect Stripe once, send the invoice from the customer's kitchen with a Pay button in the email, and watch it flip to Paid before you leave; bank transfer and cash can be marked paid by hand. Free to create and preview; £5 a month to send, remind and take card payments, plus 0.2% and Stripe's fee on card payments. ## Frequently asked questions ### Do I need a card reader to take card payments as a tradesperson? No. A payment link in the invoice email does the same job without hardware: the customer taps Pay on their phone, enters their card, and the invoice is marked paid. A reader is only worth carrying if you do many small in-person sales a day. For a trade job with one payment at the end, the link is simpler and nothing can be left in the van. ### What does it cost to take a card payment through an invoice link? With SendInvoice, a 0.2% platform fee on successful online payments plus Stripe's own card fee, which for standard UK cards is around 1.5% plus 20p at the time of writing; some cards cost more, so check Stripe's pricing. On a £420 invoice that is roughly £7 in total. Card readers typically charge around 1.7% per tap plus the cost of the reader, so the totals are similar. ### Is bank transfer better than card for tradespeople? Bank transfer is free and usually arrives in minutes, so it is excellent when the customer does it while you are there. Its weakness is that it depends on them: the transfer they promise to do tonight is the one you chase for a fortnight. Offer both, ask for the transfer before you leave, and keep the card link as the no-excuses option. ### How do I get the customer to pay before I leave? Say so on the quote (payment due on completion), walk them round the finished work, then send the invoice from your phone while you are standing there and say the Pay button is in the email. Most people pay in the next two minutes when it is that easy and you are in the room. The ones who do not have told you something useful. ### When does card money reach my bank account? The card payment goes through Stripe, which pays out to the bank account you connected on its own schedule, typically a few working days after the payment at the time of writing. The invoice shows as paid immediately, so you know the money is on its way. Bank transfers and cash are in your hands sooner, which is one reason to keep offering them. ### Can I add a surcharge for paying by card? No. Surcharges for paying by consumer debit or credit card have been banned in the UK since 2018, so you cannot add a percentage for card. Treat the fee as a cost of doing business, like fuel, and build it into your prices the way every shop does. A few pounds on a job is cheap compared with chasing a late transfer. --- # Going Self-Employed as a Tradesperson: UTR, CIS, Your First Quote and Your First Invoice Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/going-self-employed-as-a-tradesperson-first-invoices - The admin, in the order it actually matters - Your name on the invoice, and your price - Your first quote - Your first invoice - Getting paid on the day - The records that keep you out of trouble Jordan handed her notice in on a Friday. Five years as an employed plumber, a van that was not hers, a wage that stopped going up. On the Saturday her neighbour's mum rang: outside tap leaking, could she have a look? Forty minutes, a new tap, an isolation valve, £140. Jordan did the job beautifully and then stood in the kitchen with no idea how to ask for the money. No invoice, no business name, no separate bank account, and a vague memory that she was supposed to tell HMRC something. Everyone who goes self-employed has a version of that Saturday. Here is the list she needed, in the order it matters. ## The admin, in the order it actually matters You do not need all of this before your first job. You need it within the first few weeks, and some of it has deadlines. Work through it from the top. ### 1. Register with HMRC for Self Assessment This is the one that makes you officially a sole trader. You register online, HMRC sends you a Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) by post, and from then on you file a tax return each year and pay Income Tax and National Insurance on your profit. At the time of writing you must register by 5 October after the end of the tax year in which you started, but do it in your first week: the UTR can take a couple of weeks to arrive and you will want it for the next step. You can trade, quote and invoice before the UTR arrives. The UTR goes on invoices to contractors (for CIS), not on invoices to homeowners. ### 2. Register for CIS if you will work for contractors If any of your work will be construction work for a contractor (a builder, a developer, a housing association, sometimes a big letting agent), register as a subcontractor under the Construction Industry Scheme. Contractors deduct tax from the labour part of what they pay you: 20% if you are registered, 30% if you are not, 0% if you later qualify for gross payment status. Materials and VAT are not deducted from. The deductions count towards your tax bill and come back through Self Assessment. Work for private homeowners is outside CIS completely, so a plumber doing only domestic jobs can skip this; a plumber doing second fix for a builder cannot. Our CIS invoice example shows what the invoice looks like. ### 3. Open a separate bank account Sole traders are not legally required to have a business account, but mixing the van's diesel with the weekly shop makes your tax return a misery. Open a separate account, even a basic one, and have every job paid into it. Then set up a second pot and move a percentage of every payment into it for tax. Your accountant will give you a figure; a quarter to a third is a common starting rule of thumb for a tradesperson with no other income, but check for your own situation. ### 4. Insurance and the registrations your trade requires Public liability insurance is not a legal requirement for most trades but customers, agents and contractors will ask for it, and one burst pipe through a ceiling will explain why. Then the trade-specific ones: Gas Safe registration is legally required for any gas work, and Jordan cannot touch a boiler without it; electricians need Part P compliance and usually a competent person scheme such as NICEIC or NAPIT; G3 for unvented cylinders; FENSA or CERTASS for windows. These take time to arrange, so start now if your old employer's registration covered you. Van insurance for business use, and tools cover, round it off. ## Your name on the invoice, and your price Two decisions before the first invoice. First, what are you called? A sole trader can trade under their own name or a trading name, but your own name has to appear too: "Jordan Price trading as JP Plumbing". Pick something you can live with on the side of a van and check nobody local already uses it. Second, what do you charge? The trap is to take the hourly rate your old boss charged customers and quietly knock a bit off. That rate paid for the van, the fuel, the insurance, the tools, the phone, the training days, the holidays, the sick days, the slow weeks in January and the tax. Now all of that is yours. Add up what you need to earn, add those costs, and divide by the days you will realistically bill, which is not 250; between travel, quoting, admin and quiet weeks, 180 to 200 is nearer the mark for a first year. Compare the answer with what local tradespeople charge. If it looks high, remember that nobody who went bust did it by charging too much. Day rate versus fixed price helps with how to present it. ## Your first quote Jordan's £140 tap job did not need a quote; she told the customer the price and the customer said yes. Anything bigger than a morning does. A quote fixes the scope and the price before you start, which is the single most effective protection against the "I thought that was included" conversation at the end. A good quote has your details and the customer's, the site address, a quote number and date, each piece of work described in plain English, what is included and what is not, the price (labour and materials, with VAT only if you are registered), how long it is valid for, how much deposit you want and when the balance is due. Then the customer accepts it in writing, even a reply saying "yes please, go ahead". How to write a quote for a trade job goes through it line by line, and quote versus estimate explains why the word matters. One thing new sole traders find odd: if you agree the job in the customer's home, consumer law gives them a 14-day cancellation right on most contracts over £42. If they want you to start inside those 14 days, get that request in writing (a text will do) so you can charge for work done if they change their mind. Most never do. The paperwork is for the one who does. ## Your first invoice Here is what every UK invoice must have: a unique invoice number, your name or trading name and address, the customer's name and address, the date, a description of the work, and the amount. If you were VAT registered you would add your VAT number, the VAT rate and amount, the tax point and the net total, but as a new sole trader you almost certainly are not, so there is no VAT anywhere on it. At the time of writing registration becomes compulsory at £90,000 of taxable turnover in a rolling 12 months; until then, do not charge it and do not show it. Invoicing when you are not VAT registered covers the detail. Start your numbering at INV-0001 and never reuse or skip a number; invoice numbering explained has the rules. Here is Jordan's first invoice, written the Sunday after the job. Invoice INV-0001 from Jordan Price trading as JP Plumbing, 42 Elm Grove, Sheffield S10 1AA. 07700 900123 Bill to: Mrs Margaret Hale, 8 Elm Grove, Sheffield S10 1AA Invoice date: 8 November 2026. Work carried out: 7 November 2026. Due: on receipt | Description | Qty | Unit price | Amount | | Labour: remove leaking outside tap, fit new bib tap with double check valve, fit isolation valve on supply, test under pressure | 1 hr | £65.00 | £65.00 | | Materials: outside bib tap with double check valve | 1 | £28.00 | £28.00 | | Materials: 15mm isolation valve, wall plate, fittings and PTFE | 1 | £22.00 | £22.00 | | Call-out and travel | 1 | £25.00 | £25.00 | | Total due | £140.00 | Not VAT registered; no VAT charged. Please pay by bank transfer to Jordan Price, sort code 00-00-00, account 12345678, or by card using the Pay button. Work guaranteed for 12 months. Thank you for your custom. Labour and materials on separate lines, every time. It shows the customer what they paid for, it is what you will need if you ever work for a contractor under CIS, and it makes your own records easier at year end. Labour and materials on an invoice covers marking up and keeping receipts. ## Getting paid on the day Employed, you never thought about cash flow. Self-employed, it is the whole game: the diesel, the merchant account and the tax pot all come out of money that has actually arrived. So build the habit from job one of invoicing before you leave and making it effortless to pay. Put your bank details on the invoice, obviously. Better, put a card payment link on it. In SendInvoice, every invoice email and PDF carries a Pay button; the customer taps it, pays by card through Stripe, and the invoice marks itself Paid. For a customer like Mrs Hale you can send it from your phone in her kitchen and watch it turn green before you are back in the van. Bank transfers you mark paid by hand when they land. Getting paid on the day compares the options, and invoicing from your phone shows the whole flow from the van. ## The records that keep you out of trouble From the first job, keep everything: every quote and invoice you issue, every receipt for materials, fuel, tools, phone and insurance, your bank statements, and a mileage log if you claim for the van. Keep them for at least five to six years. Making Tax Digital for Income Tax is arriving in stages: from April 2026 for self-employed income over £50,000, April 2027 over £30,000 and April 2028 over £20,000, at the time of writing. You may be under the line in year one, but the habit of keeping digital records is the thing to start now, not in the week before the deadline. Receipts for cash jobs and HMRC records deals with the cash side, which is legal, as long as it is declared. ## Do this in SendInvoice Set up your trading name, address and bank details once, send INV-0001 from your phone before you leave the job, and keep every quote and invoice in one list ready for your first tax return. Free to create and preview; £5 a month to send, remind and get paid by card. ## Frequently asked questions ### Do I need a UTR before I send my first invoice? No. You can trade, quote and invoice from day one; the UTR is for your tax return and, if you do construction work for contractors, for CIS. Register for Self Assessment as soon as you start so the UTR arrives in good time, and add it to your invoices once you have it. Only put it on invoices to contractors, not to homeowners. ### Do I have to register for CIS? Only if you will do construction work for contractors, including builders, developers and some letting agents and housing associations. Without CIS registration they must deduct 30% from your labour instead of 20%. Work for private homeowners is outside CIS entirely. If in doubt, register; it costs nothing and the deductions come back through Self Assessment. ### Do I need a business bank account as a sole trader? There is no legal requirement, but a separate account for the business makes bookkeeping, tax and Making Tax Digital far simpler, and it looks more professional on an invoice. Many banks offer free or low-cost accounts for sole traders. Set aside a slice of every payment for tax in a separate pot from day one. ### Should I charge VAT on my first invoices? Not unless you are VAT registered. At the time of writing registration becomes compulsory when your taxable turnover passes £90,000 in a rolling 12 months, which few first-year sole traders reach. Until then your invoices show no VAT at all, and you should not add it. Check with your accountant or HMRC if you are near the threshold. ### How do I work out my day rate? Start from what you need to take home, add the costs an employer used to cover (van, fuel, insurance, tools, phone, training, holidays, sick days, pension, the tax you will owe), then divide by the days you will realistically bill, which is fewer than you think. Compare the result with local rates. Most people who get this wrong price too low, not too high. ### What records do I need to keep? Every quote, invoice and receipt you issue, every receipt for materials, fuel, tools and insurance, your bank statements and a mileage log. Keep them at least five to six years. Making Tax Digital for Income Tax applies from April 2026 for income over £50,000, April 2027 over £30,000 and April 2028 over £20,000, so get into digital habits early. --- # When a Homeowner Won't Pay: A Tradesperson's Options, From Reminder to Small Claims Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/homeowner-wont-pay-tradesperson-options - First, work out which kind of non-payment this is - The ladder: reminder, firm reminder, phone call, letter before action, claim - What interest you can and cannot add - Worked example: the invoice Marcus is chasing - What never to do, however angry you are - Making the next one easier Marcus painted the outside of a semi in Reading over four days in September: fascias, soffits, render and the front door. The quote was £1,480, the customer paid a £300 deposit, and the balance of £1,180 was due on completion. Three weeks later it is still unpaid. First it was "I'll do it tonight", then "my husband deals with that", then a message saying the fascia colour "isn't quite what we expected". Marcus has done nothing wrong, and he has a mortgage. Here is what he can do, in order, and what he must not. ## First, work out which kind of non-payment this is There are three different situations hiding behind "they haven't paid", and each needs a different first move. - They forgot or are disorganised. By far the most common. A clear reminder with the amount and a way to pay fixes it. - They are short of money. They meant to pay, cannot right now, and are embarrassed. A payment plan gets you more than a threat does. - They are disputing the work. Real or invented, a dispute stops the clock. You have to deal with the complaint before the money, because a court will ask whether you did. Marcus's customer drifted from the first to the third. The colour comment arrived after two reminders, which is the usual pattern when someone is looking for a reason not to pay. He still has to take it seriously: a short, calm reply asking exactly what is wrong, an offer to come and look, and a note that the colour was the one named on the quote (it was), puts the dispute on the record and, usually, ends it. ## The ladder: reminder, firm reminder, phone call, letter before action, claim The method is the same one in how to chase an unpaid invoice, tuned for a private customer. Every step is polite, every step is written, and each one is a little firmer than the last. Keep the same rhythm for every customer so it never feels personal. ### The day after the due date: a friendly reminder Short, warm, and with a way to pay in the message. If your invoice email has a Pay button, say so. If you take bank transfer, repeat the details. Hi Sarah, Marcus here. Just a reminder that the balance of £1,180.00 on invoice INV-0117 for the exterior painting was due on completion. You can pay by card using the Pay button in the invoice email, or by bank transfer to the details on the PDF. If it has already gone, thank you and ignore this. Marcus ### Seven days later: name it as late and ask for a date "When can I expect payment?" is the key sentence. It is hard to ignore and easy to answer, and the answer, or the silence, tells you which of the three situations you are in. Hi Sarah, I have not received the £1,180.00 balance on INV-0117, which was due on 19 September. I have attached the invoice again. Could you let me know when I can expect payment? If there is anything about the work you want to talk through, please tell me now and I will come and look. Thanks, Marcus ### Then a phone call One short, friendly call, in working hours, and never more than one a day. "Hi Sarah, it's Marcus, just ringing about the balance on the painting. Is everything OK?" Follow it up with a text or email that records what was said: "Thanks for the chat. As agreed, you'll pay £590 on Friday and £590 on the 31st." That message is now evidence of an agreed plan. ### Fourteen days overdue: the formal notice The tone changes from neighbour to business. State the facts, give seven days, and say what happens next. For a homeowner, do not quote the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Act; it does not apply to them and quoting it wrongly undermines you. If your terms include a late charge, mention it here. If they do not, say simply that you will begin a court claim. Dear Mrs Patel, Invoice INV-0117 for £1,180.00, the balance for exterior painting at 22 Cedar Road completed on 19 September, remains unpaid despite my reminders of 20 and 27 September and our call on 1 October. Please pay in full by 17 October. You can pay by card using the link in the invoice email or by bank transfer. If I do not receive payment by that date I will send a formal letter before action and, if necessary, start a claim in the county court, where I will ask for the court fee and interest to be added to the amount owed. I would much rather settle this between us, so if you are having difficulty paying, please contact me and we can agree a plan. Yours sincerely,Marcus Bell, Bell Decorating ### The letter before action This is the last step before court and the first one a judge will look at. When a business claims money from a private individual, the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims applies. At the time of writing it requires your letter to set out the amount, how it arose, how to pay and how to dispute it, and to enclose an information sheet and reply form; the customer then has 30 days to respond. Send it by post and email, keep a copy, and check the current protocol on the Ministry of Justice website before you send it, because the detail matters. The small claims guide walks through the letter and what comes after it. ### Small claims In England and Wales, a debt up to £10,000 goes through the small claims track, and you can start it online through Money Claim Online. There is a court fee that depends on the amount, from around £35 for the smallest claims at the time of writing, and it is added to the claim. Scotland uses Simple Procedure for claims up to £5,000; Northern Ireland has its own small claims process. You do not need a solicitor, and a surprising number of homeowners pay the moment the claim form lands on the mat. ## What interest you can and cannot add This trips up a lot of tradespeople, because most late-payment advice online is written for business-to-business invoices. - Business customer (a letting agent, a landlord's company, a main contractor, a shop): the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 applies automatically. You can add statutory interest at 8% above the Bank of England base rate and a fixed sum of £40, £70 or £100 depending on the size of the debt, at the time of writing. - Private homeowner: none of that applies. You can only charge a late fee or interest if your written terms set one out, the customer agreed to them before the work, and the amount is reasonable. If you end up in court you can ask for interest under the County Courts Act 1984, which a judge may award at their discretion, typically around 8% a year from the date the money was due. You cannot add the fixed £40, £70 or £100 sums to a consumer debt. On Marcus's £1,180, 8% a year is about 26p a day, so four months late comes to roughly £31. It is not the interest that moves people; it is the court fee, the judgment and the knowledge that you know what you are doing. Our guide to terms and conditions for tradespeople has wording for a reasonable late charge on consumer jobs. ## Worked example: the invoice Marcus is chasing The final invoice shows the deposit already paid and the balance due, so there is never an argument about what the £1,180 is. Marcus is a sole trader and not VAT registered, so no VAT appears. Invoice INV-0117 from Bell Decorating to Mrs S Patel, 22 Cedar Road. Created from QUO-0104. Due on completion, 19 September. | Description | Qty | Unit price | Amount | | Labour: prepare and paint fascias, soffits, render and front door (4 days) | 4 | £240.00 | £960.00 | | Materials: masonry paint (Sandstone), exterior gloss (Anthracite), primer, filler, sundries | 1 | £390.00 | £390.00 | | Access tower hire, 4 days | 1 | £130.00 | £130.00 | | Subtotal | | | £1,480.00 | | Less deposit paid 5 September (PRO-0031) | | | -£300.00 | | Balance due (no VAT; not VAT registered) | | | £1,180.00 | Colours as named on quote QUO-0104 and confirmed by text on 3 September. Payment due on completion by card link or bank transfer. Notice how much of the dispute this invoice closes down before it starts. The colours are named and tied back to a text. The deposit is shown. The due date is unambiguous. Had Marcus taken a larger deposit, or split the job into two stage invoices, he would be chasing far less: deposits and staged payments explains how. ## What never to do, however angry you are A tradesperson who has been messed about has every right to be furious. The list below is about protecting your claim and your reputation, not about being nice to someone who does not deserve it. - Do not go back and undo the work. Paint on a wall, tiles on a floor and a boiler on a bracket belong to the property. Removing them is likely criminal damage, and it hands the customer a counterclaim. - Do not turn up at the door in the evening, or repeatedly. One visit in daylight to look at a complaint is reasonable. Anything that could be described as pressure can be treated as harassment. - Do not name them online. Facebook groups, review sites and WhatsApp chats are not courts. Defamation claims are expensive, and prospective customers who see you airing a dispute will quietly pick someone else. - Do not send a dozen messages. One per step, on the schedule. The record of calm, spaced, polite reminders is the strongest thing you will take into a small claim. - Do not stop keeping records. Every message, photo and date goes in a folder. Photos of the finished work, taken before you leave site, are worth more than anything you can say later. ## Making the next one easier Every tradesperson has one of these stories. The ones who only have one changed something afterwards. The usual changes are small: a deposit on every job over a day, stage invoices on anything longer than a week, a one-line payment term on the quote, and sending the final invoice while you are still standing in the customer's hallway with the work in front of them. The last one matters more than it sounds. A customer who has just admired their freshly painted house pays on the spot far more often than one who gets a PDF a fortnight later. If the invoice email carries a Pay button, they can do it from their phone before you have packed the dust sheets, and you watch it flip to Paid before you pull away. For the invoices that still drift, escalating reminders go out on their own, friendly first and firmer later, each with the Pay button in it, so you are not writing the awkward email at ten o'clock at night. And when you do need to take it further, every send, resend and reminder is dated in the record, which is exactly what a letter before action and a small claim need. ## Do this in SendInvoice Send the final invoice from the customer's hallway with a Pay button in the email, see Overdue in red before you leave the yard, and let escalating reminders do the chasing while you are up a ladder. Free to create and preview; £5 a month to send, remind and get paid by card. ## Frequently asked questions ### How long should I give a homeowner to pay before chasing? Chase on the due date. If your quote said payment on completion, a reminder the next morning is not rude; it is normal. Most homeowners who have not paid simply forgot, and a short friendly message with the amount and a way to pay sorts it. Leaving it a month makes the conversation harder and the money less likely to arrive. ### Can I charge interest when a private customer pays late? Not under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998; that only covers business customers, along with the fixed £40, £70 and £100 sums. For a homeowner you can only charge what your written terms set out, if they are reasonable. If it goes to court, the judge can award interest under the County Courts Act, typically 8%, at their discretion. ### Can I take back materials or undo the work if they do not pay? No. Once materials are fixed to the property they belong to the property, and going back to remove them would likely be criminal damage and would wreck any claim you have. Removing a boiler, ripping out a kitchen or taking tiles off a wall are stories that end badly for the tradesperson. Use the ladder and the courts instead. ### What is a letter before action? A formal letter telling the customer exactly what they owe, for what, by when, and that you will start a court claim if they do not pay. If the customer is a private individual, the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims applies, which sets out what the letter must include and gives them 30 days to respond. Check the current protocol before sending. ### Is small claims court worth it for a few hundred pounds? Often yes. The court fee for the smallest claims is around £35 at the time of writing, it is added to what the customer owes, and you can do the whole thing online without a solicitor. Many homeowners pay as soon as the claim form arrives. Weigh it against your time and whether they have the means to pay. ### Should I leave a review or post about them online? No. Naming a customer in a Facebook group or a review site can expose you to a defamation claim and makes you look worse than them to future customers. Keep everything in writing, keep it factual and keep it private. The record of polite, consistent reminders is what wins a small claim. --- # How to Chase an Unpaid Invoice Without Losing the Customer (Templates Included) Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/how-to-chase-an-unpaid-invoice - Why chasing feels so bad (and why it should not) - The four-step escalation ladder - What UK law lets you charge - When to stop chasing and hand it over - Let the software do the chasing You did the work. You sent the invoice. The due date came and went, and now there is a small, heavy feeling every time you open your banking app. Chasing money is the part of running a one-person business nobody warns you about. The good news: it is a solved problem, with a script, and most of it can be automated. ## Why chasing feels so bad (and why it should not) Ask any sole trader what they hate most about the job and it is rarely the work. It is the awkward email to a nice customer who has not paid. You worry about sounding desperate, or rude, so you wait another week. Then another. And the longer you wait, the stranger the email feels to write. Here is the reframe: a payment reminder is not an accusation. It is admin. Big companies send them automatically without a flicker of embarrassment. Most late payments are not a customer refusing to pay; they are a customer who meant to, got distracted by a school run and a broken boiler, and forgot. A polite nudge is a favour to them as much as to you. So the aim is not to be tough. It is to be consistent: the same calm sequence, every time, for every customer, so it never feels personal. ## The four-step escalation ladder This is the whole method. Four messages, each a little firmer than the last, on a fixed schedule. Copy the templates straight into an email or a text and swap in your own name and figures. The example throughout is a £680 invoice for a bathroom retile, sent by Priya, due on the 1st of the month. ### Step 1: the friendly nudge (on the due date) Send this the day the invoice falls due, or the morning after. Assume good faith, and make paying easy by including the amount, the invoice number and a way to pay in the message itself. Subject: Invoice INV-0042 is due today Hi Tom, Just a quick note to say invoice INV-0042 for £680.00 (the bathroom retile) is due today. If you have already sent it, thank you and please ignore this. You can pay by card using the Pay button below, or by bank transfer to the details on the invoice. Thanks again for the work, and let me know if you have any questions. Priya Text version, if that is how you and the customer usually talk: "Hi Tom, Priya here. Invoice INV-0042 (£680) is due today. Pay link is in the email I sent. Thanks!" ### Step 2: the firm reminder (7 days overdue) Still warm, but now you name the fact that it is late and ask for a date. "When can I expect payment?" is hard to ignore and easy to answer. Subject: Overdue: invoice INV-0042 (£680.00) Hi Tom, I have not yet received payment for invoice INV-0042 for £680.00, which was due on 1 November. I have attached it again in case the original went astray. Could you let me know when I can expect payment? If there is a problem with the invoice, or anything you would like to discuss, just reply and we can sort it out. Thanks,Priya ### Step 3: the formal notice (14 days overdue) Now the tone changes from "friend" to "business". State the facts, give a short deadline, and mention your right to charge statutory interest and compensation. Mentioning it is usually enough; you do not have to add it yet. Subject: Formal reminder: invoice INV-0042 now 14 days overdue Dear Tom, Invoice INV-0042 for £680.00, dated 2 October and due on 1 November, remains unpaid and is now 14 days overdue. I have sent two previous reminders. Please arrange payment within 7 days, by 22 November. You can pay by card using the link below or by bank transfer. Please note that under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 I am entitled to charge statutory interest at 8% above the Bank of England base rate, plus fixed compensation of £40, on overdue business invoices. I would much rather not, so I would be grateful if you could settle the invoice now. Kind regards,Priya ShahShah Tiling ### Step 4: the final notice (21 to 28 days overdue) The last letter before you take it out of your own hands: short, unemotional and specific about what happens next. Send it by email and, if the amount justifies it, by post too. Subject: Final notice before further action: invoice INV-0042 Dear Tom, Despite my reminders of 1, 8 and 15 November, invoice INV-0042 for £680.00 remains unpaid. Unless full payment is received by 29 November, I will add statutory interest and compensation under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 and begin a claim through the county court without further notice. Any court fees would be added to the amount owed. If you are having difficulty paying, please contact me before that date so we can agree a plan. Yours sincerely,Priya ShahShah Tiling Notice the last line. Offering a way out keeps the door open for a customer who is genuinely struggling. ## What UK law lets you charge If your customer is another business, you have more muscle than you might think. The Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 applies automatically to UK business-to-business contracts, whether or not the invoice mentions it. At the time of writing it gives you: - Statutory interest at 8% per year above the Bank of England base rate, calculated daily from the day after the due date. - Fixed compensation for the cost of chasing: £40 for a debt under £1,000; £70 for £1,000 to £9,999.99; £100 for £10,000 or more. This is per invoice. On Priya's £680 invoice, with a base rate of (say) 4%, that is 12% a year, or about 22p a day. After 30 days overdue she could add roughly £6.70 in interest plus the £40 compensation. The interest is small; the compensation, and the fact that you know your rights, are what make customers move. If no payment term was agreed, the law treats the invoice as due 30 days after the customer receives it (or the goods or services, if later). To be paid faster, put the term on the invoice; our payment terms guide covers how. For consumers, none of this applies automatically. You can only charge a late fee if your terms said so up front and the fee is reasonable. Keep the rest of the ladder the same; just leave out the interest paragraph. ## When to stop chasing and hand it over At some point the cost of your time outweighs the money. If the four messages have had no reply, or promises that keep evaporating, you have three sensible options: - A phone call. One short, friendly call: "Hi Tom, Priya. Just ringing about that invoice; is everything OK?" It is amazing how often this works when four emails did not. - Mediation. Cheaper and quicker than court, and often enough to prompt payment on its own. The Small Business Commissioner can also help with complaints against larger businesses. - Small claims. In England and Wales, debts up to £10,000 go through the small claims track, and you can start a claim through Money Claim Online. There is a court fee, which you add to the claim, and the process is designed for people without a solicitor. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own equivalents. Fees, limits and processes change, so check the current guidance on GOV.UK before you start, and consider whether the customer can actually pay. A judgment against a company with no money is an expensive piece of paper. ## Let the software do the chasing Everything above works. It also takes a diary, a template folder and a spine of steel on a Tuesday evening. Most sole traders do not chase consistently, because it is dull and slightly uncomfortable, and so invoices drift. The fix is to take yourself out of the loop. In SendInvoice, every invoice email and PDF carries a Pay button. The customer taps it, pays by card through Stripe, and the invoice flips to Paid on its own with a green tick in My Documents. For invoices that stay unpaid, the Professional plan sends escalating reminders for you: friendly first, firmer after, each with the Pay button in it. You can also send a reminder yourself from a document's action sheet on your phone while you are still on site. Two habits pull it all together: - Check Paid / Unpaid / Overdue once a day. Thirty seconds with a coffee. The red badges are your to-do list, in the van or at the kitchen table. - Send the invoice while you are still with the customer. A customer who has just admired their new bathroom pays on the spot far more often than one who gets a PDF a fortnight later. Bigger jobs deserve a deposit up front on a proforma invoice, and a quote first means the price is agreed before the work starts, which removes the most common excuse for not paying. Every template above is polite, even the last one. That is deliberate. Firm and polite beats angry every time: it gets paid sooner, it keeps the customers worth keeping, and it reads well if things ever go to court. Say what is owed, say when you need it, say what happens next. Then let the system send the next one. Here is the send step with the Pay now button, and the Paid filter afterwards, recorded in the real app (no sound): ## Do this in SendInvoice Put a Pay button on every invoice, see Overdue in red before you have finished your coffee, and let escalating reminders send the awkward emails for you. Free to create and preview; £5 a month to send, remind and get paid by card. ## Frequently asked questions ### How long should I wait before chasing an unpaid invoice? Send a friendly reminder on the due date itself, or the day after. Waiting weeks makes the conversation harder, not easier, and most late payments are simple forgetfulness that a quick nudge fixes. ### Can I charge interest on a late invoice in the UK? Yes, if the customer is a business. The Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 lets you charge statutory interest at 8% plus the Bank of England base rate, and a fixed compensation sum of £40, £70 or £100 depending on the debt size. For consumers, you can only charge what your agreed terms say. ### What payment term applies if we never agreed one? For business-to-business work in the UK, the law treats payment as due 30 days after the customer receives your invoice or the goods or services, whichever is later, when nothing else was agreed. ### Should I phone or email a late-paying customer? Email first, because it leaves a record and is easy to act on. If two written reminders get no reply, a short, friendly phone call often resolves it in two minutes. Follow the call up with an email confirming what was agreed. ### Will chasing damage the relationship? Rarely, if you are polite and factual. Good customers expect to be reminded and are often embarrassed they forgot. The customers who react badly to a courteous reminder are usually the ones you do not want to keep. ### What if the customer disputes the invoice? Stop the escalation ladder and deal with the dispute first. Ask exactly what they disagree with, fix anything that is genuinely your error with a credit note and a fresh invoice, and ask them to pay the undisputed part straight away. ### How do I take it further if they still do not pay? For debts up to £10,000 in England and Wales you can use the small claims track through Money Claim Online. Consider mediation first, and check the current guidance on GOV.UK before starting, as fees and limits change. ### Can software chase invoices for me? Mostly, yes. SendInvoice's Professional plan sends escalating payment reminders that start friendly and get firmer, each with a Pay button, and marks the invoice Paid automatically when the card payment goes through. --- # How to Invoice as a Builder in the UK (Staged Payments, Extensions and Variations) Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/how-to-invoice-as-a-builder-uk - What a builder's invoice needs - Staged payments on an extension - Variations: the steel, the drain and the "while you're here" - Worked example: a stage 3 invoice with two variations - Who you are invoicing: homeowner or main contractor - Paying your own subcontractors - Running it from the kitchen table Sam runs a three-man building firm out of a yard in Dudley. The current job is a single-storey rear extension in Stourbridge: £34,000 plus VAT, twelve weeks, a homeowner who is friendly and watches every brick. Week six, the roof is on, and Sam is at the kitchen table at nine at night working out what to invoice: the stage sum, the extra steel that nobody could have predicted, and the drain the plans said was not there. This post is about invoicing as a builder when the jobs are big, the money comes in stages and the customer is paying from a remortgage, not a company account. ## What a builder's invoice needs The legal basics apply: a unique number, your business name and address, the customer's name and address, the date, a description, and the amount due. Okafor Building is VAT registered (most firms with employees are, because the materials alone push turnover past the threshold), so each invoice also carries the VAT number, rate, VAT amount, tax point and net total. If you are a sole-trader builder below the threshold, leave VAT off entirely; invoicing when not VAT registered explains how. Beyond the legal list, a builder's invoice needs to answer three questions the customer will ask: which stage is this, what did you agree the stage was worth, and what are these other lines? So: - The contract reference. The quote number the customer signed, so every invoice points back to the agreed price. - The stage, named and numbered, with the trigger: "Stage 3 of 6: roof on and watertight". - The stage sum, as a percentage of the contract and as a figure. - Variations as separate lines, each with a number and the date it was agreed. - What has been paid so far, in the notes, so the customer can see the running total without a spreadsheet. ## Staged payments on an extension Nobody should be invoicing £40,000 at the end of a twelve-week job, and no customer should be paying it all at the start. Stages solve both problems, and the key is to tie each one to something the customer can walk out into the garden and see. A typical schedule for a single-storey extension, agreed on the quote before the first skip arrives: | Stage | Trigger | Share of contract | On £34,000 net | | 1 | Deposit on signing | 10% | £3,400 | | 2 | Foundations and slab complete | 20% | £6,800 | | 3 | Walls up, roof on and watertight | 20% | £6,800 | | 4 | Windows, doors, first fix and plaster | 20% | £6,800 | | 5 | Second fix, floors and decoration | 20% | £6,800 | | 6 | Completion and snagging signed off | 10% | £3,400 | The deposit goes on a proforma invoice, because it is money in advance against a job not yet started, not a bill for work done. Each later stage is a normal invoice with a short term (7 days is typical; the customer has usually had the money sitting ready since the remortgage) and a clear statement that the next stage starts when the payment lands. Say that last part on the quote, politely, and you will rarely need to say it on site. Two legal notes for domestic work. The Consumer Contracts Regulations give a homeowner a 14-day cancellation right when the contract was agreed in their home; if they want you to start inside that window, get the request in writing. And the Construction Act (the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996), which gives business-to-business construction contracts a right to staged payments and adjudication, does not apply to contracts with residential occupiers, so on a homeowner job your contract is what you both signed and nothing more. Make it a good one. The deposits and staged payments post has wording for the schedule. ## Variations: the steel, the drain and the "while you're here" Variations are where building firms lose money and friendships. There are three kinds: things the customer asks for ("can we have bi-folds instead of French doors"), things you find ("there's a foul drain where the pad foundation goes"), and things the architect or building control change. All three follow the same rule: agree the price in writing before you do the work, and invoice it as its own line. In writing does not mean a contract. A text saying "Hi Sam, yes go ahead with the extra steel at £1,180 plus VAT" is enough. Give each variation a number (V1, V2) and a date, and keep the texts. When the stage invoice goes out, the variation appears beneath the stage sum as a separate line, with the number and the date it was agreed. The customer sees exactly what the extension was supposed to cost, and exactly what the changes added. Never fold a variation into the stage figure; the customer will not remember the conversation, and "but the stage was supposed to be £6,800" is an argument you cannot win from memory. The variations and extras post has the full method, including what to do when the customer wants the extra but not the price. ## Worked example: a stage 3 invoice with two variations This is Sam's invoice for the Stourbridge extension at the end of week six. Okafor Building is VAT registered, so VAT is charged at the standard rate on the whole supply. (Some new-build and conversion work qualifies for zero or reduced rates; this is an extension to an existing house, so it is standard rated. Check HMRC's notices for your own jobs.) Okafor Building Ltd (VAT no. GB 000 0000 00) Invoice INV-0097 Date and tax point: 14 November 2026 Bill to: Mr and Mrs R Hughes, 42 Lodge Lane, Stourbridge Site address: as above Contract: quote QUO-0061, accepted 22 September 2026 Due: 7 days | Description | Qty | Unit price | Amount | | Stage 3 of 6: walls to wall plate, roof structure, membrane, battens and tiles complete, extension watertight (20% of contract sum £34,000) | 1 | £6,800.00 | £6,800.00 | | Variation V2: additional 203 UC steel beam and padstones at rear opening, required by structural engineer's revised calculation. Agreed by text 28 Oct 2026. Supply, crane hire share and installation | 1 | £1,180.00 | £1,180.00 | | Variation V3: divert existing foul drain found under foundation line, new inspection chamber, building control inspection. Agreed by text 3 Nov 2026 | 1 | £620.00 | £620.00 | | Net total | £8,600.00 | | VAT at 20% | £1,720.00 | | Total due | £10,320.00 | Payment: by bank transfer to Okafor Building Ltd, sort code 00-00-00, account 00000000, reference INV-0097, or by card using the Pay button in this email. Notes: Paid to date: Stage 1 (PRO-0019, £3,400 + VAT) and Stage 2 (INV-0088, £6,800 + VAT). Contract sum remaining after this invoice: £17,000 + VAT, plus any further agreed variations. Stage 4 (windows, doors, first fix and plaster) begins on receipt of this payment. Building control inspected foundations 9 Oct and drainage 6 Nov; both passed. The notes do a lot of quiet work. "Paid to date" means the customer never has to add things up. "Contract sum remaining" stops the worry that the price is drifting. The building control dates are reassurance that the money is buying a house that will pass. And "Stage 4 begins on receipt" is the politest possible way of saying that the lads will not be back on Monday until the transfer is in. ## Who you are invoicing: homeowner or main contractor Sam's firm does two kinds of work and they are invoiced differently. Mixing them up is the fastest way to a tax problem. ### Invoicing a homeowner Everything above. No CIS: a private homeowner is not a CIS contractor, and nothing gets deducted from your invoice. No reverse charge: the domestic reverse charge for construction never applies to homeowners or to anyone not VAT registered. You charge VAT if you are registered, they pay the total, and your protection is the contract and the stage schedule. If they pay late, the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act does not apply (it covers business customers only); you can include a reasonable late payment term in your own contract and claim interest through the court at its discretion, but the stronger lever is the contract term that pauses work until the stage is paid. When a homeowner will not pay covers the ladder from reminder to small claims. ### Invoicing a main contractor When Sam's firm is a subcontractor on a larger site, the invoice changes shape. The contractor will deduct Construction Industry Scheme tax from the labour element (20% if the firm is CIS registered, 30% if not, 0% with gross payment status) and pay it to HMRC on the firm's behalf, so the invoice must show labour and materials separately, include the UTR, and show the deduction as a line with the amount payable beneath. If both businesses are VAT registered and the contractor is not an end user, the domestic reverse charge applies: no VAT is charged, and the invoice states the rate and that the customer must account for the VAT to HMRC. The contractor may also hold retention, typically 3-5%, released half at practical completion and half after the defects period; show it as a separate deduction line and keep a note of what is owed. And because this is a business-to-business construction contract, the Construction Act applies: staged payments, payment notices and the right to adjudication. The working for a main contractor post and the CIS invoice example set the wording out; check with your accountant or HMRC before changing how you invoice. ## Paying your own subcontractors If the firm is registered as a CIS contractor, it must deduct tax from its own subbies' labour, pay it to HMRC and file monthly returns. An invoicing app does not do that for you; your accountant or HMRC guidance is where to go. What helps is asking every subbie for a proper invoice with labour and materials separated and their UTR on it, and sending a purchase order for anything you are buying through them, so the paper trail starts before the first day on site. ## Running it from the kitchen table Sam's firm does not have an office. The quote is written on a laptop at night; the stage invoices are created from that quote in one tap and sent from a phone on site or at the table, with the PDF attached and a Pay button in the email. Homeowners mostly pay by bank transfer at these amounts, and the invoice is marked paid by hand when the money lands; some pay the smaller stages by card. My Documents shows every job's stages and which are Paid, Unpaid or Overdue, and the Professional plan sends the reminders so that nobody has to text the customer on a Sunday. Export the list to a spreadsheet at the end of each quarter for the accountant and the VAT return. Keep invoices, variation texts, merchant receipts and bank records for at least five to six years; on a job with building control involved, keep the inspection dates with them. Making Tax Digital for Income Tax reaches sole traders with income over £50,000 from April 2026 (over £30,000 from April 2027, over £20,000 from April 2028, at the time of writing); limited companies are a different story, so check with your accountant. ## Do this in SendInvoice Quote the extension with the stage schedule on it, create each stage invoice from the quote with the variations as their own lines, and send it from site with a Pay button and the running total in the notes. Free to create and preview; £5 a month to send, remind and get paid by card. ## Frequently asked questions ### How should I split the payments on an extension? Tie each stage to something the customer can see: deposit on signing, foundations and slab, walls to wall plate, roof on and watertight, first fix and plaster, completion. Five or six stages is typical for a single-storey extension. Put the percentages and the trigger for each stage on the quote so there is no debate about when an invoice is due. ### What is a variation and how do I invoice it? A variation is any change to the agreed job: extra work, different materials, or something you could not have known about, such as a drain where the foundations were going. Agree the price in writing before you do it (a text is fine), give it a number, and add it to the next stage invoice as its own line, with the date it was agreed. Never bury it in the stage sum. ### Do I need a deposit for building work? It is normal and sensible for anything beyond a small job. Ten to twenty per cent on signing is common for domestic extensions; nothing in law sets a maximum for consumer work. Take it against a proforma invoice, keep it accessible until you have started, and remember that a customer who cancels within 14 days of agreeing the contract in their home may be entitled to it back. ### How is invoicing a main contractor different from invoicing a homeowner? A main contractor will usually deduct CIS tax from your labour, may apply the VAT reverse charge if you are both VAT registered, may hold retention, and will expect an application for payment on their timetable. A homeowner is none of those things: you invoice the agreed stage sum, VAT included if you are registered, and they pay it. Keep the two kinds of invoice in separate mental boxes. ### Can I charge interest if a homeowner pays a stage late? Not under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act, which only covers business customers. You can claim interest in a county court claim at the court's discretion, and you can include a reasonable late payment term in your own contract. The more practical lever on a domestic job is the contract itself: say that work pauses if a stage payment is overdue, and mean it. ### Should a builder be VAT registered? You must register once your taxable turnover passes the threshold, and most building firms with employees get there quickly because materials pass through your books. Once registered, VAT applies to the whole supply, labour and materials, usually at the standard rate; some new-build and conversion work qualifies for zero or reduced rates. Check with your accountant before relying on any of them. --- # How to Invoice as a Carpenter or Joiner: Bespoke Work, Timber Deposits and Quote to Invoice Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/how-to-invoice-as-a-carpenter-or-joiner-uk - Bespoke means money up front - Quoting bespoke work so the invoice writes itself - Workshop time, fitting time and materials - Worked example: fitted alcove units - Extras, and the shelf that became a desk - Site carpentry for builders - From the workshop to paid Owen's workshop outside Shrewsbury smells of oak and spray lacquer. On the bench are two alcove units, carcasses and doors, built over three days for a Victorian terrace in town and due to be fitted on Thursday. The job is £3,312 including VAT, and Owen has already spent £860 on sheet material, oak and hinges that nobody else could use if the customer changed her mind. That is the thing about carpentry and joinery: unlike most trades, you make something that fits one house and no other. Your invoicing has to reflect that, from the first deposit to the final balance. ## Bespoke means money up front A plumber can return a boiler. A joiner cannot return an alcove unit cut to a wonky Victorian chimney breast. So the first rule of invoicing bespoke work is that materials are paid for before the saw starts. Nothing in UK law sets a maximum deposit for work for a homeowner; the convention in joinery is 40% to 50% for fitted furniture, or the full material cost plus a share of the workshop time for a staircase or a run of windows. Make the deposit part of the paperwork, not a conversation: - The quote states the deposit and what it covers ("40% deposit to cover materials and secure the workshop slot"). - When the customer accepts, raise a proforma invoice for the deposit: a request for payment, not a VAT invoice, and something to pay against. - Order timber once the deposit has cleared, and say so: "Deposit received, thank you. Oak and board ordered; workshop build starts Monday." - The final invoice shows the whole job and deducts the deposit by its proforma number. Keep deposit money accessible; if you cannot do the job, it is still owed back. Our post on deposits and staged payments covers longer jobs; a kitchen or a staircase usually wants a deposit, a payment when the pieces are made, and the balance on fitting. ## Quoting bespoke work so the invoice writes itself The quote for fitted joinery is a small specification, and the better it is, the less the invoice has to explain. Include: - What is being made, with sizes: "Pair of fitted alcove units either side of chimney breast, each 1,100 wide x 2,400 high x 400 deep, base cupboards with shelving above." - Materials and finish: "18 mm moisture-resistant MDF carcasses, oak-veneered shelving, solid oak face frames and doors, soft-close hinges, brushed brass handles, spray-finished in satin to a colour to be confirmed." - Workshop time and site time as separate lines. - What is not included: decorating the surrounding wall, electrics for lighting, removing the old shelving, making good plaster. - Deposit, stages, payment terms and how long the quote is valid, because timber prices move. - A drawing or sketch, attached to the quote email. The sketch is the thing the customer says yes to. When the quote is this specific, the invoice is the same lines with two additions: extras agreed during the job, and the deposit deducted. Our guide to writing a trade quote covers exclusions and validity in more depth. ## Workshop time, fitting time and materials Several kinds of cost go into a piece of joinery, and the invoice reads best when each has its own place: - Materials. Sheet material, solid timber, ironmongery, finishes. Enough detail to be believed ("18 mm MR MDF, 4 sheets; European oak; soft-close hinges, 8") but not a merchant's delivery note. A markup is normal: you sourced them, cut them and stand behind them. - Workshop time. The build, in days or a fixed sum, described by what was made. Design and survey time as its own line if it was significant; for bespoke work it usually is. - Site time. Fitting, scribing, hanging doors. A separate line, because a customer who later asks for a shelf is really asking for more site time, and you want a figure to point at. - Finishing. Spraying or hand painting is often a third of the job's value and sometimes done by someone else. Its own line. If you are VAT registered, VAT applies to all of it at the standard rate: labour, materials, finishing, the lot. One quiet complication: receiving a deposit normally creates a tax point for VAT, so the VAT on the deposit belongs in the period you received it, not the period you invoice the balance. Check that with your accountant rather than with us. If you are not registered, none of this appears; see invoicing when not VAT registered. ## Worked example: fitted alcove units Here is Owen's final invoice. His firm is VAT registered. The customer paid a 40% deposit against a proforma three weeks earlier, and during fitting asked for an extra adjustable shelf in each unit, agreed by text the same morning. Owen Pryce Joinery Ltd, Unit 4, Hadnall Workshops, Shrewsbury SY4 4AB. VAT no. GB 987 6543 21 Invoice INV-0071, dated 6 November 2026. From QUO-0064. Payment due within 7 days. Bill to: Dr L. Bennett, 19 Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury SY2 6AE Job: Pair of fitted alcove units, sitting room, as quoted and drawn. | Description | Qty | Rate | Amount | | Design, site survey and drawing | 1 | £120.00 | £120.00 | | Materials: 18 mm MR MDF carcasses, oak-veneered board, solid European oak face frames and doors, soft-close hinges, brushed brass handles, fixings | 1 | £860.00 | £860.00 | | Workshop: build two carcasses, four doors and face frames | 3 days | £260.00 | £780.00 | | Site fitting, scribing to chimney breast and walls, hanging and adjusting doors | 2 days | £260.00 | £520.00 | | Spray finish: primer and two coats satin, colour Farrow and Ball Railings | 1 | £480.00 | £480.00 | | Extra: one additional adjustable oak-veneered shelf per unit, agreed by text 6 Nov | 2 | £45.00 | £90.00 | | Net total | £2,850.00 | | VAT at 20% | £570.00 | | Total | £3,420.00 | | Less deposit received 14 Oct (PRO-0038) | -£1,325.00 | | Balance due | £2,095.00 | Notes: Deposit of £1,325.00 included VAT and was accounted for on receipt. Workmanship guaranteed for 5 years; timber is a natural material and small movement with the seasons is normal. Pay by card using the Pay button or by bank transfer to the details below. The materials line is specific enough to be trusted without being a shopping list. Workshop and site days are separate, so the extra shelf has an obvious home. The deposit is deducted against its proforma number, with the VAT handling noted. And the note about timber movement is a tiny piece of expectation management that saves a call in February when the heating goes on. ## Extras, and the shelf that became a desk Bespoke work invites change. The customer sees the carcass in place and wants a drawer, a lamp hole, a deeper top. Say yes, usually, but price it first and get a yes back in writing, even if that is a text with a number in it. Then it is a line on the invoice with the date, as Owen's shelves are. What you want to avoid is three small "while you're here" requests becoming a day of work nobody agreed to pay for; the script is in invoicing variations and extras. The flip side: a piece remade because of your mistake is yours. A piece remade because the customer changed the colour after spraying is a line. ## Site carpentry for builders If you do first and second fix for a builder, you are a subcontractor and the Construction Industry Scheme applies: the builder deducts 20% of your labour (30% if you are not registered, 0% with gross payment status) and pays it to HMRC against your tax. Materials and VAT are not deducted from. Show labour and materials separately, add the deduction line and your UTR. The builder is a business, so statutory late payment interest applies if they are slow; with Dr Bennett it does not. The worked example is in our CIS invoice guide. ## From the workshop to paid The invoice for fitted furniture should go out the day it is fitted, while the customer is running a hand along the oak. In SendInvoice the accepted quote becomes the proforma for the deposit and then the invoice for the balance, each with a new number and a "From QUO-0064" link: one customer, three linked documents. The email carries the PDF and a Pay button; a card payment flips it to Paid on its own, and reminders chase the balance if it drifts, which with bespoke work it occasionally does, because the customer already has the furniture. Joinery is a trade of specifics: sizes, species, finishes, hinges. Let the invoice be as specific as the work, and the money follows it as neatly as the doors follow the frames. ## Do this in SendInvoice Turn the accepted quote into the deposit proforma and then the final invoice without retyping a line, keep timber and ironmongery as saved items, and send the balance with a Pay button the day you fit. Free to create and preview; £5 a month to send, remind and get paid by card. ## Frequently asked questions ### How much deposit should a joiner take for bespoke work? Enough to cover the timber, sheet material and ironmongery you have to buy before you start, which for fitted furniture is often 40% to 50% of the price. There is no legal maximum for a homeowner job. Put the deposit on the quote, raise a proforma invoice for it and order materials only once it has cleared. ### Should I separate workshop time from fitting on the invoice? Yes. Workshop days and site days have different costs and customers understand them differently. A line for the build ("Workshop: carcasses, doors and face frames, 3 days") and a line for fitting ("Site fitting and scribing, 2 days") shows where the price comes from and makes a later variation easier to price. ### Can a customer cancel a bespoke order after paying a deposit? Consumers have a 14-day cancellation right for contracts agreed in their home, but there is an exception for goods made to the customer's specification. The rules have detail in them, so do not rely on the exception alone: get the customer's written request to start within the 14 days, and keep the deposit terms clear on the quote. ### Do I charge VAT on joinery? Only if you are VAT registered. If you are, VAT applies at the standard rate to the whole supply, labour and materials, and the invoice needs your VAT number, the rate and the VAT amount. Taking a deposit normally creates a tax point for VAT, so account for it in that period; check with your accountant. If you are not registered, show no VAT at all. ### How do I turn a joinery quote into an invoice? The invoice should carry the quote's lines unchanged, plus any extras agreed in writing and a deduction for the deposit received. In SendInvoice you tap Create from this on the accepted quote, choose Invoice, and the lines, customer and details carry over with a new number and a link back to the quote. ### What if I work for a builder rather than a homeowner? First and second fix carpentry for a builder is construction work under the Construction Industry Scheme. The builder deducts 20% (30% if you are not registered) from the labour part of your invoice and pays it to HMRC against your tax. Show labour and materials separately, add the deduction line and your UTR, and keep the deduction statements. --- # How to Invoice as a Handyman in the UK (Hourly, Half-Day and Several Jobs on One Invoice) Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/how-to-invoice-as-a-handyman-uk - The handyman pricing problem - Several jobs on one invoice - Materials, receipts and the bits drawer - The worked example: a Tuesday morning at Mrs Okafor's - Getting paid before you leave - Landlords, letting agents and the 30-day problem - Call-outs, emergencies and the lockout at 9 pm - Keeping the records light Marcus has a Tuesday morning at Mrs Okafor's in Bristol: a heavy mirror to hang, a kitchen tap that drips, a garden gate that has dropped on its hinges, and a letterbox that lost its flap in last week's wind. Four jobs, one visit, £227.70. None of it is complicated. The invoicing should not be either, and yet handymen produce some of the messiest invoices in the trades, because the work is messy by nature. Here is how to keep it tidy and get paid before you leave. ## The handyman pricing problem An electrician invoices a consumer unit. A tiler invoices square metres. A handyman invoices "a morning of whatever needed doing", and that is harder to put on a page. Three ways to price it, and most handymen use all three depending on the visit: | Method | When it suits | How it looks on the invoice | | Hourly (say £40-£55 an hour, with a minimum) | Unknown lists, "while you're here" jobs, diagnosing before fixing | One labour line: hours x rate, with the jobs listed in the description | | Half day or full day (say £180 / £320) | A planned list that will fill the time; customers like a known figure | One labour line for the half day, jobs listed underneath | | Per job (a shelf £45, a door £120) | Things you have done fifty times and can price blind | One line per job, each with its own price | Whichever you pick, the rule is the same: say it before you start, and show it the same way on the invoice. Mrs Okafor was told "half day, £180, plus any bits I have to buy" when she booked, so that is exactly what the invoice says. The surprise is what customers object to, not the number. ## Several jobs on one invoice For a single visit, send a single invoice. Four jobs do not need four invoices; they need one invoice with four things visible on it. Two ways to do that: - Half-day or hourly rate: one labour line for the time, and the jobs listed in the description so the customer remembers what they got. This is what Marcus does. - Per-job pricing: one line per job with its own price. Good when the customer is comparing you to "the man who quoted £60 for the gate". Either way, materials sit on their own lines below the labour, not buried in it. Customers trust an invoice that separates "your time" from "the stuff you bought". The worked example below shows the half-day version. ## Materials, receipts and the bits drawer Handyman materials come in two kinds. There are the things you buy for this customer (a tap cartridge, a letterbox, a pair of hinges), which go on the invoice as lines at the price you paid or with a modest mark-up for the trip to the merchant. And there is the bits drawer: screws, rawlplugs, a squirt of silicone, cable ties. Nobody wants a line for "6 x 40 mm screws, £0.38". Either build the drawer into your rate, or add one "sundries" line at a few pounds and say so in your terms. Marcus builds it into the half-day. Keep every merchant receipt, even for £11.20 of hinges. Photograph it on the spot so it is on your phone next to the invoice. Customers almost never ask to see them, but HMRC can, and they are your proof of the cost against your income for Self Assessment. For a deeper look at mark-ups and VAT on materials, read labour and materials on an invoice. A quick note on VAT: Marcus is not VAT registered, like most sole-trader handymen, so there is no VAT on his invoice and no mention of it. If you are not registered, resist the urge to put "VAT: 0%" or "no VAT" on the page; just leave it out. Our guide to invoicing when you are not VAT registered explains why. ## The worked example: a Tuesday morning at Mrs Okafor's Here is the invoice Marcus sends from his phone at 12:40, standing in Mrs Okafor's hallway with a newly flapped letterbox behind him. Bell's Handyman Services · Marcus Bell, sole trader · Invoice INV-0347 · Date 10 November 2026 · Due on receipt Bill to: Mrs A. Okafor, 7 Redland Terrace, Bristol | Description | Qty | Unit price | Amount | | Half-day labour (08:30-12:30) covering: hang large mirror in hall on masonry fixings; replace kitchen tap cartridge and stop drip; re-hang side gate on new hinges and adjust latch; fit new letterbox to front door | 1 | £180.00 | £180.00 | | Tap cartridge (receipt available) | 1 | £14.50 | £14.50 | | Heavy-duty gate hinges, pair, and coach screws | 1 | £11.20 | £11.20 | | Letterbox, chrome, with brush seal | 1 | £22.00 | £22.00 | | Total due | £227.70 | Notes: Not VAT registered. Payment on the day by card (Pay button in the email) or bank transfer to the details below. Fixings and sundries included in labour. Workmanship guaranteed 6 months; parts under manufacturers' guarantees. Notice what the labour line does. It is one figure, so the customer is not totting up four separate charges and wondering if the gate was really £60, but it lists the four jobs, so when Mrs Okafor's daughter asks what the £180 was for, the answer is on the page. The time range is a small detail that heads off "was it really a half day?" before it is asked. ## Getting paid before you leave This is where handymen lose the most money. Not to bad customers, but to good ones who meant to pay the £227.70 and then had a week. Small amounts are the easiest to forget and the most awkward to chase; nobody wants to send a formal reminder about a letterbox. The fix is to invoice while you are still in the house. Marcus has a routine: - Tools in the van, then back to the hallway with his phone. - Open the invoice he started in the van that morning (customer details already filled from last time), add the parts, check the total. - Send it to Mrs Okafor's email, with the PDF attached and a Pay button in the message. - Say: "That's the invoice sent over; there's a card button on it if that's easier, or the bank details are at the bottom." About half his customers pay by card there and then. Most of the rest transfer that evening. He marks those paid from the document's action sheet when the notification arrives. The handful that drift get a friendly reminder on day three and a firmer one on day seven, and that is almost always the end of it. See getting paid on the day for how the fees compare with a card reader. Cash is fine too, and legal; just give a receipt and record it the same day, because an undeclared cash job is the illegal part, not the cash. There is more on this in receipts for cash jobs and HMRC records. ## Landlords, letting agents and the 30-day problem A lot of handyman work comes from letting agents: a dripping tap in a rental, a gate at a tenanted house, a list of pre-tenancy snags. The work is the same; the invoicing is different. - Put the property address on every invoice, separate from the agent's billing address. An agent managing 200 properties cannot pay an invoice that just says "gate repair". - Quote their works order or PO number if they gave you one. Invoices without it go to the bottom of the pile. - Expect 30-day terms, and agree them up front rather than discovering them. - You have more rights. An agent or a landlord's company is a business customer, so the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 applies: statutory interest at 8% above base rate plus a fixed sum (£40 for a debt under £1,000, at the time of writing). For Mrs Okafor, a private homeowner, it does not; you could ask a court for interest at its discretion, but not the fixed sum. Keep a customer record for each agent so the billing details and the PO habit are already there next time. The full picture is in invoicing landlords and letting agents. ## Call-outs, emergencies and the lockout at 9 pm If you do emergency work, say a burst pipe shut-off or a boarded-up window, state the call-out fee and the out-of-hours rate when the phone rings, and put them on the invoice as their own lines: "Out-of-hours call-out, £75" and then the labour. Customers who were quoted it on the phone pay it; customers who find it on the invoice feel ambushed. More in call-out fees and emergency work invoices. ## Keeping the records light A handyman can send twenty invoices a week. The temptation is to let them pile up and sort it at the year end. Instead, three habits that take less time than finding a lost receipt: - Number everything in one sequence (INV-0347, INV-0348) and never reuse or skip. See invoice numbering explained. - Glance at Paid / Unpaid / Overdue every evening. Small invoices drift because nobody looks; the red badges are your list. - Export the month for your accountant or your own Self Assessment folder, and keep invoices, receipts and bank records for at least five to six years. Making Tax Digital for Income Tax starts to apply from April 2026 for the self-employed with income over £50,000 (lower thresholds follow), so quarterly tidy records are becoming the norm anyway. The work will always be a bit of everything. The invoices do not have to be. One visit, one invoice, labour and parts separated, sent before you leave, paid by card in the hallway. Mrs Okafor's £227.70 was in Marcus's account before he had found somewhere to park for lunch. ## Do this in SendInvoice Start the invoice in the van, add the parts in the hallway, and send it with a Pay button before the van door shuts. Customers you have invoiced before fill in as you type. Free to create and preview; £5 a month to send, take card payments and see what is still unpaid at a glance. ## Frequently asked questions ### Should a handyman charge by the hour or by the job? Most handymen do both: an hourly or half-day rate for a list of small jobs where the time is hard to predict, and a fixed price for anything they have done fifty times, like hanging a door or fitting a shelf. Whichever you choose, say it before you start and show it the same way on the invoice, so the customer sees exactly what they agreed to. ### Can I put several different jobs on one invoice? Yes, and for a single visit you should. One invoice for the visit, with each job on its own line (or listed under a single labour line if you charged a half-day rate), plus materials. It is cleaner for the customer, easier to pay in one go, and simpler for your records than four invoices for one Tuesday morning. ### Is it worth having a minimum charge? Yes. A single small job still costs you travel, parking and the gap in your day. A one-hour or two-hour minimum, stated when you book the visit, is normal and customers rarely object. Put it on your quote or your confirmation text so it is not a surprise on the invoice. ### Do I need to charge VAT as a handyman? Only if you are VAT registered, which most sole-trader handymen are not because their turnover is below the threshold (£90,000 at the time of writing). If you are not registered, do not add VAT, show a VAT number or mention VAT on the invoice. Keep an eye on your rolling twelve-month turnover and check with HMRC or an accountant if you get close. ### How do I get paid on the day for small jobs? Send the invoice from your phone while you are still in the house, with a card payment link in the email, and ask. 'I've sent the invoice over, there's a Pay button on it' works far better than 'I'll pop it in the post'. Bank transfer is fine too; mark it paid when it arrives. Cash is legal, but give a receipt and record it. ### Can I add late payment interest if a customer does not pay? If the customer is a business, a landlord's company or a letting agent, the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 lets you add statutory interest and a fixed sum. For a private homeowner it does not apply; you can ask a court for interest at its discretion, but you cannot add the fixed £40 sum. Polite reminders sort most of it long before that. --- # How to Invoice as a Heating Engineer in the UK (Boiler Installs, Deposits, Gas Safe and Services) Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/how-to-invoice-as-a-heating-engineer-uk - What a heating engineer's invoice needs - Taking the deposit on a proforma invoice - The final invoice, with the deposit taken off - Worked example: a combi boiler replacement - Annual services and the small invoices that keep you going - Repairs, call-outs and parts - Working for builders and developers - Records Marcus gets the call in the first cold week of November. The Pattersons' twenty-year-old boiler has finally locked out for good, there is a baby in the house, and they want a new combi fitted this week. The quote is £2,850, the boiler alone is £1,480 at the merchant, and Marcus would rather not fund that out of his own account for a family he met on Tuesday. This post is about invoicing a heating business properly: a deposit for the boiler, a clean final invoice with VAT, the Gas Safe and Benchmark notes that belong on it, and the small, regular services that keep the diary full in summer. ## What a heating engineer's invoice needs The legal basics first: a unique invoice number, your name or trading name and address, the customer's name and address, the date, a description, and the amount. Bell Heating is VAT registered, so Marcus's invoices also carry his VAT number, the VAT rate and amount, the tax point and the net total. If you are not VAT registered, leave VAT off entirely; our how to write an invoice guide covers both cases. On top of that, a heating engineer's invoice should carry: - Your Gas Safe registration number. Gas Safe registration is a legal requirement for gas work and customers are told to check it. Put it in your business details so it prints on every invoice, quote and receipt. - The appliance. Make, model and, for installs, the serial number. In ten years when the house is sold, this is the line the solicitor's form asks about. - Benchmark and building control. A note that the Benchmark checklist has been completed and the installation notified to building control via the Gas Safe Register, with the date. The invoice is not the certificate and an invoicing app does not issue one; it is the record that one exists. - Labour, boiler, parts and consumables as separate lines. A £2,850 figure is easier to accept when a third of it is visibly a boiler. - The deposit deducted, with the proforma number and the date it was paid. ## Taking the deposit on a proforma invoice A boiler install is the classic case for a deposit: a big part you have to pay for before the job starts, and a customer you may not know. Common practice is the cost of the boiler and major parts, or 10-30% of the job; nothing in law sets a maximum for consumer work, but "roughly what I have to buy" is the figure that nobody argues with. Take it against a proforma invoice, not a normal invoice. A proforma says "this is what the job will cost and here is the deposit I need to order the boiler"; it is not a demand for the whole amount, it does not sit in your Unpaid list as a £2,850 debt, and if you are VAT registered it is not a tax invoice. Send it the same evening as the quote is accepted, with the Pay button in the email, and most customers pay the deposit before bed. The boiler is ordered first thing. Two things to keep in mind. The deposit is still the customer's money until you have done the work, so keep it accessible; if the boiler turns out to be unavailable or you cannot do the job, it goes back. And if the contract was agreed in their home, the Consumer Contracts Regulations give them a 14-day cancellation right on jobs over £42. If they want the boiler fitted inside that window, which with a baby in the house they will, get the request in writing (a text saying "yes, please go ahead for Thursday" is enough) so that you can charge for work done and parts ordered if they then cancel. The deposits and staged payments post covers the full pattern, including splitting bigger jobs into stages. ## The final invoice, with the deposit taken off When the boiler is fired up, the system is balanced and the Benchmark checklist is filled in, Marcus creates the final invoice from the original quote. The customer, the address and the lines come across; he adjusts anything that changed (the flush took longer, an extra radiator valve), adds the deposit as a deduction, and sends it from the kitchen. The structure matters. Show the whole job first, so the customer sees the full price they agreed, VAT included. Then deduct the deposit as its own line with the proforma number and the date it was paid. Then the balance due. Customers who are invoiced only for the balance, with no sign of the deposit, go looking for the "missing" £1,000 and ring you about it; customers who are invoiced for the full amount with no deduction assume they are being charged twice. Showing both prevents both calls. ## Worked example: a combi boiler replacement Here is the final invoice for the Pattersons. Bell Heating is VAT registered, so VAT is charged on the whole supply, labour and materials, at the standard rate. (Some heating work can qualify for the reduced rate; check HMRC's notices rather than assuming.) Bell Heating Ltd (Gas Safe registered, no. 123456; VAT no. GB 000 0000 00) Invoice INV-0512 Date and tax point: 13 November 2026 Bill to: Mr and Mrs D Patterson, 8 Elm Close, Warrington Job address: as above Due: 7 days | Description | Qty | Unit price | Amount | | Combi boiler, 30kW, with horizontal flue kit, condensate pump and fittings (serial no. recorded on Benchmark) | 1 | £1,480.00 | £1,480.00 | | Magnetic system filter | 1 | £95.00 | £95.00 | | Labour: remove and dispose of existing boiler, install new combi, extend gas supply in 22mm, new flue and condensate, wire to existing controls, commission and demonstrate | 2 days | £310.00 | £620.00 | | Chemical flush of existing system and inhibitor dose | 1 | £140.00 | £140.00 | | Sundries: 22mm copper, fittings, flue sealant, brackets | 1 | £40.00 | £40.00 | | Commissioning, Benchmark checklist and building control notification via Gas Safe Register | 1 | £0.00 | Included | | Net total | £2,375.00 | | VAT at 20% | £475.00 | | Total | £2,850.00 | | Less deposit paid 10 Nov 2026 against proforma PRO-0031 | -£1,000.00 | | Balance due | £1,850.00 | Payment: by card using the Pay button in this email, or by bank transfer to Bell Heating Ltd, sort code 00-00-00, account 00000000, reference INV-0512. Notes: Benchmark checklist completed and left in the boiler's log book; installation notified to building control via Gas Safe Register on 13 Nov 2026 (compliance certificate to follow by post). Manufacturer's guarantee registered; first annual service due November 2027 to keep it valid. Old boiler removed and disposed of. Note the last line. The service reminder is not a sales pitch, it is a condition of most manufacturers' guarantees, and it is the first step in turning a one-off install into a customer for the next ten years. ## Annual services and the small invoices that keep you going Boiler installs make the headlines, but services, landlord gas safety checks and repairs keep the diary full in May. The money is small per job and the admin can swallow the margin if you let it: a £85 service that takes forty minutes and then twenty minutes of paperwork at night is not an £85 job. The fix is a routine. Keep a saved item for your service at your fixed price, with the description already written ("Annual boiler service: combustion analysis, gas rate and pressure check, clean condensate trap, check flue and seals, safety devices tested"). At the property, create the invoice on your phone from the saved item, add the customer (suggested as you type if you have been before), send it with the Pay button, and let the card payment mark it Paid. If they pay cash, create a receipt from the invoice in a tap so they have proof and you have a record; the cash jobs and HMRC records post explains why that matters. For landlord gas safety checks, the invoice goes to the landlord or the agent, the property address goes on the invoice, and the record number of the CP12 goes in the notes. Agents are businesses: 30-day terms are normal and, if they are late, the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act applies. For private homeowners it does not, and you cannot add the fixed sums; see invoicing landlords and letting agents. ## Repairs, call-outs and parts For breakdowns, use the plumber's pattern: a call-out line that says what it includes ("Call-out and diagnosis, includes first hour"), additional labour as its own line, parts named (a fan, a PCB, a diverter valve) at your selling price. If you have to order a part and come back, say so on the invoice and either invoice the diagnosis visit now and the repair later, or wait and invoice both together with the two dates in the notes. Invoicing the first visit on the day is better for cash flow and makes the second visit feel like a fresh, agreed job rather than an extension of the first one. How to invoice as a plumber covers call-out wording in more detail. ## Working for builders and developers If some of your work is for builders, new-build developers or main contractors rather than homeowners, two things change. First, the Construction Industry Scheme: if you are a subcontractor on construction work, the contractor deducts tax (20% if you are registered, 30% if not) from the labour element and pays it to HMRC for you, so your invoice needs labour and materials shown separately, your UTR, and the deduction as a line. Second, if both of you are VAT registered, the domestic reverse charge may mean you do not charge VAT and instead state that the customer accounts for it. Neither applies to work for private homeowners. Our CIS invoice example and reverse charge post walk through the wording; check with your accountant or HMRC before you change how you invoice. ## Records Keep invoices, proformas, merchant receipts and bank statements for at least five to six years, and keep the Benchmark and notification records with them. One running number sequence per document type (PRO-0031, INV-0512, REC-0077) means nothing is lost. If you are VAT registered you are already on Making Tax Digital for VAT; Making Tax Digital for Income Tax reaches sole traders with income over £50,000 from April 2026 (over £30,000 from April 2027, over £20,000 from April 2028, at the time of writing). An exportable list of invoices with Paid and Unpaid against each is the minimum you want before then. Check with your accountant or HMRC for your own position. ## Do this in SendInvoice Quote the boiler, create the proforma for the deposit from the quote, then the final invoice with the deposit deducted and your Gas Safe number already on it, and send each one from the customer's kitchen with a Pay button. Free to create and preview; £5 a month to send, remind and get paid by card. ## Frequently asked questions ### How much deposit should I take for a boiler installation? Common practice is the cost of the boiler and major parts, or somewhere between 10% and 30% of the job. Nothing in law sets a maximum for consumer work, but a deposit that roughly matches what you have to buy up front is easy to justify. Take it against a proforma invoice, and remember it is still the customer's money until the job is done. ### Do I need to show the deposit on the final invoice? Yes, clearly. Show the full job (labour, boiler, parts and VAT if registered) so the customer sees the whole price they agreed, then a line deducting the deposit with the proforma number and the date it was paid, and the balance due. If you invoice the full amount without the deduction, expect a confused phone call and a late payment. ### Should my Gas Safe registration number be on the invoice? Put it in your business details so it prints on every document, alongside your name and address. For a boiler install, add a note that the Benchmark checklist has been completed and the installation notified to building control through the Gas Safe Register. The invoice is not the certificate, but it is the record the customer will find when they sell the house. ### What is the simplest way to invoice annual boiler services? Keep a saved item for the service at your fixed price, create the invoice from your phone at the property, send it with a Pay button, and mark it paid or let the card payment do it. If the customer pays cash, create a receipt from the invoice in one tap. Note the date of the service and anything you found so the next visit starts with the history. ### Can I charge VAT at 5% on heating work? Only in specific cases. Most boiler installations and repairs for homeowners are standard rated. Some energy-saving installations and some work for people on certain benefits or over 60 can qualify for a reduced rate, and the rules change. Check HMRC's notices or ask your accountant before putting anything other than the standard rate on an invoice. ### What if the customer cancels after paying the deposit? If the contract was agreed in their home, they have a 14-day cancellation right under the Consumer Contracts Regulations. If they cancel inside that window and you have not started, refund the deposit. If they asked you in writing to start early, you can charge for work done and materials ordered. Keep deposits accessible; they may have to go back. --- # How to Invoice as a Kitchen Fitter in the UK (Deposit, Stage Payments and the Snag List) Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/how-to-invoice-as-a-kitchen-fitter-uk - A kitchen is three invoices, not one - Before day one: the quote does the heavy lifting - Stage one: the deposit on a proforma - Stage two: units in - Working with suppliers: whose order is it? - Variations: the plinth lights problem - The snag list and the final invoice - Getting the balance paid the same day Dean fits kitchens in and around Wakefield. Day one at the Ashworths' is a skip, a crowbar and a 1990s melamine kitchen in pieces by lunchtime. Day eleven is a quartz worktop, a tap that does not drip and a customer who says "it looks like the picture". In between is £7,860 of work that Dean has to be paid for in a way that keeps his van fuelled and the customer comfortable. That means three invoices, not one. Here is how to set them up. ## A kitchen is three invoices, not one A kitchen refit is the awkward middle ground of trade jobs. It is too long for "pay me at the end" to be safe, and too short for the monthly applications a builder might use on an extension. The pattern that works for most fitters is three payments tied to things the customer can see: - Deposit on acceptance of the quote, raised on a proforma invoice. Typically 20-30%, or enough to cover what you are buying up front. - Stage payment at "units in": the old kitchen is gone, the carcasses are fixed and level, first-fix plumbing and electrics are done. The customer can stand in the room and see the shape of their kitchen. - Balance on completion, after you and the customer have walked the snag list together. Each stage gets its own invoice with its own number. The final invoice shows the whole job and deducts what has already been paid, so the customer sees one clean story and you have a paper trail that would stand up if it ever had to. For the general principles behind this, see deposits and staged payments for tradespeople; this post is about the kitchen-shaped specifics. ## Before day one: the quote does the heavy lifting Everything that goes wrong on a kitchen invoice was decided, or not decided, at the quote. Dean's quote to Sarah and Tom Ashworth was £6,370 plus VAT (his firm is VAT registered) and ran to a page and a half. The useful bits: - What is in. Strip out and disposal, fitting 14 customer-supplied units, plumbing to sink, tap and dishwasher, electrics by his sub-contracted electrician including the certificate, worktop liaison, upstands, a 4 m² tiled splashback, and all the sundries. - What is out. The units and worktop themselves (customer's order), the flooring, decorating after, moving the gas hob (that would need a Gas Safe engineer and a separate quote), and anything found behind the old units. - Payment stages, with the percentages and what triggers each one. - A line asking the customer to confirm they want work to start within 14 days of accepting. Because Dean quoted at their kitchen table, this is an off-premises consumer contract and the Ashworths have a 14-day right to cancel under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013. With that written request, he can charge for work done if they cancel part way through. Without it, he is on thinner ice. ## Stage one: the deposit on a proforma Dean asks for 30% on acceptance: £1,911 plus VAT, £2,293.20. He does not send a normal invoice for it, because nothing has been supplied yet. He sends a proforma, which says "this is what is due before we start" without entering his sales ledger as a sale. Once it is paid he marks it paid and, because he is VAT registered, the date the money lands is the tax point for that chunk of VAT. Check that last part with your accountant; the detail matters more for VAT-registered fitters than for everyone else. The deposit covers the things Dean pays for before he earns anything: skip hire, the electrician's first-fix day, pipe and fittings, and two days of his own labour he would otherwise be funding. It is not a profit margin, and the money stays accessible. If the Ashworths' worktop supplier goes bust and the job collapses, Dean still owes the deposit back less anything he has legitimately spent at their request. ## Stage two: units in On day four the old kitchen is in the skip, the walls are patched, the carcasses are fixed and dead level, the sink waste is roughed in and the electrician has run his cables. The Ashworths can see a kitchen. That is the trigger for stage two: 40% of the quoted price, £2,548 plus VAT, £3,057.60. This is a proper invoice, numbered in sequence with Dean's others. He builds it from the quote in a couple of taps so the descriptions match word for word, changes the amount to the stage percentage, and sends it from the Ashworths' driveway with a Pay button in the email. Sarah pays by card before he has reached the end of the street. Why "units in" and not "day five" or "half way"? Because a visible milestone is impossible to argue with. "Half way" invites a debate about whether you are. "The carcasses are in and level" is a fact in the room. ## Working with suppliers: whose order is it? Kitchen fitters sit between the customer and a showroom or trade supplier, and the invoice depends on which way you set that up. | Arrangement | On your invoice | Good | Watch out | | Customer orders units on their own account | Labour and sundries only | No supplier credit, no margin at risk, damaged doors are their claim | Delivery delays push your dates; agree who pays for a lost day | | You order on your trade account and resell | Units as a line (marked up if you choose), plus labour | Trade discount, one point of contact for the customer | You carry the credit, the returns and, if VAT registered, VAT on the whole supply | | Hybrid: customer buys units, you supply worktop or appliances | Those items as lines, at your price | You control the parts that affect your fit | Be explicit in the quote about which items are yours | Dean prefers the first arrangement for units and worktops. He supplies what he controls: the waste kit, the tap connectors, the fixings, the silicone, the tiles for the splashback. Those go on the invoice as sundries at a sensible figure. If a supplier delivers a door with a chip in it, the Ashworths ring the showroom and Dean carries on fitting. For a longer look at marking up materials and keeping receipts, read labour and materials on an invoice. ## Variations: the plinth lights problem On day six Tom asks whether Dean could "do some of those lights under the units while you're at it". Dean says yes, and sends a text before he leaves: "Plinth and under-unit LED strip, supply and fit, £180 plus VAT. Reply yes and I'll pick it up tomorrow." Tom replies "Yes please". That text is now part of the contract. On the final invoice the extra appears as its own line with the date it was agreed. It never gets folded into "fitting" or added quietly to the sundries. Customers who agreed something in writing pay for it without a murmur; customers who are surprised by it do not. The whole approach is in invoicing variations and extras on a job. ## The snag list and the final invoice Day eleven. The worktop is in, the splashback is grouted, the dishwasher has run a cycle without flooding anything. Dean does not send the balance invoice yet. He walks the kitchen with Sarah with his phone out and types the snags into a note as she spots them: a drawer front a millimetre proud, a bead of silicone that needs tidying, a cupboard door that catches. Twenty minutes with a screwdriver and a wet finger, and the list is clear. Then, and only then, he sends the final invoice. It shows the whole job, the variation, the VAT, and the two payments already received. The balance is what is left. DW Kitchens · Invoice INV-0215 · Date 14 November 2026 · From QUO-0188 · VAT No. GB 000 0000 00 Bill to: Sarah and Tom Ashworth, 14 Orchard Close, Wakefield · Job: Kitchen refit, 14 Orchard Close · Due: 7 days | Description | Qty | Unit price | Amount | | Strip out existing kitchen, disconnect services, dispose (incl. skip) | 1 | £520.00 | £520.00 | | Fit 14 customer-supplied base and wall units, plinths, cornice and end panels | 1 | £3,100.00 | £3,100.00 | | Plumbing: sink, tap, dishwasher connection, waste kit and isolation valves | 1 | £480.00 | £480.00 | | Electrical first and second fix by registered electrician, incl. certificate (ref. supplied) | 1 | £780.00 | £780.00 | | Worktop liaison with templating company, fit upstands and sink cut-out seal | 1 | £640.00 | £640.00 | | Tiled splashback, 4 m², customer's tiles, adhesive and grout supplied | 1 | £560.00 | £560.00 | | Sundries: fixings, silicone, pipe and fittings, tap connectors | 1 | £290.00 | £290.00 | | Variation agreed by text 9 Nov: plinth and under-unit LED lighting, supply and fit | 1 | £180.00 | £180.00 | | Net total | £6,550.00 | | VAT at 20% | £1,310.00 | | Total for the job | £7,860.00 | | Less deposit received 28 Oct (PRO-0031) | -£2,293.20 | | Less stage payment received 5 Nov (INV-0212) | -£3,057.60 | | Balance now due | £2,509.20 | Notes: Snag list of 14 Nov completed and signed off by customer. Electrical installation certificate issued by the electrician and left with the customer. Workmanship guaranteed for 12 months; appliances and units under their manufacturers' guarantees. Pay by card using the Pay button or by bank transfer to the details below. Because Dean is VAT registered, each of the three documents carries its own VAT, and the final invoice simply reconciles them for the customer. If you are not VAT registered, the structure is identical with the VAT line removed and no mention of VAT anywhere; see invoicing when you are not VAT registered. ## Getting the balance paid the same day The customer is most willing to pay in the half hour after the snag walk, standing in a kitchen that looks like the picture. Use that. Send the final invoice from your phone before you load the van, with a card payment link in the email, and say out loud: "I've just sent the final invoice, there's a Pay button on it if that's easier than a transfer." Many customers tap it while you are still packing up. If they prefer bank transfer, mark the invoice paid when the money lands and send a receipt if they ask; some will want one for a home-improvement loan or a landlord. If it does not land, the invoice turns Overdue in red after the seven days and the reminders are a tap away, friendly first. One last habit: keep the quote, the three documents, the variation text and a photo of the finished snag list together. On a kitchen, the paperwork is thin for most of the job and then matters enormously for about a week at the end. Make it the easy part. ## Do this in SendInvoice Quote at the kitchen table, turn it into a proforma for the deposit and stage invoices as the units go in, and send the final invoice with a Pay button before you have loaded the van. Free to create and preview; £5 a month to send, take card payments and see every stage paid or unpaid. ## Frequently asked questions ### How much deposit should a kitchen fitter ask for? There is no legal maximum for consumer jobs. Most fitters take 20-30% of the quoted price, or enough to cover anything they are buying themselves before day one. Raise it on a proforma invoice, keep the money accessible, and remember it is still owed back if you cannot do the job. The deposit is for your costs, not a bonus. ### Should I invoice the kitchen units or let the customer buy them? Either works, but be deliberate. If the customer orders from the showroom on their own account, the units never touch your invoice and a damaged door is their claim, not yours. If you buy on your trade account, you can mark them up but you carry the supplier's credit and any disputes. Many fitters only supply the sundries they control. ### Can I charge for extras the customer asked for mid-job? Yes, if you agreed them. Get every variation in writing before you do it, even a text saying 'Yes please, go ahead with the plinth lights at £180'. Then add it as its own line on the final invoice with the date it was agreed. Unwritten extras are the single biggest cause of arguments at the end of a kitchen. ### Do I have to finish the snag list before I invoice the balance? You should, and it pays. Walk the kitchen with the customer, write the snags down, fix them, then send the final invoice the same day. A customer standing in a finished kitchen with nothing left to complain about pays quickly. A balance invoice sent with three snags outstanding tends to sit until the snags are done anyway. ### Do I charge VAT on a kitchen fit? Only if you are VAT registered, in which case VAT applies at the standard rate to the whole supply, labour and materials together, for an ordinary refit in an existing home. Some work qualifies for reduced or zero rates, such as certain new-build jobs, so check HMRC's notices or your accountant. If you are not VAT registered, do not mention VAT at all. ### What if the customer cancels after I have bought materials? For a contract agreed in the customer's home, they usually have a 14-day cancellation right under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013. If they asked you in writing to start within those 14 days, you can charge for work done. Put that request in your quote acceptance so it is there when you need it, and hold off ordering bespoke items until the 14 days have passed where you can. --- # How to Invoice as a Landscaper or Gardener in the UK (One-Off Projects and Monthly Maintenance) Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/how-to-invoice-as-a-landscaper-or-gardener-uk - Two businesses in one van - Landscaping: the deposit pays for the paving - Landscaping: the final invoice - Maintenance: one invoice a month, not twelve a week - Agents, landlords and management companies - Weather, the season and cash flow Hannah runs Reid Gardens out of a pickup in Norwich. Half her week is a 24 m² porcelain patio, a sleeper bed and new turf for a couple in Eaton, £6,000 all in. The other half is the dozen gardens she cuts, prunes and weeds every fortnight from March to November. The two halves earn similar money and need completely different invoices. Get the landscaping one wrong and you fund the paving yourself; get the maintenance one wrong and you spend Sunday evenings chasing £64 from people who like you. Here is both. ## Two businesses in one van Most landscapers and gardeners do some mix of these, and it helps to name them, because the money behaves differently: | | One-off landscaping | Regular maintenance | | Typical value | £1,500 to £20,000 | £40 to £300 a visit | | Materials | Large, bought before you earn | Small: fuel, a bag of feed, green waste tipping | | Documents | Quote, proforma for the deposit, stage invoice on bigger jobs, final invoice | One invoice a month per customer, or per visit | | Risk | Funding materials; variations; a dispute at the end | Dozens of small debts drifting | Hannah is not VAT registered; her turnover sits under the threshold (£90,000 at the time of writing), so there is no VAT anywhere on her invoices. If you are registered, the same structures apply with VAT added to the whole supply; see invoicing when you are not VAT registered for the line between the two. ## Landscaping: the deposit pays for the paving The Eaton patio needs £2,100 of porcelain slabs, two skips, a lorry of MOT type 1 and sharp sand, oak sleepers, topsoil and 40 m² of turf before Hannah has laid a single slab. Nobody should fund that from their own account. Her quote said 30% on acceptance, and once the customers, the Fentons, said yes she sent a proforma invoice for £1,752 (30% of the £5,840 quote). A proforma says "this is what is due before we start" without pretending anything has been supplied yet, which is the honest way to ask for money up front. Three things she does with every deposit: - Sizes it to the materials, not to a round number. If the slabs alone are 35% of the job, the deposit is 35%. - Keeps the money accessible. If the Fentons' house sale falls through and the job is cancelled, the deposit is owed back less anything she has already bought at their request. Spending it on the previous job's paving is how landscapers end up in the local paper. - Gets the 14-day request in writing. She quoted in the Fentons' garden, so this is an off-premises consumer contract with a 14-day cancellation right under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013. Her quote acceptance asks the customer to confirm they want work to start within 14 days, so she can charge for work done if they cancel. She also holds the slab order until the 14 days are up where the lead time allows. For jobs over about £8,000, or anything longer than two weeks, add a stage invoice at a visible milestone, "base and edgings complete" for a patio, "hard landscaping complete" before planting. The method is covered in deposits and staged payments for tradespeople. ## Landscaping: the final invoice Eight working days later the patio is jointed, the sleeper bed is filled and the turf is down. Hannah walks the garden with Mrs Fenton, agrees that one slab near the drain needs re-bedding, fixes it the next morning, and sends the final invoice from the driveway. It shows the whole job, the one variation they agreed by text (an extra step up to the lawn, £160), and deducts the deposit. Reid Gardens · Hannah Reid, sole trader · Invoice INV-0128 · Date 12 November 2026 · From QUO-0097 · Due 7 days Bill to: Mr and Mrs Fenton, 22 Mile End Road, Eaton, Norwich · Job: Rear garden patio, raised bed and lawn | Description | Qty | Unit price | Amount | | Excavate existing patio and lawn area to depth, load and dispose | 1 | £680.00 | £680.00 | | Skip hire, 8 yd, two loads | 2 | £260.00 | £520.00 | | MOT type 1 sub-base, sharp sand and cement, delivered and laid | 1 | £520.00 | £520.00 | | Porcelain paving 600 x 600, supply and lay on full mortar bed, jointed | 24 m² | £95.00 | £2,280.00 | | Linear drainage channel to patio edge, connected to existing gully | 1 | £260.00 | £260.00 | | Oak sleeper raised bed, 6 m, two courses, lined and filled with topsoil | 1 | £540.00 | £540.00 | | Topsoil, level and lay turf to new lawn | 40 m² | £14.00 | £560.00 | | Plants to agreed planting plan, supplied and planted | 1 | £480.00 | £480.00 | | Variation agreed by text 7 Nov: additional sleeper step from patio to lawn | 1 | £160.00 | £160.00 | | Total for the job | £6,000.00 | | Less deposit received 20 Oct (PRO-0044) | -£1,752.00 | | Balance now due | £4,248.00 | Notes: Not VAT registered. Turf: water daily for the first two weeks and avoid walking on it for three. Pay by card using the Pay button in the email or by bank transfer to the details below. Workmanship guaranteed 12 months; plants guaranteed to establish for 6 months if the watering notes are followed. Two things to notice. The per-m² lines show the quantity and the rate, because a customer who can see "24 m² at £95" does not wonder what £2,280 was for. And the variation is its own line with a date, because it was agreed by a text that Hannah still has. The approach to extras is in invoicing variations and extras on a job. ## Maintenance: one invoice a month, not twelve a week Hannah's twelve regulars get a visit every fortnight, two hours each, at £32 an hour. Invoicing each visit would be 24 invoices a month, most of them for £64, each one a chance to be forgotten. Instead she sends twelve invoices on the first working day of each month, each covering the previous month's visits. The structure is always the same: - A line per visit with the date ("Garden maintenance visit, 3 Oct, 2 hours at £32"), or one line for the month with the dates in the description. - A line for green waste removal if she tips it, at a flat rate per visit. - Occasional extras as their own lines: a bag of lawn feed, a hedge cut that was agreed as an extra, a new plant the customer asked for. - Seven-day terms, card button in the email, bank details at the bottom. Save your standard lines ("Maintenance visit, 2 hours", "Green waste removal") as saved items once, and each monthly invoice is a few taps: pick the customer, who fills in as you type, add the saved lines, change the quantities and dates, send. Twelve invoices before the kettle has boiled. Pricing tip for regulars: quote a per-visit price rather than a vague hourly figure, and review it once a year in writing, usually in February before the season starts. "From March, visits are £68" by email is accepted without fuss; a surprise on the April invoice is not. ## Agents, landlords and management companies A good chunk of maintenance work comes from letting agents keeping rental gardens tidy, and from residents' management companies for communal grounds. Treat them differently from homeowners: - Property or site address on every invoice, separate from the billing address. An agent cannot pay "grass cutting" without knowing which of 150 houses it was. - Their PO or works order number on the invoice if they issue one; see purchase orders for how they work. - Agree the terms up front, usually 30 days, and expect to chase at 31. - You have more rights. These are business customers, so the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 applies: statutory interest at 8% above base rate and a fixed sum (£40 for a debt under £1,000, at the time of writing). For Mrs Fenton it does not; a court can award interest at its discretion, but you cannot add the fixed sum. The detail is in invoicing landlords and letting agents. ## Weather, the season and cash flow Gardening income is lumpy: flat out April to October, thin in January. Two invoicing habits smooth it a little. First, invoice maintenance monthly on the dot, so the money is predictable even if the weather is not; a rained-off visit is rescheduled, not charged, unless your terms say otherwise. Second, land landscaping deposits in the quiet months by quoting winter projects in autumn, with the deposit covering the materials; the proforma does the asking for you. And on days the rain really does win, use them for the paperwork: send the month's invoices, check who is overdue, export the quarter for your accountant. Keep invoices, receipts and bank records for at least five to six years, and bear in mind Making Tax Digital for Income Tax applies from April 2026 for the self-employed with income over £50,000 (lower thresholds follow in 2027 and 2028), so a tidy monthly rhythm is worth building now. The Fentons paid their £4,248 by card the afternoon the invoice arrived, standing on the new patio. Eleven of Hannah's twelve regulars paid within the week. The twelfth got a friendly reminder on the 9th and paid on the 10th, with an apology about a holiday. That is what landscaping and gardening invoicing looks like when the documents do the work: a deposit that pays for the paving, a final invoice that explains itself, and a monthly rhythm that nobody has to think about. ## Do this in SendInvoice Quote the garden, raise the proforma for the deposit, send the final invoice from the driveway with a Pay button, and run your monthly maintenance invoices from saved items in minutes. Free to create and preview; £5 a month to send, take card payments and see every customer's status at a glance. ## Frequently asked questions ### How much deposit should a landscaper take? Enough to cover the materials you have to buy before you earn anything: paving, aggregates, sleepers, turf and skips are the big ones. For most jobs that works out at 25-40% of the quote. There is no legal maximum for consumer work, but keep the money accessible, because it is still owed back if the job falls through. Raise it on a proforma invoice, not a normal one. ### Should I invoice garden maintenance per visit or per month? Per month, for regulars. One invoice on the first working day of the month for the previous month's visits, with each visit as a line or the hours totalled, is easier for the customer to pay and halves your admin. Per-visit invoices suit one-off tidy-ups and new customers until you trust each other. ### Can I charge for a visit when the weather stops me working? Only if your terms say so. Most gardeners do not charge for a rained-off maintenance visit and simply reschedule. On landscaping projects, a day lost to weather after you have turned up is a cost; decide in your quote whether that is charged, and at what rate, so neither of you is guessing when it happens. ### Do I have to charge VAT on gardening work? Only if you are VAT registered, which depends on your turnover (the threshold is £90,000 at the time of writing). If you are registered, VAT applies to the whole supply, labour and materials, at the standard rate for ordinary garden work. If you are not registered, do not add or mention VAT. Landscapers with big material costs can cross the threshold sooner than they expect, so watch the rolling twelve-month figure. ### What if the customer changes the plan half way through the landscaping? Agree the change and its price in writing before you do it, even by text, then put it on the final invoice as its own line with the date it was agreed. An extra step, a wider path or a different plant list is normal; an unwritten extra is where the end-of-job argument starts. ### Can I charge late payment interest to a gardening customer? If the customer is a business, a landlord's company, a letting agent or a management company, the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 lets you add statutory interest and a fixed sum. For a private homeowner it does not; a court can award interest at its discretion, but you cannot add the fixed £40 sum. Clear terms and a prompt reminder are usually enough. --- # How to Invoice as a Locksmith: Call-Outs, Out-of-Hours Rates and a Receipt on the Doorstep Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/how-to-invoice-as-a-locksmith-uk - State the price before you start the van - What a locksmith's invoice needs - Worked example: a late-night lockout and cylinder change - Paid before you leave the doorstep - The receipt on the doorstep - Landlords, letting agents and commercial work - Setting it up so the doorstep is easy It is ten past eleven on a Tuesday in Croydon, and Sam is standing on a doorstep with a woman in a work lanyard who has been locked out since nine. The uPVC door opens in four minutes. The cylinder is the old snappable kind, so Sam fits a three-star anti-snap one while he is there and cuts her three keys. The bill is £207. She is tired, grateful, and wants to go to bed, and the last thing either of them wants is a conversation about bank details. Locksmithing invoicing is unlike any other trade: the job is short, the customer is stressed, the price has to be stated before you leave the house, and the paperwork has to be finished before you leave theirs. ## State the price before you start the van Locksmiths have a reputation problem that has nothing to do with most locksmiths: the stories of £500 lockouts and "it had to be drilled". The way you beat it is to be the one who tells the customer the price on the phone, and then invoices exactly that. Three numbers, every time: - The call-out fee, by band: daytime, evening, night and bank holiday. The call-out covers getting to them and the first part of your time. - The likely labour for the job as described: a non-destructive entry, a lock change, a snapped key extraction. - A range for parts, because you cannot see the door yet. "A standard cylinder is £45 to £65 fitted; an anti-snap one is a bit more, and I will show you both." Then send a text that repeats it. "Hi, Sam from SP Locks. On my way, 25 mins. Out-of-hours call-out £85, entry from £45, new cylinder if needed £55 to £75 fitted. Card or transfer on the day." That text is the quote for an emergency job, and it is what makes the invoice unarguable. Our post on call-out fees and emergency work covers wording the bands on your website and terms so they match. The 14-day cooling-off right for contracts agreed in the home is generally treated differently for urgent repairs the consumer specifically requested; keep the record of the call and the text, and do not rely on that for anything beyond the urgent work itself. ## What a locksmith's invoice needs The legal basics apply (see how to write an invoice). A locksmith's invoice also wants: - The call-out as its own line, with the band named. Not hidden in the labour. - The method, briefly. "Non-destructive entry" tells the customer, and their landlord or insurer, that nothing was broken. If you had to drill, say so and say why. - Parts, by name and standard. "Euro cylinder, 35/45, TS007 3-star, anti-snap" tells an insurer what was fitted and the customer why it cost more than the one it replaced. Record the key quantity. - The property address, where it differs from the billing address, and the time of the visit. - How it was paid. If paid on the spot, say so, or follow it with a receipt (more below). What not to put on it: key codes, master-key details, alarm codes or anything that would help someone else get through the door. An invoice travels; keep it to what was done and what it cost. ## Worked example: a late-night lockout and cylinder change Here is Sam's invoice for the Croydon job. He is a sole trader and is not VAT registered, so there is no VAT anywhere on it. It was paid by card on the doorstep, and the invoice became a receipt a minute later. SP Locks (Sam Pereira), 3 Station Road, Croydon CR0 2AB Invoice INV-0319, dated 3 November 2026, 23:10. Payment due on completion. Bill to: Ms A. Fletcher, Flat 2, 17 Park Lane, Croydon CR0 5DE. Property: as above. Job: Lockout, front door, uPVC with euro cylinder. Quoted by text 22:35. | Description | Qty | Rate | Amount | | Emergency call-out, out of hours (after 8pm) | 1 | £85.00 | £85.00 | | Non-destructive entry, uPVC door, no damage to door or frame | 1 | £45.00 | £45.00 | | Euro cylinder, 35/45, TS007 3-star anti-snap, supplied and fitted | 1 | £65.00 | £65.00 | | Additional keys cut | 3 | £4.00 | £12.00 | | Total due | £207.00 | Notes: Not VAT registered. Old cylinder was a standard (non-anti-snap) type and has been removed. 12-month guarantee on the cylinder fitted. Paid by card at 23:14; receipt REC-0088 issued. Everything on it answers a question the customer, or her landlord, might ask next week: why was it £85 to come out (because it was eleven at night, as she was told at 22:35), was anything damaged (no), what was fitted (a named standard), and has it been paid (yes, and here is the receipt). ## Paid before you leave the doorstep A locksmith's customer is the most willing payer in the trades, for about fifteen minutes. They are inside, they are relieved, and you are standing there. Use that window. A lockout invoice that arrives on Thursday competes with the memory of a bad night. Two ways to be paid in the window: - A card payment link on the doorstep. Build the invoice on your phone, send it, and the customer gets an email with the PDF and a Pay button. They tap it on their own phone, pay by card, and the invoice flips to Paid while you are still packing the drill. No reader to carry or charge; in SendInvoice the fee is 0.2% on top of Stripe's own at the time of writing. Getting paid on the day compares this with readers and bank transfer. - Bank transfer while you wait. Bank details are on the invoice; most customers can send a transfer in two minutes. Mark the invoice paid when it lands. Cash is legal and some customers prefer it. Record it like any other payment: mark the invoice paid and issue a receipt. Cash that is invoiced and receipted is a normal sale; cash that is not is what HMRC is interested in. More in receipts for cash jobs. ## The receipt on the doorstep Locksmith customers ask for receipts more than most, because lockouts and lock changes get claimed back: from a landlord, an employer, an insurer after a burglary, a housemate who lost the keys. A paid invoice is legally enough, but a receipt is the document people expect, and it is thirty seconds' work: what was paid, when, by what method, for which invoice. In SendInvoice, once the payment lands, you tap Create from this on the invoice and choose Receipt. The details carry over, the receipt gets its own number and a "From INV-0319" link, and you send it before the door closes. The two stay linked under the same customer, so when the letting agent rings in January asking for "the paperwork for Flat 2", it is one search. The differences between the documents are in invoice vs receipt and credit notes. ## Landlords, letting agents and commercial work A lot of steady locksmith work is not homeowners at all: lock changes between tenancies, a block of flats with a failed communal door, a shop whose shutter lock has seized. The invoice changes in a few ways: - Property address on every invoice, separate from the agent's billing address, with the flat number. Agents manage hundreds of doors. - Their reference. A purchase order number or job number, if they issue one; without it the invoice sits in a queue. Ask on the phone. - Payment terms as agreed, often 30 days. If none are agreed with a business customer, the law treats 30 days as the default. - Late payment. An agent, a landlord's company or a shop is a business, so the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 applies: statutory interest at 8% above base rate and a fixed sum (£40 for debts under £1,000 at the time of writing). With Ms Fletcher, a private householder, it does not, and you cannot add the fixed sums. Keep the out-of-hours bands the same for business customers; just make sure the agent's out-of-hours line knows them before they send you to a flat at midnight. The detail on agents, POs and chasing is in invoicing landlords and letting agents. ## Setting it up so the doorstep is easy The doorstep invoice is quick only if the setup is done at the kitchen table, once: business details, logo and bank details in Settings; Stripe connected under Payment Gateway so the Pay button is live on every email; and saved items for everything you do more than twice, from each call-out band to the three or four cylinders you carry. After that the invoice is a matter of tapping lines, and for repeat letting agents the address fills itself in as you type. Tell them the price before you set off, invoice exactly that, name the parts and the method, take the card on the doorstep, and hand them a receipt before you close the door. Do that at eleven at night in Croydon and you have not just been paid; you have been recommended. ## Do this in SendInvoice Keep your call-out bands and cylinders as saved items, build the invoice on the doorstep, take card payment through the Pay button and turn it into a receipt before you leave. Free to create and preview; £5 a month to send, remind and get paid by card. ## Frequently asked questions ### Should a locksmith charge a call-out fee? Most do, and it is fair: you are driving across town at a moment's notice. The key is to state it before you set off, on the phone and ideally by text, along with your out-of-hours rate and a typical range for the likely job. Then put it on the invoice as its own line so the customer sees exactly what they were told. ### How do I show out-of-hours rates on an invoice? As a separate call-out line that names the band: "Emergency call-out, out of hours (after 8pm)". Keep the labour and parts lines at their normal descriptions. Customers accept a higher night rate; what they object to is a single large number with no explanation. Your website and your text confirmation should carry the same bands. ### Can I take card payment on the doorstep without a card reader? Yes. Send the invoice from your phone with a card payment link in the email; the customer opens it on their own phone and pays while you pack up. With SendInvoice the invoice flips to Paid automatically. A card reader works too, but the link means nothing to carry, charge or lose, and the invoice and the payment are already matched. ### Does the customer need a receipt as well as an invoice? Legally, a paid invoice is evidence enough, but customers, landlords and insurers often ask for a receipt. Issue one: it says the money was received, when and how. In SendInvoice you turn the paid invoice into a receipt in one tap, and the two stay linked. For a cash job, a receipt is the record both of you want. ### Do I charge VAT as a locksmith? Only if you are VAT registered. Many one-van locksmiths are not, and in that case you must not show or charge VAT. If you are registered, VAT applies at the standard rate to the call-out, labour and parts alike, and the invoice must show your VAT number, the rate and the VAT amount. ### How do I invoice a letting agent or landlord for a lock change? Put the property address on the invoice, the agent's job or purchase order number, the tenant's name if the agent wants it, and the agreed payment terms (often 30 days). The agent or landlord's company is a business customer, so late payment interest under the 1998 Act applies if they are slow, unlike with a private householder. --- # How to Invoice as a Painter and Decorator in the UK (Rooms, Day Rates, Materials and Snagging) Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/how-to-invoice-as-a-painter-and-decorator-uk - What a decorator's invoice needs - Quoting rooms: per room, per square metre or per day - Materials versus labour - Extras and the "while you're here" - The snagging walk-round before the final invoice - Worked example: hall, stairs and landing - Wallpaper, deposits and bigger jobs - Landlords, lettings and end-of-tenancy work - Invoicing from the van Lauren has spent four days on a hall, stairs and landing in Bishopston: a Victorian terrace, lining paper that came off in strips, spindles that took most of a day on their own. The quote was £1,150. On the last afternoon the customer, Priya, walks round with her in the good light, spots two misses above the door frame, Lauren touches them in, and the invoice is sent before the dust sheets are back in the van. Here is how a painter and decorator invoices so that it goes like that, rather than "I'll send it over" followed by three weeks of silence. ## What a decorator's invoice needs The legal basics are the usual: a unique number, your name or trading name and address, the customer's name and address, the date, a description, and the amount due. Petty Decorating is a sole trader and not VAT registered, so there is no VAT on Lauren's invoices at all, and no VAT number. (If you are registered, add the VAT number, rate, VAT amount, tax point and net total; the how to write an invoice guide covers it.) What makes it a decorator's invoice: - The rooms, named, with what was done to each surface. "Hall, stairs and landing: walls two coats, ceilings two coats, woodwork prepared, undercoated and satin finished." The description is the thing the customer compares with the quote. - Labour as days or as a room price, whichever you quoted, in the same words. - Materials as separate lines, main products named, sundries as one line. - Extras agreed mid-job as their own lines, with the date you agreed them. - The colours. Brand, range and name. In two years when they want the landing touched up, the invoice is where they will look. ## Quoting rooms: per room, per square metre or per day Decorating has three honest ways to price, and the invoice should mirror whichever one the quote used. Fixed price per room or per job is what most homeowners want: a number they can say yes to. It rewards you for being quick and tidy, and it means the invoice is already written when you quote. The risk is the prep. A room that looks like "two coats and done" can hide blown plaster and three layers of woodchip. Protect yourself with a line on the quote saying what is included ("prepare, fill and sand minor defects") and what is not ("stripping existing wallpaper, re-plastering, or more than light filling will be quoted separately"). Per square metre works for big plain areas (new-build, commercial, whole-house rentals) where the surfaces are consistent and the sums are easy to check. Say the rate, the area and whether ceilings and woodwork are included. Day rate is the honest choice when nobody can see the scope: stripping, repairs, working round other trades, or a customer who wants to decide colours as they go. Quote the day rate, estimate the days, and say that the estimate is an estimate. Invoice the actual days with the dates listed, so the customer can match them to the days you were there. For the Bishopston job Lauren quoted a fixed price with four days of labour shown, because the customer asked how long it would take and the figure made sense of the price. The day rate vs fixed price post goes through when each one wins, and how to write a trade quote covers exclusions, which matter more in decorating than in almost any other trade. ## Materials versus labour Keep them apart on the invoice, always. A customer who sees "Hall, stairs and landing: £1,150" wonders where the number came from. A customer who sees four days' labour, two tubs of trade matt, a tin of satinwood and a line of sundries can see that most of the money is skill and time, and that the paint was not marked up to the moon. You can mark up materials. You chose the right product, drove to the trade counter, carried it up the stairs and will stand behind the finish; a margin on that is normal. Show the price you are charging, not your trade-account cost. For sundries (filler, caulk, sandpaper, masking tape, dust sheets you wore out) one line is fine. When the customer supplies the paint, which happens more in decorating than in any other trade, put "customer-supplied" on the labour line and add a note that you cannot guarantee coverage or finish with a product you did not choose. Designer emulsion that needs four coats instead of two is a day of your life, and the note is what lets you charge for it. If you are VAT registered, VAT applies to the whole supply, labour and materials, at the standard rate; decorating almost never qualifies for the reduced rates. The labour and materials post goes into receipts and mark-ups in more detail. ## Extras and the "while you're here" Every decorator knows the sentence. "While you're here, could you just do the cupboard doors?" The answer is yes, and the price is agreed before you open the tin. A text saying "Happy to, that'll be £95 on top, OK?" and a reply saying "Yes please" is all the contract you need. On the invoice the extra gets its own line, under the original job, with the date it was agreed. Do not fold it into the labour total; the customer will remember the original quote and not the conversation on the landing. The same goes for changes you find rather than changes they ask for. If the lining paper comes off with the old paint and a wall needs re-lining, stop, show them, agree the cost, carry on. The variations and extras post has wording that keeps it friendly. ## The snagging walk-round before the final invoice Decorating is judged by eye, in daylight, by someone who has been living in the mess for a week and wants it to be perfect. So before you invoice, walk every room with the customer when the light is good. Look at the cutting-in, the edges of the ceilings, the backs of doors, the tops of skirting. Let them point. Fix what they find, there and then, while the paint and the brushes are still out. Most lists are two or three touch-ups and a drip on a radiator. Then, standing in the finished hall, send the invoice from your phone. The customer has just approved the work out loud; the invoice email arrives with the PDF and a Pay button while they are still pleased. That is the moment people pay. The decorator who leaves, writes up the invoice on Sunday and emails it on Monday has given the customer a weekend to find a miss behind the sofa and a reason to hold the money. If something genuinely cannot be fixed on the day (a colour the customer now dislikes, a door that needs another coat when it has cured), agree the return visit, note it on the invoice, and invoice the job anyway. "Return visit to recoat landing door agreed for Tue 18 Nov" in the notes is a promise in writing, and a reason for them to pay now rather than later. ## Worked example: hall, stairs and landing This is Lauren's invoice for the Bishopston job. Petty Decorating is not VAT registered, so there is no VAT line. Petty Decorating Invoice INV-0163 Date: 14 November 2026 Bill to: Ms P Nair, 19 Berkeley Road, Bristol Job address: as above Quote: QUO-0140, accepted 30 October 2026 Due: on receipt | Description | Qty | Unit price | Amount | | Labour: hall, stairs and landing. Prepare, fill and sand walls and ceilings; walls two coats matt emulsion; ceilings two coats; woodwork (skirting, dado rail, handrail, 34 spindles and newels, four doors and frames) sanded, undercoated and two coats satinwood. Mon 10 to Thu 13 Nov | 4 days | £220.00 | £880.00 | | Trade vinyl matt emulsion, 10L, tinted "Pale Oat" (walls, hall and landing) | 2 | £54.00 | £108.00 | | Trade satinwood, 2.5L, white (woodwork) | 1 | £38.00 | £38.00 | | Sundries: filler, caulk, sandpaper, masking tape, white ceiling emulsion, undercoat | 1 | £29.00 | £29.00 | | Extra agreed by text 11 Nov: strip failed lining paper on stair wall, re-line and prepare before painting | 1 | £95.00 | £95.00 | | Total due | £1,150.00 | Payment: by card using the Pay button in this email, or by bank transfer to Petty Decorating, sort code 00-00-00, account 00000000, reference INV-0163. Notes: Colours for touch-ups: walls trade vinyl matt "Pale Oat"; ceilings white matt; woodwork trade satinwood brilliant white. Snagging walk-round completed 14 Nov with Ms Nair, two touch-ups above the front door completed on the day. Allow 7 days before washing walls. The invoice and the quote match, line for line, except for the extra. That is the whole trick. Ms Nair said yes to £1,055 on the 30th of October, said yes to £95 more by text on the 11th, and is now looking at a bill for £1,150 that she has already agreed to twice. ## Wallpaper, deposits and bigger jobs Paint is cheap relative to labour, so most paint-only jobs do not need a deposit. Wallpaper is different. A feature wall in a designer paper can be £400 of material before you have hung a drop, and some papers are made to order and cannot be returned. Take a deposit that covers the paper on a proforma invoice before you order, and say on the quote that it is non-refundable once the paper is ordered. If the contract was agreed in the customer's home, they have a 14-day cancellation right under the Consumer Contracts Regulations on jobs over £42; if they want you to order the paper inside that window, get the request in writing (a text will do) so the deposit covers it. For whole-house jobs running two or three weeks, a deposit and a mid-point stage invoice are reasonable and nobody minds if they were on the quote. The deposits and staged payments post covers how to word the schedule. ## Landlords, lettings and end-of-tenancy work A good share of decorating is for landlords and letting agents between tenants. They are businesses: they want the property address on the invoice, their job or purchase order reference, and usually 30-day terms, and if they pay late the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 lets you add statutory interest and a fixed sum. For a private homeowner that Act does not apply and you cannot add those fixed sums. Quote per flat as a fixed price with the colours specified, and see invoicing landlords and letting agents for chasing them. ## Invoicing from the van Lauren does not go home to invoice. The quote was written on her phone at the customer's kitchen table after the first visit. When the job finished, she created the invoice from that quote in one tap, so the customer, the address and the lines were already there; she adjusted the paint quantities, added the extra, and sent it from the hall. Priya paid by card from the Pay button in the email before Lauren had reached the end of the road, and the invoice flipped to Paid on its own. For customers who prefer bank transfer, the details are on the invoice and it is marked paid by hand when the money lands. Keep every invoice, quote, trade-counter receipt and bank statement for at least five to six years. One running number sequence per document type; if a job is cancelled after invoicing, issue a credit note rather than deleting anything. Making Tax Digital for Income Tax applies from April 2026 to sole traders with income over £50,000 (over £30,000 from April 2027, over £20,000 from April 2028, at the time of writing), and a list of invoices you can filter by quarter and export is most of what you need. Check with your accountant or HMRC for your own position. ## Do this in SendInvoice Quote the rooms with labour and paint on separate lines, turn the quote into the invoice after the walk-round, add the extra the customer agreed by text, and send it from the finished hallway with a Pay button. Free to create and preview; £5 a month to send, remind and get paid by card. ## Frequently asked questions ### Should a decorator charge a day rate or a fixed price per room? Fixed price for most domestic work, because customers want to know the total before they say yes and you want to be paid for speed, not punished for it. Day rate when the scope is unclear, such as stripping an unknown number of layers or working alongside other trades. Either way, state it on the quote and invoice in the same words. ### Do I put paint on the invoice as a separate line? Yes. Show materials as their own lines, with the main products named (the brand, the finish, the litres), and sundries like filler, caulk and tape as one line. You can mark materials up; you are choosing, collecting and carrying them. If the customer supplied the paint, say so, and note that you cannot guarantee a finish with a product you did not choose. ### How do I handle extra work the customer asks for mid-job? Agree the price before you do it, in writing. A text saying "Yes please, do the cupboard doors for £120" is enough. Then put it on the invoice as its own line, with the date it was agreed, under the original job. Customers who see the agreed work and the extras separately pay without argument; customers who see one bigger number do not. ### What is a snagging walk-round and why do it before invoicing? It is a five-minute tour of the finished rooms with the customer, in daylight, looking for misses, drips and touch-ups. Do it, fix what they find there and then, and send the final invoice while they are looking at a job they have just approved. Invoicing before the walk-round invites a late payment with a list of complaints attached. ### Does a decorator need to be VAT registered? Only once your taxable turnover passes the threshold, which most one-person decorating businesses do not reach. If you are not registered, do not charge or show VAT on the invoice at all. If you are, VAT applies to the whole supply, labour and materials, at the standard rate. Ask your accountant when you get close to the threshold. ### Should I take a deposit for decorating work? For paint-only jobs, usually not; the materials are cheap relative to labour and most customers pay promptly. For wallpaper, especially expensive or made-to-order paper, take a deposit that covers the paper on a proforma invoice before you order it. For a whole-house job over several weeks, a deposit and a mid-point stage payment are reasonable. --- # How to Invoice as a Plasterer: Per Square Metre, Day Rates and Working for Builders Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/how-to-invoice-as-a-plasterer-uk - Per square metre or per day - What goes on a plasterer's invoice - Worked example: a skim for a homeowner - The same job for a builder, with CIS - Pricing traps in plastering - Getting paid while the walls are still pink Marek finishes the ceiling in a Bradford living room at twenty past four, washes his tools in the back garden and looks at the walls going pink in the fading light. It is a £715 skim, walls and ceiling, over old but sound plaster. The customer is delighted and asks what she owes. Marek has two ways to answer that question, and tomorrow, on a site where he is skimming for a builder, he has a third. Plastering invoicing is simple on the face of it, and then the square metres, the day rates and the Construction Industry Scheme all turn up at once. ## Per square metre or per day Plastering is one of the few trades where a customer can genuinely compare prices, because the unit is the wall. That is a gift if you use it well. Two pricing models, and most plasterers use both: | Model | Use it for | How it looks on the invoice | | Per m² | Skim over sound plaster or new board; float and set; boarding and skimming; whole rooms where you can measure | "Skim walls, 34 m² at £12.00", a separate rate for ceilings (they are slower and higher) | | Day rate | Patching, Artex removal, chases after the electrician, making good after a window, anything where the background is unknown | "Labour, 1.5 days at £220.00", with a line describing what the day covered | | Fixed price for the job | Small, clear jobs where the customer wants one number | "Skim hallway walls and ceiling, as quoted QUO-0088", with the m² in the description so the price makes sense | Whichever you choose, write the measurements on the quote and carry them to the invoice. "Skim living room" invites "that seems a lot". "Skim walls 34 m² and ceiling 16 m²" does not. Charge ceilings at a higher rate than walls and say so; everyone who has ever tried to skim one upside down understands. What the per m² rate includes and excludes is the thing to nail on the quote. Included: a sound, dry background, PVA, beads and scrim, clean-down. Not included: removing wallpaper, bonding over blown render, dubbing out, Artex, moving furniture, and any defect you only find once you start. Say that up front and the extras conversation on day one is a formality rather than a fight. Our post on day rate versus fixed price goes deeper on when each model protects you. ## What goes on a plasterer's invoice Every UK invoice needs your name and address, the customer's, a unique number, the date, a description and the amount (the full list is in how to write an invoice). On top of that, a plastering invoice reads best with: - A line per surface. Walls, ceilings and any patching, each with the area or the time. - Materials. Bags of multi-finish, bonding or hardwall, boards, beads, scrim, PVA. The sums are small on a skim and large on a boarding job; either way, show them. Builders need it for CIS; homeowners like to see it. There is more on markup and receipts in labour and materials on an invoice. - Extras. Each on its own line with the date you agreed it and how (usually "by text"). - Drying and decorating advice. A note at the bottom: "Allow the plaster to dry fully (typically 5 to 7 days, longer in winter) before applying a mist coat of watered-down emulsion." It is not a legal requirement; it is the note that stops the phone call in a fortnight asking why the paint is peeling. - Payment terms and how to pay. For homeowners, "payment on completion" with bank details and a card link. For builders, whatever is agreed, with their order or job reference. ## Worked example: a skim for a homeowner Marek is a sole trader and is not VAT registered, so there is no VAT anywhere on his invoice: no VAT number, no rate, no VAT line. Here is the living room. Marek Nowak Plastering, 8 Thornton Street, Bradford BD7 1XY Invoice INV-0142, dated 3 November 2026. Payment due on completion. Bill to: Ms R. Patel, 41 Oak Avenue, Bradford BD9 4LP Job: Skim living room walls and ceiling over existing plaster, as quoted QUO-0137. | Description | Qty | Rate | Amount | | Skim walls, two coats multi-finish over PVA'd existing plaster | 34 m² | £12.00 | £408.00 | | Skim ceiling, two coats multi-finish | 16 m² | £14.00 | £224.00 | | Multi-finish plaster | 6 bags | £9.50 | £57.00 | | PVA, scrim tape and angle beads to chimney breast | 1 | £26.00 | £26.00 | | Protection of floor and furniture, clean down on completion | 1 | £0.00 | Included | | Total due | £715.00 | Notes: Not VAT registered. Allow 5 to 7 days for the plaster to dry before a mist coat. Pay by card using the Pay button or by bank transfer to the details below. The "Included" line costs nothing and earns a lot. Customers remember that you covered the sofa. ## The same job for a builder, with CIS Now the room is in a refurb being run by Hartley Build Ltd, and Marek is the plastering subcontractor. Hartley is a contractor under the Construction Industry Scheme, so the invoice changes in four ways, and the number at the bottom goes down. - Labour and materials are totalled separately. Labour £632.00 (the two skim lines); materials £83.00. - A deduction line appears. "Less CIS deduction, 20% of £632.00 labour: -£126.40." If Marek were not registered as a subcontractor the builder would have to deduct 30%; with gross payment status, nothing. Materials are never deducted from, and if Marek were VAT registered, neither would the VAT be. - His UTR goes on the invoice, along with the builder's job or order reference, because the builder's CIS return needs to match it. - The amount payable is £588.60, not £715.00. The £126.40 is not lost: Hartley pays it to HMRC against Marek's tax, gives him a deduction statement, and it comes off his bill at Self Assessment. Keep every statement. Payment terms also change. A builder is a business, so if Hartley pays late the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act applies and Marek can charge statutory interest and the fixed compensation sums; with Ms Patel he cannot. And if the job runs over 45 days, the Construction Act gives him the right to staged payments; worth knowing, rarely worth citing. The full example with the deduction worked through is in our CIS invoice guide, and invoicing a main contractor covers applications for payment and retention if you move up to bigger sites. ## Pricing traps in plastering A few things that go wrong on plasterers' invoices, and the line that fixes each: - The blown wall. You tap the chimney breast, it sounds hollow, and the skim is now a hack-off and float. Stop, photograph, text a price, wait for the "yes". The invoice line reads: "Hack off and re-float chimney breast, 6 m², agreed by text 2 Nov." See invoicing variations and extras. - Artex. Pre-1999 Artex may contain asbestos. Do not price it as a skim until you know. Put "textured ceilings excluded pending a sample test" on the quote and invoice the test and the treatment as their own lines. - Waiting time. The electrician has not finished the chases, so you lose a morning. On a builder's job, agree a waiting-time rate in advance; on a homeowner's job, you usually swallow it. If charged, it is a labour line with the date. - Boards. On a boarding job the materials can outweigh the labour. Count, and invoice by the board, not the guess. ## Getting paid while the walls are still pink For a homeowner, the invoice should leave your phone before your van leaves the drive. The moment of maximum goodwill is the moment they see the finished ceiling; a PDF that arrives a week later competes with the gas bill. In SendInvoice the quote becomes the invoice with its lines intact in one tap, and the email carries the PDF and a Pay button so Ms Patel can pay by card on the doorstep; the invoice flips to Paid on its own. There is more on the habit in getting paid on the day. For builders, the rhythm is different: invoice on completion or at the agreed stage, with their reference on it, and let reminders chase on the due date. My Documents shows Hartley's invoice as Unpaid, then Overdue in red, without you having to remember which site you have not been paid for. Plastering invoices are short, and that is their strength: area, rate, materials, extras with a date, a drying note, and a way to pay. Do it the same way every time and the invoice stops being a job in itself, which is what you want at twenty past four with the light going. ## Do this in SendInvoice Price walls and ceilings per square metre from saved items, turn the quote into the invoice in one tap, and send it with a Pay button before you leave the job. Free to create and preview; £5 a month to send, remind and get paid by card. ## Frequently asked questions ### Should a plasterer charge per square metre or per day? Use per square metre for skimming, boarding and float-and-set where you can measure the area and the background is sound: customers can compare it and you get paid for speed. Use a day rate for patching, Artex removal, making good after other trades and anything where you cannot see the problem until you start. Many plasterers use both on the same quote. ### Do I put materials on a plastering invoice separately? Yes, even when the sums are small. A line for multi-finish, bonding, beads, scrim and PVA shows the customer what was bought and makes the labour figure honest. For a CIS job it is essential, because the builder only deducts from your labour, not from your materials. ### What is a CIS deduction on a plasterer's invoice? When you plaster for a builder or other contractor, the Construction Industry Scheme makes them deduct 20% (30% if you are not registered) from the labour part of your invoice and pay it to HMRC against your tax. You show labour and materials separately, add a deduction line and your UTR, and claim the deductions back through Self Assessment. It never applies to work for a homeowner. ### Do I charge VAT on plastering? Only if you are VAT registered. Most one-person plastering businesses are not, and in that case you must not show or charge VAT at all. If you are registered, VAT applies to the whole supply, labour and materials, at the standard rate, and your invoice needs your VAT number and the VAT amount. ### How do I deal with extra work I find once the old plaster comes off? Stop, photograph it, and agree the extra by text before you carry on: a dubbing-out coat, a bonding coat over blown render, new boards where the lath has gone. Add it to the invoice as a separate line with the date it was agreed. The quote should already say that hidden defects are not included. ### When should I ask for payment on a plastering job? For a homeowner, on the day you finish, while the walls are still pink and they are pleased. Send the invoice from your phone before you leave with a card payment link. For a builder, invoice on completion or at the stage they have agreed, with their payment terms on it, and chase on the due date. --- # How to Invoice as a Plumber in the UK (Emergency Call-Outs, Parts and Getting Paid on the Day) Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/how-to-invoice-as-a-plumber-uk - What goes on a plumber's invoice - Emergency call-outs and out-of-hours rates - Parts from the van, parts from the merchant - Worked example: a Sunday leak repair - Getting paid by card on the day - Planned work: bathrooms, cylinders and quotes - Landlords, agents and other businesses - Records, numbers and the tax man Sunday, ten past seven. Kerry is halfway through a roast when the phone goes: water pouring from under a kitchen sink in Headingley, the stop tap seized, towels not keeping up. Forty minutes later she has the mains off, the split section cut out and a new stop tap on. The customer is grateful and slightly damp. Now comes the part of plumbing that nobody trains you for: turning "you've saved my kitchen" into £185 in your account tonight, not in three weeks after two awkward texts. Here is how to invoice as a plumber so that happens. ## What goes on a plumber's invoice The legal minimum is the same as any UK sole trader: a unique number, your name or trading name and address, the customer's name and address, the date, a description of the work and the amount due. If you are VAT registered, add your VAT number, the rate, the VAT amount and the net total; if you are not, leave VAT off completely. The how to write an invoice guide has the full list, and invoicing when not VAT registered covers the common case for plumbers. What makes it a plumber's invoice rather than a generic one: - The call-out, stated as the fee you quoted, with the day and time if it was out of hours. - Labour beyond the call-out as its own line at the rate you said on the phone. - Parts, each named: a stop tap, a flexi, a section of pipe. Customers trust a list more than a lump. - A plain description of what you found and what you did, which doubles as the customer's record for insurance or a landlord. - The property address when it is not the billing address, which is most of the time for landlords and agents. ## Emergency call-outs and out-of-hours rates The call-out fee is where plumbers get the most grief, and it is almost always a wording problem. A customer who was told "£95 to come out, that covers the first hour, then £65 an hour after, plus parts" has agreed a price. A customer who sees "Emergency call-out £160" on an invoice with no explanation feels mugged, even when it is the same money. So the rule is: say the structure on the phone, then put it on the invoice in the same words. That means: - One line for the call-out, saying what it includes: "Emergency call-out, Sunday evening, includes first hour on site". - One line for additional time at the rate you quoted, with the quantity shown: "Additional labour, out-of-hours rate, 1 hr". - Parts as their own lines. Keep two or three call-out lines as saved items (daytime, evening, weekend) so the wording is identical every time and you are not typing it one-handed in a wet kitchen. If you also charge for travel outside your normal area, make it a line, not a surprise in the total. The call-out fees and emergency work post has wording for your website and your voicemail, which is where the price should first be mentioned. ## Parts from the van, parts from the merchant Plumbers carry stock. It is why you can fix a leak at 7pm on a Sunday instead of saying "I'll be back Tuesday with a stop tap". That stock cost you money and shelf space in the van, so charge for it at your normal selling price, as a line with the part named. You do not have to show your cost, and a mark-up on parts is normal and expected. For bigger items you buy for a specific job (a cylinder, a pump, a shower valve) the same rule applies: a line per item at your price. If the customer bought the part themselves, say so on the invoice ("Fit customer-supplied shower valve") and add a note that you cannot guarantee a part you did not supply. That one sentence protects you when a cheap online valve starts dripping in a month. If you are VAT registered, VAT applies to the whole supply, labour and parts, at the normal rate. Some work qualifies for reduced or zero rates; check HMRC's notices rather than guessing. The labour and materials post goes into mark-ups and keeping merchant receipts. ## Worked example: a Sunday leak repair This is Kerry's invoice for the Headingley job. Doyle Plumbing is a sole trader and is not VAT registered, so there is no VAT anywhere on it. Doyle Plumbing Invoice INV-0344 Date: 8 November 2026 Bill to: Mr J Osei, 27 Cardigan Road, Leeds Job address: as above Due: on receipt | Description | Qty | Unit price | Amount | | Emergency call-out, Sunday 8 Nov, 7.45pm, includes first hour on site: isolate supply, locate split in 15mm copper behind base unit, drain down | 1 | £95.00 | £95.00 | | Additional labour, out-of-hours rate: cut out damaged section, replace seized stop tap, make good pipework, re-pressurise and test | 1 hr | £65.00 | £65.00 | | 15mm compression stop tap (replacement) | 1 | £14.00 | £14.00 | | 15mm copper pipe, compression fittings, olives and PTFE | 1 | £11.00 | £11.00 | | Total due | £185.00 | Payment: by card using the Pay button in this email, or by bank transfer to Doyle Plumbing, sort code 00-00-00, account 00000000, reference INV-0344. Notes: Cause: split in original 15mm copper pipe at a kinked bend, likely frost damage from a previous winter. Water had reached the floor under the base unit; advised customer to lift the kick-board to dry out and to contact their insurer if the floor lifts. New stop tap operates freely; tested at mains pressure with no leaks. The notes are not padding. Mr Osei now has, in one document, the time, the cause, what was done and a recommendation. If the floor does lift and he claims on his insurance, that paragraph is most of the evidence. If a landlord or agent is paying, it answers the "what exactly did we pay for?" question before it is asked. ## Getting paid by card on the day Kerry's old routine was the industry standard: say "I'll pop the invoice over", go home, write it up on Tuesday, email it, wait. About a third of her customers paid within a week. The rest needed chasing, and emergency customers are the worst for it, because once the panic has passed the gratitude fades and £185 starts to feel like a lot for an hour and a half. The fix is to invoice before you leave. Standing in the kitchen with the water back on, open the app on your phone, tap Invoice, type the customer's name (if you have billed them before it is suggested as you type), add the four lines, and send. The email lands on Mr Osei's phone with the PDF attached and a Pay button. He taps it, pays by card through Stripe, and the invoice flips to Paid in your My Documents with a green tick. Kerry is back in the van with the money in hand, not a promise. A few things make this work better: - Show them the screen. "I'll send it now, it's got a card link, or there are bank details on it if you'd rather." Most people reach for their phone on the spot. - Set the due date to "on receipt" or 7 days for private customers. Thirty days is a business convention, not a law of nature. - Bank transfer still counts. Some customers prefer it, especially older ones. Put your sort code and account number on the invoice and mark it paid by hand when it lands. - No card reader needed. At the time of writing the platform fee on card payments is 0.2% plus Stripe's own fee, which compares well with most readers' percentage, and there is no hardware to lose under the van seat. For a cash customer, create a receipt from the invoice in one tap so they have proof and you have a record. The getting paid on the day post compares the card options in more detail. ## Planned work: bathrooms, cylinders and quotes Not every job is an emergency. For a bathroom refit, a new cylinder or re-running pipework, the invoice starts with a quote. Set out the job in the same line structure you will invoice (labour, named parts, sundries), state what is excluded (tiling, electrics, making good decoration), and say whether you want a deposit for materials. For anything with a cylinder or a shower in it, a deposit of around the cost of the main parts, taken against a proforma invoice, is normal and sensible. When the job is done, create the invoice from the quote. The customer, the address and the lines carry over; you adjust the quantities that changed and add any extras that were agreed on site. The two documents stay linked ("From QUO-0088"), so the customer sees the same figures they said yes to, which is the single best protection against "that's not what we agreed". If the job was agreed in the customer's home and it is a consumer job over £42, the Consumer Contracts Regulations give them a 14-day cancellation right. If they want you to start inside that window, get the request in writing (a text saying "yes please start Monday" is enough) so that you can charge for work done if they then cancel. For unvented cylinders you need a G3 qualification; note your registration on the invoice and that the Building Regulations notification has been made, the same way an electrician records Part P. Gas work is a different world, legally and on the invoice; see how to invoice as a heating engineer. ## Landlords, agents and other businesses A lot of plumbing work comes through letting agents, and they pay differently. They want the property address on the invoice, their job reference or purchase order number, and usually 30-day terms. They are businesses, so if they pay late the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 lets you add statutory interest and a fixed sum; for a private homeowner that Act does not apply, and you cannot add those fixed sums. Save the agent as a customer once, with their billing address, and put the property address on each invoice. The landlords and letting agents post covers chasing them without souring the relationship. ## Records, numbers and the tax man Keep every invoice, every merchant receipt and your bank statements for at least five to six years. Use one running number sequence and never delete or reuse a number; if a job falls through after you invoiced it, issue a credit note. Making Tax Digital for Income Tax applies from April 2026 to sole traders with income over £50,000 (April 2027 for over £30,000, April 2028 for over £20,000, at the time of writing), so an invoice list you can filter by period and export to a spreadsheet is worth having before your accountant asks for it. As always, check with your accountant or HMRC for your own situation. ## Do this in SendInvoice Keep your call-out, hourly and out-of-hours rates as saved items, add the parts in the kitchen, and send the invoice with a Pay button before you have packed the van. Free to create and preview; £5 a month to send, remind and get paid by card. ## Frequently asked questions ### How do I word an emergency call-out fee on a plumbing invoice? Say exactly what the fee includes and when it applied: "Emergency call-out, Sunday 7pm, includes first hour on site". Then show any extra time as its own line at the rate you quoted on the phone, and parts as separate lines. Customers accept a higher fee when the invoice shows the hour, the day and the parts rather than one round number. ### Should I charge for parts I already had on the van? Yes. A stop tap or a flexi from your van stock is still a part you bought, carried and fitted, and keeping stock is what makes a same-day fix possible. Charge it at your normal selling price as its own line. You do not need to show what you paid for it, and a reasonable mark-up on parts is standard practice. ### Can I take a card payment at the customer's house? Yes, without a card reader. Send the invoice from your phone while you are there; the email includes a Pay button and the customer pays by card on their own phone. The invoice marks itself Paid when the payment goes through. At the time of writing the platform fee is 0.2% plus Stripe's fee, which compares well with most card readers. ### Do I need to be VAT registered to invoice as a plumber? No. Most sole-trader plumbers are below the VAT threshold and simply do not charge or show VAT. If you are not registered, leave VAT off the invoice entirely rather than showing 0%. Once your turnover approaches the threshold, talk to your accountant, because registering changes every invoice you send. ### What should I put on the invoice if the customer needs it for an insurance claim? Write the description as a short factual report: what you found, what caused it, what you did, and the date and time. "Split 15mm copper pipe behind kitchen unit, water damage to floor, isolated and replaced section" is what an insurer wants. Keep your own copy and any photos; the invoice is often the main evidence the customer has. ### How soon should a plumber's invoice be paid? For private customers, on the day or within 7 days. There is no reason a homeowner should have 30 days to pay for a leak you fixed in front of them. For landlords, agents and businesses, 14 to 30 days is normal, and the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act lets you add interest if they pay late. Put the term on the invoice either way. --- # How to Invoice as a Roofer: Deposits, Scaffold, Weather and Insurance Jobs Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/how-to-invoice-as-a-roofer-uk - Why roofing invoices need a deposit - The lines a roofing invoice needs - Scaffold, skips and other hire costs - The weather and your paperwork - Worked example: storm damage repair for a homeowner - Insurance work for a homeowner - Working for builders and the CIS - Getting paid before the scaffold comes down Dean has just climbed down a ladder in Stockport after the worst storm of the winter. Half the rear slope has lost its tiles, the chimney flashing has lifted and the back bedroom ceiling is dripping. The homeowner is already on the phone to her insurer. The job will be a little over six thousand pounds, and Dean has to buy the tiles, book the scaffold and start within days. Roofing invoicing is different from most trades: big material bills, big hire bills, a diary the weather controls, and a third party in the background holding the money. ## Why roofing invoices need a deposit Most of what a roofer sells is bought in before a single tile is lifted: tiles, battens, membrane, lead, and then the scaffold, which is paid for whether the job runs to plan or not. On a £6,000 re-roof you can easily be £2,500 out of pocket before your labour has earned a penny. So ask for a deposit, every time, without apology. Nothing in UK law sets a maximum for a homeowner job; the sensible amount covers the materials and the scaffold booking, which for most pitched-roof work is 25% to 40% of the quote. State it on the quote, raise a proforma invoice for it, and do not order the tiles until it has cleared. Keep the money accessible; if you cannot do the job, it is still theirs. For bigger jobs, a full re-roof on a semi, say, split the rest into stages: a payment when the roof is stripped and felted, the balance on completion. Our guide to deposits and staged payments walks through the paperwork. ## The lines a roofing invoice needs A roofing customer rarely sees the finished work up close; all they get is a quieter loft and your word. The invoice is where they see what they paid for, so it has to tell the story of the job in plain lines: - Strip and dispose. What came off, how much, and the skip on its own line. - Materials, by type. Membrane and battens; tiles or slates (name the product and whether they match the existing); ridge, verge and hip details; lead by code and length. If you are matching reclaimed slates, say so, because the price will not look like new. - Scaffold. Its own line, with the elevation and the hire period. - Labour. Days and people, or a fixed figure. Even on a fixed price, "2 roofers, 3 days" makes the number make sense. - Extras agreed on site. The rotten rafter end under the felt, the extra lead to the dormer. Separate lines, each with the date you agreed it. More in invoicing variations and extras. - Less deposit received. With the proforma number and the date, so the balance is obvious. Alongside the legal basics (see how to write an invoice), add the property address if it differs from the billing address, and a guarantee note: "Workmanship guaranteed for 10 years; materials carry the manufacturer's guarantee." That note is worth more than a leaflet. ## Scaffold, skips and other hire costs Scaffold is the line customers argue about, because they did not expect it to cost as much as it does. Head that off on the quote: state the elevation, the hire period included (usually one or two weeks) and what happens if the job overruns, then carry the same line onto the invoice. If you hire it in, invoice it at the scaffolder's price plus a margin for organising it and carrying the risk; just do not disguise the margin as the scaffolder's price. If the customer wants to book their own, put it on the quote ("Scaffold to be provided by the customer, rear elevation, erected by [date]") and it is off your invoice and off your risk. Skips, tower hire, a cherry picker for a chimney: same rule. A line each, a hire period each. ## The weather and your paperwork You cannot strip a roof with rain forecast, and your customer knows it. What they do not always know is that a wet fortnight does not pause the scaffold hire. Your quote and terms should say three things: - Start and finish dates are weather dependent, and you will not strip a roof with rain forecast within the working day. - The price includes a stated scaffold period; extra weeks caused by weather are charged at the scaffolder's cost, invoice available on request. - Deposits are not refundable because of weather delays; they are held against materials already bought. Keep the tone human: "If the weather beats us, we will keep you posted and we will not leave a roof open overnight." For wording you can lift, see simple terms and conditions for tradespeople. ## Worked example: storm damage repair for a homeowner Back to Dean. He quoted the rear slope and chimney, took a deposit of £1,800 against a proforma, and finished later than planned after one washed-out morning and a rotten batten run under the felt. His firm is VAT registered, so VAT is shown on the whole supply. DW Roofing Ltd, 14 Mill Lane, Stockport SK4 2AB. VAT no. GB 123 4567 89 Invoice INV-0218, dated 3 November 2026. Payment due within 7 days. Bill to: Mrs H. Okafor, 27 Beech Road, Stockport SK4 3CD. Property: as above. Reference: Storm damage, rear elevation. Insurer claim ref. HOM-448211. | Description | Qty | Unit | Amount | | Strip storm-damaged concrete tiles, rear slope, and dispose | 24 m² | £15.00 | £360.00 | | Breathable membrane and 25 x 50 treated battens, supplied and fitted | 24 m² | £17.50 | £420.00 | | Concrete interlocking tiles to match existing, supplied and fitted | 24 m² | £57.50 | £1,380.00 | | Code 4 lead flashing to chimney, supplied and dressed | 6 m | £90.00 | £540.00 | | Replace rotten batten run found on strip, agreed by text 28 Oct | 1 | £110.00 | £110.00 | | Scaffold hire, rear elevation, 1 week (Northwest Access Ltd) | 1 | £680.00 | £680.00 | | 6-yard skip and waste disposal | 1 | £260.00 | £260.00 | | Labour: 2 roofers, 3 days | 6 days | £240.00 | £1,440.00 | | Net total | £5,190.00 | | VAT at 20% | £1,038.00 | | Total | £6,228.00 | | Less deposit received 21 Oct (PRO-0057) | -£1,800.00 | | Balance due | £4,428.00 | Notes: Workmanship guaranteed for 10 years. Photographs of the stripped roof and new membrane attached. Pay by card using the Pay button or by bank transfer to the details below. The extra batten run is its own line with the date it was agreed. The scaffold names the hire firm, which quietly answers "is that really what scaffold costs?". And the deposit is deducted against the proforma number, so the customer and the loss adjuster can follow the money. ## Insurance work for a homeowner Storm claims are a big part of many roofers' winters, and they confuse people. Unless the insurer or its loss adjuster has instructed you directly and in writing, your customer is the homeowner. They claim from the insurer; the insurer pays them (less the excess); they pay you. Your invoice is addressed to the homeowner, and your payment terms run against the homeowner, not the claim. Make the loss adjuster's life easy and the money moves faster: - Put the claim reference on the quote and the invoice. - Describe the damage and the cause ("tiles displaced by wind, 24 m², rear slope"), not just "roof repair". - Separate storm damage from anything else. The tired front slope "while you are up there" is a second quote and a second invoice; mixing them is how claims get queried. - Send the quote as a PDF the homeowner can forward in one tap. Insurers often want two quotes; being first and clearest helps. Say gently on the invoice that payment is due within your normal term regardless of the claim's progress. Because the homeowner is a consumer, statutory late payment interest does not apply if they drag their feet; see how to chase an unpaid invoice for what you can do instead. If an insurer does instruct you directly, you are working for a business: invoice the insurer, quote its instruction number, expect 30-day terms, and the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act applies if they are slow. ## Working for builders and the CIS If a builder brings you in to roof an extension, you are a subcontractor and the Construction Industry Scheme applies: the builder deducts 20% of your labour (30% if you are not registered) and pays it to HMRC against your tax. Materials, scaffold and VAT are not deducted from. Show labour and materials separately, add the deduction line and your UTR; the worked example is in our CIS invoice guide. None of it applies to Mrs Okafor: a homeowner is not a CIS contractor. ## Getting paid before the scaffold comes down The best moment to be paid for a roof is the afternoon the scaffold comes down and the customer stands in the garden looking up at it. Send the invoice from your phone before you leave. In SendInvoice the quote becomes the invoice in one tap, the email carries the PDF and a Pay button, and the invoice flips to Paid when the card payment goes through. Proforma, invoice and receipt stay linked under the same customer, which is what you want when the loss adjuster rings in March. Roofing is a trade of big numbers and nervous customers. The invoice that works makes the big numbers legible: what came off, what went on, what the scaffold was for, what was agreed on the day and what was already paid. ## Do this in SendInvoice Quote the roof, raise the deposit proforma and the final invoice from the same document, and send it from the scaffold with a Pay button in the email. Free to create and preview; £5 a month to send, remind and take card payments. ## Frequently asked questions ### How much deposit should a roofer ask for? There is no legal maximum for work for a homeowner. Most roofers ask for enough to cover the materials and the scaffold booking, which usually lands between 25% and 40% of the quote. Put the deposit amount on the quote, raise a proforma invoice for it, and only order tiles once it has cleared. ### Should scaffold be a separate line on a roofing invoice? Yes. Scaffold is a big, visible cost and customers want to see it on its own. Show the hire period and the elevation it covers. If you hire it in, you can add a handling margin, but keep the line honest; if the customer books their own scaffold, say so on the quote and leave it off your invoice. ### Who do I invoice for an insurance repair, the homeowner or the insurer? Unless the insurer or its loss adjuster has instructed you directly in writing, your contract is with the homeowner, so you invoice them. The insurer pays the homeowner, who pays you. Itemise the invoice carefully so the loss adjuster can match it to the claim, and do not invoice for work that was not storm damage. ### Can I charge for days lost to bad weather? Only if your quote or terms say so, and even then most roofers do not for ordinary rain. What you can and should do is state on the quote that start and finish dates are weather dependent, that scaffold hire runs on regardless, and that extra weeks of scaffold caused by weather may be charged at cost. ### Do I need to show VAT on a roofing invoice? Only if you are VAT registered. If you are, VAT applies to the whole job, labour and materials, at the standard rate, and the invoice must show your VAT number, the rate and the VAT amount. Some energy-saving works qualify for reduced rates; check HMRC's notices. If you are not registered, do not mention VAT at all. ### What if I am roofing for a builder rather than a homeowner? Then you are a subcontractor and the Construction Industry Scheme applies. The builder deducts 20% (30% if you are not CIS registered) from the labour part of your invoice and pays it to HMRC on your behalf. Show labour and materials separately, add the deduction line and your UTR, and keep the deduction statements for your tax return. --- # How to Invoice as a Tiler: Per Square Metre, Customer-Supplied Tiles and a Bathroom Example Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/how-to-invoice-as-a-tiler-uk - Pricing per square metre - When the customer supplies the tiles - Adhesive, grout, tanking and trims - Worked example: a family bathroom - Bigger jobs, deposits and stages - Paid before the grout cures Jade is on her knees in a Bristol bathroom pressing the last piece of anthracite grout into the shower corner. The customers bought the tiles themselves, from a warehouse in Avonmouth, after a long weekend of samples. Jade supplied everything else: tanking, adhesive, grout, trims. The job comes to £1,262, and the customer has already asked, cheerfully, "so what do I owe you, just the labour?". That question is the whole art of invoicing as a tiler: showing the labour per square metre, the materials you supplied and the tiles you did not, so clearly that nobody asks it twice. ## Pricing per square metre Tiling is sold by the square metre, and customers know it. That is useful, because it means your invoice can show its working. What catches new tilers out is that one rate does not fit every surface. The rate depends on: - The tile. Large-format porcelain needs a flat substrate, a big trowel and two hands; mosaics and small metros mean many more grout lines; natural stone needs sealing. All slower than 300 x 600 ceramic straight-set. - The pattern. Herringbone, diagonal and brick bond add cuts. Quote a higher rate or a pattern surcharge, and say which. - The surface. Floors with a lot of cuts round pipes and a WC, niches, window reveals and boxing all take time that a flat wall does not. - The room. A downstairs loo is slower per m² than a wet room because you cannot get into it. So measure each surface, write it down, and quote with the area and the rate for each: "Floor, 600 x 600 porcelain, 4 m² at £45; walls, 300 x 600 ceramic, 22 m² at £38." Carry exactly those lines to the invoice. If the customer later wonders why the floor rate is higher, the description already explains it. There is more on a quote that protects you in how to write a quote for a trade job. For odd jobs (a splashback, a hearth, re-grouting a shower) a half-day or day rate is simpler and fairer. Put the time on the invoice: "Labour, half day" with what it covered. ## When the customer supplies the tiles Half of domestic tiling jobs come with the tiles already stacked in the hall. This is normal, and it is a trap unless the paperwork handles it. Three things to put in writing, on the quote and then on the invoice: - Quantity is the customer's responsibility. Tell them the area and advise a 10% wastage allowance (15% for diagonal or herringbone). If they run out, the second visit and the wait for the next batch are chargeable, and the quote should say so. - Quality and shade are checked before fixing, not after. Open the boxes together, check batch numbers and shades, look for chips and bowing. Once a tile is on the wall, it is very hard to prove it arrived crazed. - What "tiles" means. Customers often assume the tiles come with trims, spacers and the right adhesive. They do not. Your quote lists what you supply; anything not on it is theirs to provide or yours to invoice. On the invoice, there is no tile line, because you did not sell them any. Instead a short note does the work: "Tiles supplied by customer. Inspected for shade and damage before fixing. One unopened box returned to customer." Clean, factual, and the record you want if a tile cracks in a year. ## Adhesive, grout, tanking and trims This is where tilers either get paid properly or quietly subsidise the customer. On a bathroom the sundries are real money: flexible adhesive for porcelain, a tanking kit for the shower area, epoxy or anti-mould grout, chrome or aluminium trims, silicone, levelling clips, sealer for stone. Build them into your rate and your labour looks expensive while your margin disappears. List them as materials and customers accept them without a murmur, because they can see what the money bought. A clear way to lay it out: - Labour lines per surface, with area and rate. - Materials lines with quantities: "Flexible adhesive, 6 x 20 kg", "Grout, anthracite, 2 x 5 kg", "Tanking kit, shower enclosure". A modest markup on materials is normal; you bought them, carried them and are responsible for them. The detail on markup and receipts is in labour and materials on an invoice. - Preparation as its own lines if it was agreed: boarding, priming, levelling compound. If you are VAT registered, VAT applies to the whole supply, labour and materials, at the standard rate. If you are not, as most one-person tiling businesses are not, you show no VAT at all; see invoicing when you are not VAT registered. ## Worked example: a family bathroom Here is Jade's invoice for the Bristol bathroom. She is a sole trader, not VAT registered, so there is no VAT on it anywhere. The customer bought the tiles; Jade supplied and invoiced the rest. Jade Morris Tiling, 12 Clifton Terrace, Bristol BS8 1AB Invoice INV-0096, dated 3 November 2026. Payment due on completion. Bill to: Mr and Mrs T. Hughes, 5 Harbour Road, Bristol BS1 6CD Job: Family bathroom, floor and walls, as quoted QUO-0091. | Description | Qty | Rate | Amount | | Floor tiling, 600 x 600 porcelain (tiles supplied by customer), including cuts to WC and basin pedestal | 4 m² | £45.00 | £180.00 | | Wall tiling, 300 x 600 ceramic (tiles supplied by customer), full height to shower, half height elsewhere | 22 m² | £38.00 | £836.00 | | Tanking kit to shower enclosure, supplied and applied | 1 | £68.00 | £68.00 | | Flexible adhesive, 20 kg | 6 | £17.00 | £102.00 | | Grout, anthracite, 5 kg | 2 | £17.00 | £34.00 | | Chrome trims, spacers and anti-mould silicone | 1 | £42.00 | £42.00 | | Total due | £1,262.00 | Notes: Not VAT registered. Tiles supplied by customer, inspected for shade and damage before fixing; one unopened box returned. Allow 24 hours before using the shower. Pay by card using the Pay button or by bank transfer to the details below. Labour is £1,016 and materials £246, and the customer can see both without a calculator. The "tiles supplied by customer" phrase appears on the labour lines and in the notes, so there is no later confusion about who bought what. The 24-hour note is the kind of thing that saves a Saturday-morning phone call. ## Bigger jobs, deposits and stages For a single bathroom, most tilers invoice once, on completion. For a whole ground floor in porcelain, or a job where you are supplying the tiles yourself, take a deposit. Nothing in law caps a deposit for a homeowner; the cost of the tiles and sundries is the usual figure, raised on a proforma invoice so there is a document to pay against. Then a stage payment when the floor is down and the balance when the grout is cured. The mechanics are in deposits and staged payments for tradespeople. If you are tiling for a kitchen fitter or a builder, you are a subcontractor and the Construction Industry Scheme applies: labour and materials shown separately, a 20% deduction line (30% if you are not registered) on the labour only, and your UTR on the invoice. Our CIS invoice guide has the worked example. It never applies to Mr and Mrs Hughes. ## Paid before the grout cures The best time to be paid for tiling is the ten minutes after you have wiped the last haze off and the customer walks in. Send the invoice from your phone before you pack the van. In SendInvoice your details and bank details come from Settings, the quote becomes the invoice in one tap with the lines intact, and the email carries the PDF and a Pay button so the customer can pay by card standing in their new bathroom. The invoice flips to Paid on its own. If they pay by bank transfer, you mark it paid when it lands; if they want a receipt, the invoice becomes one with another tap. Getting paid on the day compares the card options and fees. A good tiling invoice is a plan of the room with prices on it: each surface with its area and rate, each material with its quantity, a line that says who supplied the tiles, and a sentence about how long to leave the shower. Write it that way and the customer sees exactly what £1,262 bought, and the question "just the labour?" answers itself. ## Do this in SendInvoice Quote each surface per square metre, keep adhesive, grout and tanking as saved items, and send the invoice with a Pay button before the grout has cured. Free to create and preview; £5 a month to send, remind and get paid by card. ## Frequently asked questions ### How do tilers price a job per square metre? Measure every surface, add the areas, and quote a rate per square metre that reflects the tile and the surface: large-format porcelain, mosaics, herringbone and floors with lots of cuts all take longer than straight-set ceramic on a wall. Show the area and rate on the quote and the invoice so the customer can see how the price was built. ### What should my invoice say when the customer supplied the tiles? State it plainly: "Tiles supplied by customer; wastage allowance 10% advised; tiles inspected for shade and damage before fixing." You are not charging for tiles, so there is no tile line, but the note records that quantity, quality and any shortfall were the customer's responsibility. Add a line for any extra visit caused by a late delivery if your quote allowed for it. ### Should adhesive and grout be separate lines or built into my rate? Separate lines, listed as materials with quantities. Flexible adhesive for porcelain, tanking for a wet area, epoxy grout and trims add up to real money on a bathroom and customers accept them when they can see them. Building them into your rate hides the cost and makes your labour look expensive. ### Do I charge VAT as a tiler? Only if you are VAT registered. Most one-person tiling businesses are below the threshold and must not show or charge VAT at all. If you are registered, VAT applies to the whole supply, labour and materials, at the standard rate, and the invoice needs your VAT number, the rate and the VAT amount. ### Can I charge for preparation work I did not quote for? Only if the customer agreed it before you did it. If the walls turn out to need boarding, levelling or tanking that was not visible when you quoted, stop, photograph, price it, and get a yes by text. Then it goes on the invoice as its own line with the date. Your quote should say that substrate preparation beyond what was visible is extra. ### What is the best way to get paid for a tiling job? Send the invoice from your phone before you leave, while the customer is admiring the grout lines, with a card payment link in the email. For bigger jobs take a deposit against a proforma and a stage payment when the floor goes down. Bank transfer is fine; mark the invoice paid when it lands. --- # How to Invoice as an Electrician in the UK (Call-Outs, Materials, Testing and Certificates) Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/how-to-invoice-as-an-electrician-uk - What an electrician's invoice needs - Call-outs and the first hour - Labour, materials and testing time - Certificates and Part P on the invoice - Worked example: a consumer unit replacement - Homeowners, builders and landlords - Getting paid before you leave the drive - Keeping your records straight Dean has just finished a consumer unit change in a 1970s semi in Stockport. The old rewireable board is in the van, the new RCBO board is labelled, the testing is done and the figures are in his notebook. The customer, Mrs Khan, asks the question every electrician hears at ten to five: "So what do I owe you?" This guide is about answering it properly, with an invoice that covers call-outs, materials, testing time and certificates, and gets paid before the van is warm. ## What an electrician's invoice needs The basics are the same for every UK sole trader: a unique invoice number, your name or trading name and address, the customer's name and address, the date, a description of the work, and the amount. If you are VAT registered you also need your VAT number, the VAT rate and amount, and the net total. If you are not VAT registered, do not show VAT at all. (Our general guide to writing an invoice covers the legal list.) On top of that, an electrician's invoice does a few jobs the law does not ask of it but customers and inspectors do: - The job address, if it differs from the billing address. Landlords, agents and builders all want to see which property the work was at. - Your scheme and registration number (NICEIC, NAPIT, ELECSA and so on). Put it in your business details so it prints on everything. - What was tested and certified. The certificate type and number, and whether building control has been notified. - Labour, materials and testing as separate lines, so a £630 bill reads as a day of skilled work plus a board, not a mysterious lump. Set your business details once in Settings and they fill in on every document. The job-specific lines are the part you type on the day, and they are what the rest of this post is about. ## Call-outs and the first hour Most of Dean's week is not consumer units. It is "the sockets in the back bedroom have gone dead" and "the shower pulls the main switch". For that work the price structure that causes the least argument is a fixed call-out fee that includes the first hour (or first half hour), then a stated hourly rate after that, with materials on top. Say the structure out loud on the phone before you go, then put it on the invoice in the same words. A line reading "Call-out including first hour: diagnose dead sockets on ring final, bedroom 2" tells the customer exactly what the £85 bought. A second line, "Additional labour, 30 minutes: trace and repair broken neutral in junction box under floor", explains the rest. If you charge more for evenings and weekends, make that its own rate and name it on the line ("out-of-hours rate"). The call-out fees and emergency work post goes deeper, including how to get paid before you leave. ## Labour, materials and testing time ### Labour For a planned job like a board change, labour as a day rate or a fixed sum is easier for the customer to read than hours. Describe what the day covered: "Remove existing fuse board, install 18th Edition consumer unit, 10-way RCBO, with surge protection, reconnect and label all circuits." The description is doing two things: justifying the price, and recording what you did in case anyone asks in three years. ### Materials List the significant items by name: the board, the SPD, the earth cable. Small bits (glands, tails, labels, cable clips) can be one "sundries" line. You can mark materials up; you are collecting them, carrying them and standing behind them. Show the price you are charging, not your wholesaler cost. If you are VAT registered, VAT goes on the whole supply, labour and materials, at the normal rate (some work qualifies for reduced or zero rates; check HMRC's notices). The labour and materials post covers mark-ups and receipts in more detail. ### Testing and certification This is the line electricians most often leave off, and it is a mistake. Dead testing, live testing, filling in the schedule of test results, writing the EIC and sending the notification to building control is an hour or more of skilled work per board change. Put it on as its own line: "Test, inspect and certify: Electrical Installation Certificate, Part P notification via NAPIT". When it is on the invoice, customers understand that the certificate is a product they paid for, not a bit of paper that turned up later. ## Certificates and Part P on the invoice Part P of the Building Regulations (England and Wales) means that notifiable electrical work in dwellings, including a consumer unit replacement, must be notified to building control, and if you are registered with a competent person scheme you self-certify through the scheme. The certificate itself comes from your scheme paperwork or software; an invoicing app does not issue it, and it should not pretend to. What the invoice should do is record it. In the notes: Notes: Electrical Installation Certificate EIC-2026-0417 issued for the consumer unit replacement. Work notified to building control via NAPIT on 12 November 2026; the Building Regulations compliance certificate will be posted to the property by the scheme. Keep both with the house documents. For minor works (an extra socket, a replaced light fitting) note the Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate number instead. For an EICR on a rental property, say which report number, the date and the next inspection date; letting agents live for that detail. ## Worked example: a consumer unit replacement Here is Dean's invoice for the Stockport job. Whitlock Electrical is a sole trader and is not VAT registered, so there is no VAT line and no VAT number; the totals are the totals. Whitlock Electrical (NAPIT registered, no. 12345) Invoice INV-0218 Date: 12 November 2026 Bill to: Mrs S Khan, 14 Birch Avenue, Stockport Job address: as above Due: on receipt | Description | Qty | Unit price | Amount | | Labour: remove existing rewireable fuse board, install 18th Edition consumer unit (10-way, RCBO, surge protection), reconnect and label all circuits | 1 day | £280.00 | £280.00 | | Consumer unit, 10-way RCBO with SPD, including RCBOs | 1 | £185.00 | £185.00 | | Labour: upgrade main protective bonding to gas and water | 1.5 hrs | £40.00 | £60.00 | | 10mm earth cable, bonding clamps and labels | 1 | £22.00 | £22.00 | | Test, inspect and certify: Electrical Installation Certificate, Part P notification via NAPIT | 1 | £65.00 | £65.00 | | Sundries: meter tails, glands, circuit labels | 1 | £18.00 | £18.00 | | Total due | £630.00 | Payment: by card using the Pay button in this email, or by bank transfer to Whitlock Electrical, sort code 00-00-00, account 00000000, reference INV-0218. Notes: EIC-2026-0417 issued; notified to building control via NAPIT 12 Nov 2026. Old board removed from site. 12-month guarantee on workmanship. Notice what the invoice does not do. It does not show Dean's wholesaler prices, it does not list every screw, and it does not try to calculate anything the law does not ask of a non-VAT business. It says what was done, what it cost, and how to pay. ## Homeowners, builders and landlords Who you are invoicing changes the invoice more than what you did. Private homeowners are the simplest. No CIS, no reverse charge, no purchase order numbers. If the job was agreed in their home, the Consumer Contracts Regulations give them a 14-day cancellation right on contracts over £42; if they wanted you to start within those 14 days, get that request in writing (a text is fine) so you can charge for work done. Builders and main contractors are different. If you subcontract on construction work and the contractor is registered under the Construction Industry Scheme, they will deduct tax (20% if you are CIS registered, 30% if not) from the labour element of your invoice and pay it to HMRC on your behalf. Your invoice needs labour and materials shown separately, your UTR, and the deduction as a line, so the amount payable is clear. If you are both VAT registered, the domestic reverse charge may apply too. The CIS invoice example walks through it line by line. Landlords and letting agents want the property address on every invoice, a purchase order or job reference if they gave one, and (for EICRs) the report number. They are businesses, so the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act applies if they pay late. See invoicing landlords and letting agents. ## Getting paid before you leave the drive Back to Mrs Khan's kitchen. Dean has two options. He can say "I'll send it over tonight", drive home, forget until Thursday, email a PDF, and chase it in a fortnight. Or he can open the app on his phone, pick Invoice, tap Mrs Khan's name (it suggests her from the quote), add the lines, and send it while she is standing there. The email arrives with the PDF attached and a Pay button. She pays by card on her own phone, the invoice flips to Paid, and Dean gets a green tick in My Documents before he has reversed off the drive. It sounds trivial. Over a year it is the difference between a healthy bank balance and a list of people who "will do it at the weekend". Showing the customer the invoice on your screen also prompts the "oh, I'll do that now" reaction far more reliably than an email that lands among the supermarket offers. Three habits make it stick: - Quote first, then convert. Send a quote for anything over a call-out. When the job is done, create the invoice from the quote in one tap; the lines carry over and you only adjust what changed. - Short terms for domestic work. "Due on receipt" or 7 days. There is no reason a homeowner needs 30 days to pay for a board change they have just watched you fit. - Check Paid, Unpaid and Overdue daily. Red means a nudge. If you are on the Professional plan, the reminders go out on their own and each one carries the Pay button. For the full method, including how card fees compare with a card reader at the time of writing, read getting paid on the day. If the customer prefers bank transfer, put your bank details on the invoice and mark it paid by hand when the money lands. ## Keeping your records straight Your invoices, your materials receipts and your bank statements are your accounts. Keep them for at least five to six years. Number invoices in one running sequence (INV-0217, INV-0218) and never reuse or delete a number; if a job is cancelled, issue a credit note against the invoice instead. Making Tax Digital for Income Tax applies from April 2026 to sole traders with income over £50,000 (April 2027 for over £30,000, April 2028 for over £20,000, at the time of writing), so a clean, exportable list of invoices with Paid and Unpaid against each will save you a weekend. Check with your accountant or HMRC for your own position. ## Do this in SendInvoice Quote the board change, convert the quote to an invoice on the day, put testing and certification on as its own line and send it from the customer's kitchen with a Pay button. Free to create and preview; £5 a month to send, remind and get paid by card. ## Frequently asked questions ### Should I charge for testing and certification as a separate line? Yes. Testing, inspecting and writing up the certificate is skilled work that takes real time, and customers rarely know that. A separate line, such as "Test, inspect and certify, including Part P notification", makes the price easier to understand and stops the labour line looking inflated. It also makes it obvious that a certificate is part of what they are paying for. ### Do I need to put my Part P or NICEIC registration on an electrician invoice? There is no law that says the invoice must carry it, but it is good practice and customers look for it. Put your scheme (NICEIC, NAPIT, ELECSA and so on) and registration number in your business details so it prints on every document. Add the certificate number and the date you notified building control in the notes for notifiable work. ### How do I invoice a call-out that turned into a bigger job? Invoice the call-out exactly as you quoted it on the phone (for example, a fixed fee covering the first hour), then add the extra labour and materials as their own lines. If the extra work was agreed on site, say so in the notes: "Additional work agreed with Mrs Khan on site, 12 Nov". That one sentence prevents most disputes. ### Can I mark up the materials I buy from the wholesaler? Yes. You are supplying, collecting, carrying and guaranteeing the parts, and a margin on materials is normal in the trade. Show materials as their own lines at the price you are charging; you do not have to show your cost. If you are VAT registered, VAT applies to the whole supply, labour and materials alike, at the normal rate. ### Does CIS apply to electrical work? It can, when you work as a subcontractor for a contractor on construction work, which includes most electrical installation on building sites and refurbishments. It never applies to work you do directly for a private homeowner. If you are registered under CIS, show labour and materials separately and the deduction as its own line. Check your position with your accountant or HMRC. ### What is the quickest way to get paid for a domestic job? Send the invoice from your phone while you are still in the customer's kitchen, with a card payment link in the email. Many people pay on the spot when it is that easy, and the invoice marks itself Paid. For those who prefer bank transfer, put your sort code and account number on the invoice and set a short term, such as 7 days. --- # How to Write a Quote for a Trade Job That Wins the Work and Protects You Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/how-to-write-a-quote-for-a-trade-job - Quote or estimate: decide before you write a word - What a good trade quote contains - The 14-day cooling-off period, in one paragraph - A worked example: Ellie's quote for the alcove units - Pricing it without underselling yourself - Presenting it and following up - From quote to deposit to invoice Ellie is a joiner. A customer in Bishopston texts her a photo of a chimney breast with two empty alcoves: "Could you do cupboards and shelves either side? Rough price?" The last time Ellie answered that question with a number, the number became the price, the job grew two drawers and a bookcase, and the final invoice turned into a fortnight of awkward messages. This time she measures up, goes home, and writes a proper quote: £2,850 including VAT, four pages of what is in, what is out, and how she gets paid. The customer accepts it the same evening. The difference is not the price. It is the piece of paper. ## Quote or estimate: decide before you write a word A quote is a fixed price for a defined piece of work. Once accepted, that is the price, unless the customer changes the scope. An estimate is an informed guess that can move. Both are legitimate; the mistake is writing "quote" on something you have not pinned down, or "estimate" on something the customer hears as a promise. For fitted furniture, a bathroom, a rewire or a roof where you can see what is involved, a quote wins more work because the customer knows what they are committing to. For opening up a floor you have not seen under, an estimate with a clear range is more honest. Quote versus estimate versus invoice has the detail; this post assumes you are writing a quote. The corollary: do not give a "rough price" by text. A rough price becomes the price in the customer's head, and every pound above it feels like a betrayal. Say "I'll measure up and send you a proper quote by Thursday", then do. ## What a good trade quote contains A quote has two jobs. It has to make the customer confident enough to say yes, and it has to be clear enough that nobody can argue about what yes meant. Both come from the same thing: specifics. From the top: - Your details and theirs. Your name or trading name, address and phone; the customer's name; the site address if different. A quote number (QUO-0017), the date and the validity date. - A one-line summary. "Fitted alcove cupboards and shelving, both sides of chimney breast, living room, 14 Egerton Road." - The scope, item by item. Each piece of work in plain English, with the spec: materials, sizes, finish, what happens to the old stuff. "Two base cupboards, 1,050mm wide, 450mm deep, 900mm high, 18mm MR MDF, shaker doors, soft-close hinges, finished in primer ready for decorating" leaves nothing to guess. - Inclusions. Delivery of materials, fixing, scribing to walls, clearing up, disposal of offcuts. - Exclusions. The list that saves friendships. Decorating. Electrics (the customer wanted a socket in the cupboard; that is a separate electrician). Removing the existing shelves. Parking permits. Skip hire. Anything behind the plaster you cannot see yet. - Assumptions. Clear access, power and water on site, walls reasonably plumb, someone to let you in at 8am. - The price. Labour and materials, either per item or as two subtotals; VAT shown only if you are registered, and say so either way. Labour and materials on an invoice explains the split. - Deposit and payment terms. How much up front, when the balance is due, how to pay. - Timescale. Lead time for materials, how many days on site, and that the start date is confirmed on receipt of the deposit. - Variations. One sentence: changes to the scope are agreed and priced in writing before the work is done. - Guarantee. What you stand behind and for how long. - How to accept. "Reply to this email with 'accepted' or sign and return." Then it is a contract. ## The 14-day cooling-off period, in one paragraph If you agree the contract with a consumer in their home, or anywhere other than your own premises, and it is worth more than £42, the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give them a 14-day right to cancel. That covers most trade quotes accepted at the kitchen table. The practical point: if the customer wants you to start inside those 14 days, ask them to request that in writing (a reply to the quote email is fine). Then, if they cancel after you have started, you can charge for the work done up to that point. Most customers never cancel; the sentence on the quote is for the one who does. Keep the wording plain and do not overstate it; terms and conditions for tradespeople has a simple version. ## A worked example: Ellie's quote for the alcove units Ellie's business is VAT registered, so VAT is shown at 20% on the whole supply, labour and materials alike. Here is the quote she sent. Quote QUO-0017 from Ellie Marsh Joinery Ltd, Unit 3, Fishponds Trading Estate, Bristol BS16 3JA. VAT no. GB 987 6543 21 For: Mr and Mrs Okonkwo, 14 Egerton Road, Bristol BS7 8HJ Date: 4 November 2026. Valid until: 4 December 2026 Work: Fitted alcove cupboards and shelving, both sides of living room chimney breast | Description | Qty | Unit price | Amount | | Two base cupboards, 1,050 x 450 x 900mm, 18mm MR MDF carcasses, shaker doors, soft-close hinges, adjustable shelf, scribed to walls, primed ready for decorating | 2 | £520.00 | £1,040.00 | | Floating shelves above each cupboard, three per side, 1,050 x 250mm, 32mm MDF, concealed fixings, primed | 6 | £95.00 | £570.00 | | Labour: site fitting, scribing, fixing, caulking and clean-up (materials above include workshop time) | 2.5 days | £280.00 | £700.00 | | Delivery, fixings, adhesives and disposal of offcuts | 1 | £65.00 | £65.00 | | Subtotal | £2,375.00 | | VAT at 20% | £475.00 | | Total | £2,850.00 | Included: measuring, workshop manufacture, delivery, fitting, scribing to walls, primer finish, clearing up each day. Not included: decorating or top-coat paint; removal of the existing shelving (allow £60 if required); electrical work (a socket inside the cupboard needs an electrician); plastering repairs; parking permits. Assumed: walls reasonably plumb; clear access to the room; power available. Payment: 40% deposit (£1,140.00) on acceptance, against a proforma invoice, to cover materials; balance (£1,710.00) on completion, within 7 days, by bank transfer or card. Timescale: two weeks workshop lead time from deposit; 2 to 3 days on site; start date confirmed on receipt of deposit. Changes: any changes to the above will be priced and agreed in writing before the work is done. Guarantee: workmanship guaranteed for 12 months. Cancellation: as this contract is agreed in your home, you have 14 days to cancel. If you would like work to begin within that period, please confirm in writing; work done up to any cancellation would be chargeable. To accept: reply to this email with "accepted", or sign and return. Four things to notice. The price is per item of work, so if the Okonkwos drop the shelves on one side, the arithmetic is on the page. The exclusions name the exact things that usually cause trouble on this kind of job. The deposit covers the materials, which is what Ellie has to buy before she earns a penny. And the VAT is shown on the whole supply, because her business is registered; if she were not, that line would not exist and she would say so. For some specific works, reduced or zero rates can apply; check HMRC's notices or your accountant before relying on them. ## Pricing it without underselling yourself The scope is the easy half. The number is where tradespeople lose money, usually by thinking of the price as a day rate times days and forgetting everything else. - Materials: list them properly, price them from your supplier today, and add a modest margin for the time you spend sourcing, collecting and returning the wrong hinges. If you would rather not mark up, charge the sourcing time as labour. Either is fine; invisible is not. - Labour: workshop time as well as site time. Ellie's cupboards take two days to make before anyone sees her van. Include measuring visits and the quote itself if the job is big. - Sanity check: if the total divided by your days on and off site is below your day rate, something is missing. Day rate versus fixed price goes deeper on this. ## Presenting it and following up Send the quote as a PDF by email the same day or the next; a quote that arrives a week later is competing with the one that arrived the day after the visit. Keep the covering message short and human: "Thanks for having me round. Quote attached for the alcove units. Happy to talk through any of it." Then follow up once, about three days later, with a question rather than a nudge: "Did the quote make sense? Anything you would like changed?" That gives a hesitating customer an easy way back in and an easy way to ask about the price without feeling awkward. ## From quote to deposit to invoice The customer replies "accepted" and asks you to start as soon as the units are ready. Now the quote does its second job. Raise a proforma invoice for the deposit, £1,140, and start the workshop time when it lands; keep the money accessible, because if for any reason the job does not go ahead, the deposit is still owed back. When the fitting is finished and the customer has walked round, raise the final invoice for the balance, with the same lines and figures as the quote, less the deposit. Deposits and staged payments for tradespeople covers bigger jobs with several stages. In SendInvoice this is one tap. Open the quote, choose Create from this, pick Invoice, and the lines, customer and figures carry over; it gets its own number and shows "From QUO-0017", so the customer can see that the price they agreed is the price they are being asked to pay. If something changed along the way, add it as a clearly labelled extra line with the date it was agreed, which is the subject of invoicing variations and extras. ## Do this in SendInvoice Write the quote on your phone after the site visit, send it as a PDF the same day, then create the proforma and the final invoice from it in one tap when it is accepted. Free to create and preview; £5 a month to send, remind and get paid by card. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the difference between a quote and an estimate? A quote is a fixed price for a defined scope of work; once the customer accepts it, that is the price unless the scope changes. An estimate is your best guess and can go up or down. Use the right word on the document. If you call something a quote, be ready to stand by the figure, so make sure the scope is pinned down first. ### How long should a quote be valid for? Thirty days is the common choice and suits most domestic work. It is long enough for the customer to decide and short enough to protect you against material price rises. Put the validity date on the quote itself. If a customer comes back after it has lapsed, issue a fresh quote rather than honouring an old price out of politeness. ### Should I show labour and materials separately on a quote? Usually yes, or at least show the total for each. Customers like to see what they are paying for, it makes variations easier to price later, and it matches how the invoice will look. If you prefer not to reveal your materials mark-up, show a single price per item of work rather than a bare lump sum for the whole job. ### How much deposit can I ask for on a trade job? There is no legal maximum for consumer work. Between 10% and 30%, or the cost of the materials, is common and reasonable. State it on the quote, take it against a proforma invoice, and keep the money accessible, because it is still owed back if you cannot do the job. Avoid asking for most of the money up front; it puts customers off. ### Does the 14-day cooling-off period apply to my quotes? If you agree the contract with a consumer in their home or away from your premises and it is worth more than £42, the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give them a 14-day cancellation right. If they want you to start within those 14 days, get that request in writing. You can then charge for work done if they cancel. Keep the wording simple and factual. ### How do I turn an accepted quote into an invoice? Keep the same lines and figures, give it an invoice number and date, and add payment details. In SendInvoice you create the invoice from the quote in one tap; the details carry over, it gets a new number and shows "From QUO-0017", so the customer can see the price they agreed is the price they are being asked to pay. --- # How to Write an Invoice in the UK (What to Include, With a Worked Example) Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/how-to-write-an-invoice-uk - What an invoice is (and what it is not) - What a UK invoice must include - How to write an invoice, step by step - A worked example - Common mistakes (and the fix for each) - How long to keep invoices - A thirty-second check before you send An invoice is a short, polite, legally recognised way of saying "the work is done, here is what you owe me". Get the handful of details right and it will get paid without a conversation. Miss one and you will be fielding "sorry, what's this for?" emails for a week. Here is exactly what to put on a UK invoice, in what order, with a worked example you can copy. ## What an invoice is (and what it is not) An invoice is a request for payment. It records what you supplied, to whom, when, and how much they owe. It is not a receipt (that comes after they pay), it is not a quote (that comes before the work), and it is not a contract on its own, though it is strong evidence of one. There is no official UK invoice form. HMRC does not care whether it is a PDF or a sheet torn from a duplicate book, only that it carries the right information and that you keep a copy. ## What a UK invoice must include The requirements step up depending on what kind of business you are. Most people reading this will be in the first group. ### Every invoice, including sole traders and freelancers - The word Invoice, clearly, so nobody files it as a quote. - A unique invoice number that runs in sequence (INV-0001, INV-0002 and so on). - Your name, business name (if you trade under one) and address. A sole trader trading as "Harper & Co Joinery" should show both "Harper & Co Joinery" and the owner's name, for example "Dan Harper trading as Harper & Co Joinery". - The customer's name and address. - The invoice date. - A clear description of the goods or services, with quantities where they make sense. - The amount for each line and the total due. - Payment terms and how to pay: due date, bank details or a card payment link. Not strictly a legal requirement, but leave them off and you are inviting delay. ### If you are a limited company Add the full registered company name as it appears at Companies House, the company registration number, and the registered office address (even if you work from somewhere else). ### If you are VAT registered Your invoice becomes a VAT invoice (sometimes called a tax invoice) and must also show: - Your VAT registration number. - The tax point (time of supply), if it differs from the invoice date. - For each line, the net amount, the VAT rate and the VAT amount. - The total net, total VAT and total including VAT. - Any discount offered, per line. For sales under £250 including VAT you may issue a simplified VAT invoice with less detail. And if you are not VAT registered, do not charge VAT, do not show a VAT line and do not put a VAT number on it. We have a whole post on invoicing when you are not VAT registered. ## How to write an invoice, step by step - Head it "Invoice" and give it the next number. If this is your first, start at INV-0001. Never reuse a number, even for a cancelled job; raise a credit note instead. - Put your details at the top. Name, trading name, address, email, phone. Add your logo if you have one. If you are a company or VAT registered, add the extra details above. - Add the customer's details. Name and address, and the name of the person who approved the work if it is a bigger organisation. Invoices addressed to "Accounts" with no contact name tend to go for a wander. - Date it. Today, ideally. The invoice date starts the payment clock. - Describe the work in plain words. "Supply and fit two fitted wardrobes, Bedroom 1, as per quote QUO-0017" beats "Joinery works". Reference the quote or purchase order number if there was one; it stops queries before they start. - List quantities and prices. One line per thing. Materials and labour on separate lines is a kindness to the customer and to your future self at tax time. - Add VAT, if and only if you are registered. Show the rate and the amount per line and in the totals. - Total it. Make the amount due the biggest number on the page. - State the terms. "Payment due within 14 days of the invoice date." Add your bank details (account name, sort code, account number) or a card payment link, or both. If you intend to charge late payment interest, say so here. - Check it, then send it the same day the work finishes. Email with a PDF attached is standard. Keep a copy. If you would rather watch than read, here are those steps in the real app (no sound, under 30 seconds): ## A worked example Dan Harper is a sole trader, VAT registered, trading as Harper & Co Joinery in Knaresborough. He has just finished fitting wardrobes in a rental property for Harrogate Lettings, who accepted his quote QUO-0017 for £1,450 plus VAT. Here is what his invoice says. | Invoice | INV-0042 | | Date | 3 November 2026 | | From | Dan Harper trading as Harper & Co Joinery14 Abbey Road, Knaresborough, HG5 8HYdan@harperjoinery.co.uk · 07700 900123VAT no. GB 123 4567 89 | | Bill to | Harrogate Lettings LtdFAO Priya Shah22 Station Parade, Harrogate, HG1 1UE | | Reference | Your quote QUO-0017, accepted 14 October 2026 | | Description | Qty | Unit price | VAT | Amount | | Fitted wardrobe, Bedroom 1, oak veneer, supply and fit | 2 | £575.00 | 20% | £1,150.00 | | Labour: fitting, trimming and finishing | 1 | £300.00 | 20% | £300.00 | | Net total | £1,450.00 | | VAT at 20% | £290.00 | | Total due | £1,740.00 | Terms: Payment due within 14 days, by 17 November 2026. Bank transfer to Harper & Co Joinery, sort code 04-00-04, account 12345678, reference INV-0042, or pay by card using the link in this email. We reserve the right to charge statutory interest and compensation on late payments under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998. Notice what is doing the work here. The reference to the accepted quote means nobody at Harrogate Lettings has to go looking for authority to pay. The named contact means it lands on Priya's desk, not in a shared inbox. And the terms give a specific date, two ways to pay, and a quiet reminder that late payment has a cost. If Dan were not VAT registered, the VAT column, VAT number and "VAT at 20%" row would vanish and the total due would be £1,450.00. ## Common mistakes (and the fix for each) - No invoice number, or numbers out of order. It looks amateur and it confuses everyone's bookkeeping. Use a running sequence per document type and let your software increment it. - Charging VAT when you are not registered. This is not a slip, it is an offence. If you are below the threshold and unregistered, VAT does not appear anywhere. - Vague descriptions. "Work as discussed" is a query waiting to happen. Say what, where, how many. - No due date, or no way to pay. "Payment on receipt" means different things to different people. Give a date, your sort code and account number, and a card link if you can. - Sending it a fortnight later. The longer the gap between finishing and invoicing, the longer the gap between invoicing and being paid. Send it from the van before you drive off. - Arithmetic errors. A hand-typed total that does not match the lines will be sent back. Let the software add up. ## How long to keep invoices Keep every invoice you send and receive; HMRC can ask to see them. The rule of thumb is at least 5 to 6 years: self-employed people need records for at least 5 years after the 31 January filing deadline for the relevant tax year; limited companies and VAT-registered businesses need 6. A PDF stored in your invoicing app counts. From April 2026, Making Tax Digital for Income Tax applies to self-employed people and landlords with income over £50,000 (dropping to £30,000 in April 2027 and £20,000 in April 2028, at the time of writing). You do not need full accounting software to be ready, but you do need your invoices stored digitally and easy to total up. If any of this is close to home, check the current position with your accountant or HMRC. ## A thirty-second check before you send Says "Invoice", next number in sequence, both parties' details with a named contact, dated today, a description a stranger could follow, lines that add up, VAT only if registered, due date and payment details, copy saved. Eight ticks and it goes. Then the only thing left to feel is the small, specific pleasure of a payment notification landing a few days later. ## Do this in SendInvoice Enter your business details once, pick a template, add your lines and the numbering, totals and VAT are handled for you. Send it from your phone with a Pay button in the email and watch it flip to Paid. ## Frequently asked questions ### Do I need to be registered as a business to send an invoice in the UK? No. Anyone who sells goods or services can issue an invoice. If you are self-employed you should register with HMRC for Self Assessment, but you do not need a company, a VAT number or any special licence to invoice a customer. ### What does an invoice legally have to include in the UK? A unique invoice number, your name or business name and address, the customer's name and address, the invoice date, a clear description of what you supplied and the amount due. Limited companies must also show the registered company name, number and registered office. VAT-registered businesses must add their VAT number, the VAT rate and amount per line, the net total and the tax point. ### Can I write an invoice if I am not VAT registered? Yes. Just leave VAT off entirely: no VAT line, no VAT number, no "plus VAT". Your total is simply the amount you are charging. Some people add a line saying "Not VAT registered" so customers know not to expect one. ### What is the default payment term if I do not state one? If you have not agreed anything with the customer, the law treats 30 days as the default for business-to-business invoices. It is far better to state your own terms on the invoice, for example "Payment due within 14 days". ### Can I charge interest on a late invoice? For business customers, yes. The Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 lets you charge statutory interest of 8% plus the Bank of England base rate, plus fixed compensation of £40, £70 or £100 depending on the size of the debt (at the time of writing). You do not need a clause in the contract, though stating it on the invoice helps. ### How long do I need to keep invoices? Keep them for at least 5 to 6 years. Self-employed people need records for at least 5 years after the 31 January submission deadline of the tax year they relate to; limited companies and VAT-registered businesses need 6 years. Digital copies are fine. ### Should my invoice numbers be in order? Yes. Numbers must be unique and should run in sequence with no gaps, for example INV-0001, INV-0002. HMRC may ask about missing numbers, so if you cancel an invoice keep a record rather than reusing the number. ### Is a PDF invoice legally valid? Yes. There is no requirement for paper. A PDF sent by email is a perfectly good invoice in the UK, as long as it contains the required information. --- # Invoice Numbers: How to Number Invoices (and What HMRC Actually Requires) Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/invoice-numbering-explained - What HMRC actually requires - The common formats, compared - Gaps, mistakes and cancelled numbers - Separate sequences per document type - A worked example: one job, four documents - Four small decisions worth making now - Keeping the records The invoice number is the least glamorous thing on the page, and the thing HMRC, your accountant and your customer's accounts team all care about most. Get it right once and you never think about it again. Get it wrong and you spend a Sunday evening in January explaining why there is no INV-0031. Here is how to number invoices properly, what the rules actually say, and the small decisions worth making now. ## What HMRC actually requires Every UK invoice needs a unique identifying number. That is the whole legal requirement for a non-VAT business: unique. For VAT invoices, HMRC's guidance asks for a number that is "unique and sequential", meaning it follows on from the previous one and no number is used twice. In practice everyone, VAT registered or not, is well advised to follow the sequential rule, for one simple reason: it lets anyone looking at your records see that nothing is missing. What the rules do not say is just as useful: - They do not say you must start at 1. - They do not say a specific format. Letters, numbers, dashes, prefixes, years: all fine. - They do not say the number has to be purely numeric or a particular length. - They do not require one single sequence across every kind of document you issue; separate sequences per document type are normal and sensible. So the test for any numbering scheme is: can I prove every invoice is accounted for, and can I never issue two with the same number? Pass that and you are compliant. The rest is about convenience. ## The common formats, compared Four families of format cover almost every small business. Here they are with the trade-offs. | Format | Example | Pros | Cons | | Simple sequential | INV-0001, INV-0002 | Obvious, impossible to get wrong, easy to sort and search | Reveals how many invoices you have issued (start higher if that bothers you) | | Year-prefixed | 2026-0001, INV-26-0042 | Easy to find a tax year's invoices; resets neatly each year | Must remember to reset in April or January; which year matters (tax or calendar) | | Per-customer | ACME-001, SMITH-004 | Customer sees their own tidy run; handy for retainer clients | Not a single sequence, so harder to prove completeness; messy with many customers | | Date-time stamp | 20261103-1432 | Unique by construction; no counter to maintain | Long, hard to read aloud, and meaningless to the customer | For a sole trader or micro-business, the simple sequential format with a short prefix wins nearly every time. "INV-0042" is clear on a phone screen, in a bank reference field and over the phone. Year-prefixing is worth it if you issue a few hundred invoices a year and want to find "all of 2025" at a glance. Per-customer numbering is a nice touch for agencies with a handful of retainer clients, but keep a master sequence behind it so your overall records are still complete. Whichever you pick, pad the number with leading zeros (0042, not 42). Spreadsheets, file lists and export reports sort "INV-9" after "INV-10" if you do not. ## Gaps, mistakes and cancelled numbers This is the part that causes the Sunday-evening panic, so it is worth being clear. A gap in your invoice numbers is not illegal, but it is a question waiting to be asked. The answer HMRC and your accountant want to hear is not "I deleted it". The rule is simple: once a number has been used, it stays used. You never reuse a number and you never delete an issued invoice. Instead: - Invoice sent with a mistake (wrong price, wrong VAT, wrong customer). Do not edit and resend under the same number. Issue a credit note for the full amount against the original, then raise a new invoice with the next number. The customer's records and yours now tell the same story: INV-0031 issued, CN-0004 cancels it, INV-0032 replaces it. - Invoice created and never sent. If you spotted the error before it left the building, it is usually fine to mark it void and keep it, with a one-line note. It still occupies its number. Some accountants prefer a credit note even here, so ask yours. - Partial correction. Overcharged by £50 on an otherwise correct invoice? A credit note for £50 against that invoice number is cleaner than cancelling the lot. - A genuine gap you cannot explain. Write a note in your records saying the number was skipped in error and why. That is enough for most purposes; the sin is silence, not the gap. Software makes most of this automatic. In SendInvoice the next number is assigned when the document is created and you cannot issue two with the same number by accident, and creating a credit note from an invoice carries the details across and links the two, so the trail builds itself. ## Separate sequences per document type A quote is not an invoice. A receipt is not an invoice. If you number all of them from one pot, your invoice sequence ends up full of holes that are actually quotes the customer never accepted, and you are back to explaining gaps. The tidy answer is one sequence per document type, each with its own prefix: - QUO- for quotes and estimates - INV- for invoices, including tax invoices - PRO- for proforma invoices (deposits) - REC- for receipts - CN- for credit notes - PO- and DN- for purchase orders and delivery notes, if you use them The prefixes are a convention, not a rule. What matters is that each type counts up on its own, so the invoice sequence contains only invoices, and the credit note sequence only credit notes. This is also what makes "create one document from another" work properly. When you turn quote QUO-0017 into an invoice, the invoice gets the next number in the invoice sequence (say INV-0042), not QUO-0017 again. The two stay linked, so the invoice shows "From QUO-0017", the customer can match them up, and your quote sequence and invoice sequence both stay complete. ## A worked example: one job, four documents Marcus is a carpenter fitting a set of built-in wardrobes for a customer called Jenna. Here is the paper trail, in order, with the numbers each document takes. | Step | Document | Number | Linked to | | Jenna asks for a price | Quote, £2,400 | QUO-0017 | - | | Jenna accepts; Marcus asks for 40% up front | Proforma invoice, £960 | PRO-0005 | From QUO-0017 | | Wardrobes fitted | Invoice, £2,400 less £960 paid | INV-0042 | From QUO-0017 | | Jenna pays by card | Receipt, £1,440 | REC-0019 | From INV-0042 | If Marcus had charged an extra £80 for a shelf he never fitted, the fix would be CN-0004 for £80 against INV-0042, not an edited INV-0042. Four sequences, no gaps, every document explains the next one. ## Four small decisions worth making now - Prefix. INV- is universal; some people use their initials (MJC-0042). Keep it under four letters. - Starting number. 0001 if you do not mind customers seeing it; 1001 if you would rather not. Never change it later. - Reset or not. If you choose a year prefix, decide now whether it resets on 1 January or 6 April, and stick to it. If you do not, your numbers simply keep climbing, which is the easiest option of all. - Where the counter lives. Not in your head and not in a spreadsheet you might open on two devices. Pick a system that assigns the next number for you, per document type, and keeps the old ones. In SendInvoice, running numbers per document type (INV-0001, INV-0002… for invoices; QUO-, REC- and so on for the rest) are the default, with date-based numbers as an alternative if you prefer them. The prefix and starting number are set once in Settings, every new document takes the next number automatically, and My Documents lets you search by number when a customer rings up quoting one. ## Keeping the records Numbering is only half the job; the other half is keeping the numbered set. HMRC expects self-employed records to be kept for at least 5 years after the 31 January submission deadline for the tax year, and VAT records for 6 years, so plan on "at least 5 to 6 years". A complete, sequential run of invoices, with credit notes against anything cancelled, is exactly what an inspector hopes to see and what makes the job quick. If you are unsure how any of this applies to you, check with your accountant or HMRC. Export from My Documents to Excel or CSV at year end, filter by period and type, and the list of numbers is your audit trail, done. ## Do this in SendInvoice Set your invoice prefix and starting number once, and every invoice, quote, receipt and credit note takes the next number in its own sequence automatically, with linked documents showing where they came from. Free to create and preview; £5 a month to send and get paid. ## Frequently asked questions ### Does HMRC require invoice numbers? Yes. Every invoice must have a unique identifying number, and for VAT invoices HMRC asks for a number that is unique and sequential. Even if you are not VAT registered, a unique sequential number is the simplest way to keep your records straight. ### What number should my first invoice be? Anything you like, as long as you count up from there. INV-0001 is the honest choice. Some people start at 1001 so the business does not look brand new; that is allowed, just be consistent afterwards. ### Can I have gaps in my invoice numbers? You should avoid them. A gap looks like a missing or deleted invoice to an auditor. If a number is used by mistake, cancel it with a credit note or keep a short note explaining the gap rather than deleting the record. ### Can I delete a cancelled invoice? No. Once an invoice has been issued, keep it. Cancel it with a credit note for the full amount and raise a new, correctly numbered invoice if needed. If it was never sent to anyone, a void record with a note is usually enough, but check with your accountant. ### Should quotes and receipts share the invoice number sequence? No. Give each document type its own prefix and sequence, such as QUO-, INV-, REC- and CN-. Quotes are not sales, so they should not consume invoice numbers, and a linked quote and invoice having different numbers is normal. ### Can I use the date as my invoice number? Yes, as long as the result is unique. A date-time stamp like 20261103-1432 is unique by construction, but a plain date is not if you issue two invoices in one day. Add a sequence or the time to be safe. ### How long do I need to keep numbered invoices? Keep invoices for at least 5 to 6 years: self-employed records for at least 5 years after the 31 January submission deadline of the relevant tax year, and VAT records for 6 years. Your numbering is what lets you prove the set is complete. --- # Invoice Payment Terms Explained: Net 30, Due on Receipt, and What Actually Gets You Paid Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/invoice-payment-terms-uk - What payment terms are (and why they are not a formality) - The common terms, compared - The 30-day default: what happens when you say nothing - Why "due on receipt" plus a Pay button beats Net 30 for small jobs - Deposits for bigger jobs: use a proforma - Late-fee wording you can paste into your terms - Set your terms once and stop thinking about it - An honest note on what getting paid costs Payment terms are the two or three words on an invoice that decide when the money arrives. Most sole traders copy whatever they saw on someone else's invoice, usually "Net 30", and then wonder why they are always a month behind. Here is what the terms mean, what UK law says when you forget to say anything, and the combination that actually gets small jobs paid in days rather than weeks. ## What payment terms are (and why they are not a formality) Your payment terms are the agreement about when and how the customer pays: the due date, any deposit, the accepted methods, and what happens if payment is late. They belong on the quote as well as the invoice, because a term the customer only sees after the work is done is a term they never agreed to. They matter more to a one-person business than to anyone else. If a big company's customer pays 30 days late, it is a line in a cash-flow report. If yours does, it is the van insurance. ## The common terms, compared You will meet these on invoices from every kind of business. Here is what each one means and who it suits. | Term | Meaning | Good for | Watch out for | | Due on receipt | Pay as soon as you get the invoice | Finished small jobs, one-off services, anything under about £1,000 | Needs an easy way to pay or "on receipt" becomes "when I get round to it" | | Net 7 / Net 14 | Full amount due 7 or 14 days after the invoice date | Regular clients, freelancers, small business customers | Short enough to feel prompt, long enough to get lost under other emails | | Net 30 | Full amount due 30 days after the invoice date | Larger companies with a purchase-ledger process | The default for big firms; a month of waiting for everyone else | | Net 60 / Net 90 | Due 60 or 90 days after the invoice date | Almost nobody you want to work for | You are lending money interest-free; only accept it with a deposit | | End of month (EOM) | Due at the end of the month the invoice is dated, or the month after | Trade accounts, suppliers | Varies by convention; spell out the actual date | | 2/10 Net 30 | 2% off if paid within 10 days, otherwise full amount in 30 | Wholesale and distribution | Giving away 2% to get paid; a Pay button does it for less | | Deposit, balance on completion | Part up front, rest when the job is done | Any job involving materials or more than a few days' work | Issue a proforma for the deposit, then a final invoice for the balance | | Stage payments | Fixed amounts at agreed milestones | Building work, long design projects | Agree the stages in writing on the quote | A vocabulary note: "Net" just means the whole balance with no discount, so "Net 30" and "30 days" mean the same thing. Saying "within 30 days of invoice date" avoids any argument about when the clock starts. ## The 30-day default: what happens when you say nothing If your customer is a business and you did not agree a payment term, UK law fills in the gap. Under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, payment is due 30 days after the later of the day the customer receives your invoice or the day they receive the goods or services. After that, statutory interest starts running. Thirty days is also what most people have in their head as "normal", which is why a blank invoice tends to be paid in about five weeks. If you want to be paid faster, you have to say so, before the work starts. For private customers (a homeowner, a bride, a parent booking tuition) there is no statutory default in the same way. Whatever you agreed is the term, and if you agreed nothing, a court would look at "a reasonable time". All the more reason to write it down. ## Why "due on receipt" plus a Pay button beats Net 30 for small jobs Here is the pattern with small jobs. Dave the electrician replaces a consumer unit on Tuesday, emails a PDF marked "Net 30" on Wednesday, and the customer, who fully intended to pay, files it mentally under "sometime next month". On day 31 Dave sends an awkward reminder. On day 38 a bank transfer arrives. Now the alternative. Dave builds the invoice on his phone while packing the van, marks it "Due on receipt", and sends it before he has left the drive. The email has a Pay button. The customer, still pleased with the shiny new fuse board, taps it, enters their card, and the invoice is Paid before Dave gets home. Two things make this work: - The term matches the moment. "Due on receipt" is reasonable for a finished job the customer has just seen. It would feel pushy on a £12,000 kitchen; it feels normal on a £340 call-out. - Paying is one tap. The gap between "I should pay that" and "I have paid that" is where late payments live. A bank transfer needs a laptop, a card reader and a sort code typed correctly. A Pay button needs a thumb. For regular business clients who run a purchase ledger, Net 14 is a fair compromise. Save Net 30 for the customers who insist on it, and keep the Pay button in the email regardless; plenty of accounts departments will pay by card on day 3 if it saves raising a bank payment. ## Deposits for bigger jobs: use a proforma Once a job involves materials you have to buy, or more than a couple of days of your time, a deposit is not rude. It is normal, and good customers expect it. Typical figures are 25% to 50% up front with the balance on completion, or stage payments for anything that runs over several weeks. The right document for a deposit request is a proforma invoice. It looks like an invoice and states the amount and how to pay, but it is not a tax invoice and is not recorded as a sale until the real invoice is raised. The flow for a £4,800 landscaping job might be: - Quote QUO-0017 for £4,800, with terms: "40% deposit on acceptance, balance due on completion. Due on receipt." - Customer accepts. Create a proforma from the quote for the £1,920 deposit, with a Pay button. Deposit lands; you order the sleepers. - Job finishes. Create the final invoice from the quote for the full £4,800, showing the £1,920 already paid and £2,880 now due. Send it from the garden gate. Because each document is created from the one before, the details carry over and the documents stay linked. Nobody retypes anything. ## Late-fee wording you can paste into your terms If your customer is a business, the Late Payment Act applies whether or not you mention it. But mentioning it changes behaviour and saves the argument later. At the time of writing, the Act gives you statutory interest at 8% per year above the Bank of England base rate, plus fixed compensation per invoice of £40 (debt under £1,000), £70 (£1,000 to £9,999.99) or £100 (£10,000 or more). Wording for business customers that quotes the Act correctly: Payment terms: Payment is due on receipt of this invoice unless otherwise agreed in writing. We reserve the right to charge statutory interest at 8% above the Bank of England base rate and fixed compensation for recovery costs under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 on any overdue amount. For private customers, the Act does not apply, so you need an agreed, reasonable fee in your terms before the job starts. Keep it modest, and put the same wording on the quote: Payment terms: Payment is due within 7 days of the invoice date. Overdue amounts may incur interest at 4% per year above the Bank of England base rate, calculated daily from the due date until payment is received. A court can decide a consumer late fee is unfair if it is out of proportion, so do not copy the £40 compensation sum into a homeowner contract. And whatever your terms say, the ladder of polite reminders in our guide to chasing unpaid invoices is what gets most invoices paid. The fee is the backstop, not the plan. ## Set your terms once and stop thinking about it The worst way to manage terms is to retype them on every invoice, because one day you will type "Net 30" out of habit and lose a month. Set them once. In SendInvoice, your business details, bank details and default terms live in Settings and fill in automatically on every new document, and the due date is a single field you can nudge for a particular customer without touching the default. Card payments are a one-off setup too: connect Stripe from Settings and the Pay button appears on every invoice email and PDF from then on. When the customer pays, the invoice flips to Paid automatically with a green tick in My Documents. ## An honest note on what getting paid costs Different tools charge for this in different ways, and the difference matters once you are invoicing real money. SendInvoice's Professional plan is a flat £5 a month, cancel any time, plus 0.2% on online card payments and Stripe's own processing fee. Some well-known alternatives have no monthly fee but take a percentage of every payment instead: Square's invoice card rate is around 2.5%, and PayPal around 2.9% plus a fixed amount per transaction, at the time of writing. On £3,000 a month of card payments, a flat fee plus 0.2% comes to roughly £11 before Stripe's processing; a 2.5% percentage-only model comes to £75. Percentage fees feel free until you are busy. Do the sum for your own numbers; the pricing page sets ours out plainly. ## Do this in SendInvoice Set your payment terms and due date once in Settings, connect Stripe, and every invoice goes out with a Pay button and the right term already on it. Free to create and preview; £5 a month to send and get paid by card. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does Net 30 mean on an invoice? Net 30 means the full amount is due 30 days after the invoice date. Net 7, Net 14 and Net 60 work the same way with different day counts. "Net" just means the whole balance, with no discount. ### What does due on receipt mean? Due on receipt means payment is expected as soon as the customer gets the invoice, in practice the same day or within a day or two. It is the most common term for small, finished jobs and works best when the invoice includes an easy way to pay, such as a card Pay button. ### What are the default payment terms in the UK if none are agreed? For business customers, UK law treats payment as due 30 days after the customer receives the invoice or the goods or services, whichever is later. If you want to be paid sooner, state your term on the invoice and in your quote. ### Can I charge a late payment fee as a sole trader? Yes. If the customer is a business, the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 gives you statutory interest at 8% above the Bank of England base rate plus fixed compensation of £40, £70 or £100 per invoice. For consumers, you can only charge a late fee that was agreed in your terms beforehand and is reasonable. ### Should I ask for a deposit? For anything over a few hundred pounds, or any job where you buy materials up front, yes. A deposit of 25% to 50% on a proforma invoice is normal. It confirms the booking, covers your costs and tells you early whether the customer is a reliable payer. ### What is 2/10 Net 30? It offers the customer a 2% discount if they pay within 10 days, otherwise the full amount is due in 30. It is common in wholesale and rarely worth it for a sole trader; a card Pay button gets you paid faster without giving away 2%. ### Where do payment terms go on an invoice? Show the due date clearly near the top, next to the invoice date, and put the full terms (including any late-fee wording) in a terms section near the bottom. Keep the same terms on your quotes so there are no surprises. --- # Invoice, Receipt or Credit Note? The Three Documents Every Small Business Mixes Up Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/invoice-vs-receipt-and-credit-notes - The short version - The invoice: asking for money - The receipt: confirming payment - The credit note: reducing what is owed - At a glance - Worked example: the Crown Inn, one invoice, three documents - Why you never edit or delete a sent invoice - Keeping the three together An invoice, a receipt and a credit note are the three pieces of paper that follow a sale around. They look alike, they share most of their fields, and they get muddled constantly: receipts sent before anyone has paid, invoices quietly edited after the fact, "credit notes" that are really just a discount scribbled on the next bill. Here is what each one is for, when to issue it, and the one rule that keeps your records honest. ## The short version - An invoice says "you owe me this". - A receipt says "you paid me this". - A credit note says "you owe me less than I said". They happen in that order, and each points back to the one before it. Seen as a chain rather than three separate forms, most of the confusion goes away. ## The invoice: asking for money An invoice is a formal request for payment for goods or services you have supplied. It is issued after the work (or at agreed stages), and it is the document HMRC cares about most, because it is the record of your sales. In the UK an invoice must include: - a unique, sequential number; - your name or business name and address; - the customer's name and address; - the invoice date; - a clear description of what you supplied; - the amount due, and when it is due. If you are VAT registered, add your VAT number, the VAT rate and amount per line or in total, the tax point and the net total. If you are not VAT registered, leave VAT off entirely. You are not allowed to charge it, and a customer who sees "VAT" on your invoice may try to reclaim money HMRC never received. Payment terms are yours to set. If you do not state any, the law assumes 30 days, and after that the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 gives you the right to statutory interest and a fixed fee. Seven or fourteen days is perfectly normal for small jobs. ## The receipt: confirming payment A receipt is proof that money changed hands. It is issued after payment, never before, and it is for the customer's benefit more than yours: they need it to claim expenses, reconcile their books or simply feel reassured that the £310 they transferred went where it should. A receipt should show: - its own number (REC-0009, say); - the date payment was received; - who paid and who was paid; - the amount received and how it was paid (card, bank transfer, cash); - which invoice it settles, if there was one; - VAT details if you are registered, so the customer can use the receipt as evidence. No UK law forces you to issue a receipt for every sale, but customers are entitled to proof of payment and a receipt is the cleanest way to give it. For a café or a shop, the till slip is the receipt. For a service business, you issue one when asked or whenever a business customer pays you. SendInvoice has three flavours, receipt, sales receipt and cash receipt, which differ mainly in the wording; use whichever matches how you got paid. ## The credit note: reducing what is owed A credit note cancels all or part of an invoice. You issue one when you have invoiced too much, when the customer returns something, when you agree a discount after the fact, or when the invoice itself was simply wrong. The key thing to understand is that a credit note is a document in its own right. It has its own number, its own date, and it refers to the invoice it corrects. It does not replace the invoice; it sits alongside it, and the two together show the true amount. A credit note must show: - a unique number (CN-0003); - the date; - your details and the customer's details; - the invoice number it relates to; - what is being credited and why; - the amount, and the VAT rate and amount if you are registered. In the US the same document is often called a credit memo. The credit note page has the layout, and SendInvoice offers both names as document types. ## At a glance | | Invoice | Receipt | Credit note | | Says | You owe me £X | You paid me £X | You owe me £X less | | Issued | After the work, before payment | After payment | After an invoice, when it needs reducing | | Points to | The quote, if there was one | The invoice it settles | The invoice it corrects | | Own number? | Yes, sequential | Yes | Yes | | VAT? | Required if registered | Show it if registered | Required if registered (reduces VAT charged) | | Changes your sales total? | Increases it | No (records cash) | Decreases it | ## Worked example: the Crown Inn, one invoice, three documents Hannah runs a one-woman coffee roastery. She supplies the Crown Inn with beans every fortnight. Here is one delivery, start to finish. 1. The invoice. Hannah delivers on the 4th and sends INV-0039 the same afternoon. | Description | Qty | Price | Amount | | House espresso blend, 1 kg | 8 | £24.00 | £192.00 | | Single-origin filter, 1 kg | 4 | £29.50 | £118.00 | | Total due (14 days) | £310.00 | Hannah is not VAT registered, so there is no VAT line. 2. The receipt. On the 11th the Crown Inn's manager taps Pay on the email and pays £310 by card. INV-0039 flips to Paid in Hannah's My Documents. The pub's bookkeeper asks for a receipt for their records, so Hannah opens the paid invoice, taps Create from this and chooses Receipt. REC-0009 is created with the same customer and items, marked "Paid by card, 11th", and linked back to INV-0039. Two taps, no retyping. 3. The credit note. On the 13th the manager rings: one of the single-origin bags was split in transit and had to be thrown away. Hannah's first instinct is to open INV-0039 and change the quantity from 4 to 3. She does not do that. Instead she opens the invoice, taps Create from this, chooses Credit note, deletes the espresso line, sets the filter quantity to 1 and adds "Damaged in transit, 1 kg single-origin filter" to the description. CN-0003 for £29.50 goes out, linked to INV-0039. Because the pub has already paid, Hannah also refunds the £29.50, and notes the refund on the credit note. Now the records tell the whole story: an invoice for £310, a receipt for £310, a credit note for £29.50. Hannah, the pub, an accountant or HMRC can see exactly what happened and when. ## Why you never edit or delete a sent invoice This is the rule that catches people out, so it deserves its own section. Once an invoice has been sent, it exists in two places: your records and the customer's. If you change yours, theirs is now different, and the same number means two different things. If the customer paid the original amount, their payment no longer matches your invoice. If they have put it through their accounts, their books and yours disagree. If either of you is VAT registered, the VAT returns disagree too. Deleting is worse. Your invoice numbers must run in sequence, and a missing INV-0039 is exactly the kind of gap HMRC asks about. "I deleted it because it was wrong" is an honest answer, but it is not one you want to be giving. So the discipline is simple: - Not sent yet? Edit freely. Nobody else has seen it. - Sent and wrong? Issue a credit note for the wrong part (or the whole thing), then a new invoice for the right amount if there is still something to pay. - Sent by mistake entirely? Credit note for the full amount. The invoice and the credit note cancel each other out and the sequence stays intact. It feels like more paperwork. It is less, because you never have to explain why the customer's copy does not match yours. ## Keeping the three together Keep them. HMRC expects you to hold your records for at least 5 to 6 years, and the invoice, receipt and credit note for one job are far more useful together than apart. Numbering each type in its own sequence (INV-, REC-, CN-) and linking each to the one it came from means "what did the Crown Inn pay in March?" is one search rather than a drawer. If you are self-employed with income over £50,000, Making Tax Digital for Income Tax applies from April 2026 (over £30,000 from April 2027, at the time of writing) and asks for digital records of your sales. A tidy set of numbered invoices and credit notes is most of that already. Check with your accountant or HMRC for what applies to you. For the documents that come before the invoice, see quote vs estimate vs invoice. ## Do this in SendInvoice Make the receipt or the credit note from the invoice in one tap, with the details carried over and a link back to the original, so a sent invoice never needs editing. Invoices, receipts and credit notes are all included. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is a receipt the same as an invoice? No. An invoice asks for payment and is issued before the money arrives. A receipt confirms that payment has been received and is issued afterwards. A paid invoice marked "Paid" can serve as proof of payment, but a separate receipt is clearer for the customer's records. ### Do I have to give a receipt in the UK? There is no general legal duty to issue a receipt for every sale, but customers are entitled to proof of payment and many will ask for one, especially businesses claiming expenses. Issuing one on request costs nothing and looks professional. ### What must a credit note include? Its own unique number, the date, your business details, the customer's details, the number of the invoice it relates to, a description of what is being credited and why, the amount, and the VAT rate and amount if you are VAT registered. ### Can I just edit an invoice if I made a mistake? If the invoice has not been sent, yes, edit away. Once it has been sent, no: issue a credit note for the wrong amount and, if needed, a fresh invoice for the right one. Editing a sent invoice leaves you and the customer with two different versions of the same number. ### Can I delete an invoice I sent by mistake? You should not. Your invoice numbers need to run in sequence with no gaps, and HMRC can ask why one is missing. Cancel it with a credit note for the full amount instead, so the records show what happened. ### What is the difference between a credit note and a refund? A credit note is the document that records the reduction. A refund is the money going back. Sometimes both happen (you credit and repay); sometimes only the credit note is needed, because the customer had not paid yet or will use the credit against their next invoice. ### Does a credit note affect VAT? If you are VAT registered, yes. A credit note reduces the VAT you have charged, so it must show the VAT rate and amount being credited, and you adjust it on your VAT return. If you are not registered, there is no VAT on either document. ### Is a credit memo the same as a credit note? Yes. Credit memo is the term used more in the US; credit note is the usual UK term. They do the same job and SendInvoice offers both as document types. --- # Invoicing a Main Contractor as a Subcontractor: Applications, Payment Notices, CIS and Retention Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/invoicing-a-main-contractor-as-a-subcontractor - How a main contractor actually pays you - Applications for payment versus invoices - CIS on your invoice - Retention, briefly - A worked example: Marcus's first application - Keeping your own paper trail - Getting paid on time, and what to do when you are not Marcus has been an electrician for nine years, mostly rewires and consumer units for homeowners. This autumn he takes his first proper subcontract: first fix on a twelve-flat conversion in Bedminster for a main contractor, £6,150 for the first stage. He finishes the floor, sends an invoice the way he always has, and gets an email back from the quantity surveyor: "Thanks Marcus. We need this as an application by the 25th, labour and materials split, UTR on it, retention shown. Can you resend?" Nobody told him. Nobody ever does. This is the guide he needed that week. ## How a main contractor actually pays you When you work for a homeowner, you do the job, you send the invoice, they pay. When you work for a main contractor, the money goes through a process, and the process is not personal. It is the same for the groundworker, the plasterer and you. Understanding it is the difference between being paid on the dot each month and being the subbie who is always "in the next run". The moving parts, in order: - The subcontract order. A document or email setting out the scope, the price (fixed, measured or day rate), the payment dates, retention and any conditions. Read it before you start, not when the first payment is short. - Valuation dates. Most contractors value work once a month on a fixed date, say the 25th. You submit an application for payment by that date for everything you have done so far. - The payment notice. The contractor (usually the QS) checks your application and tells you what it will pay and how it worked that out. If it disagrees with your figure, this is where you find out. - The pay less notice. If the contractor intends to pay less than the notified sum, for example for defective work or a contra charge, it has to tell you in writing before the final date for payment, with its reasons. - Deductions. CIS tax on your labour and, on many contracts, a retention percentage held back. Both come off before the money reaches you. - Payment. Typically 30 days after the valuation date, sometimes longer. Terms of 45 or 60 days are not unusual on bigger sites. The Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996, which everyone calls the Construction Act, is what sits behind the notices. In short: construction contracts between businesses that last more than 45 days must allow staged payments, must follow a payment notice and pay less notice process, and give either side the right to adjudication, a fast dispute procedure. It does not apply to contracts with homeowners. You do not need to be an expert, but you should know it exists, because it is why a contractor cannot simply pay you less without telling you in writing. ## Applications for payment versus invoices An application for payment is you saying: "Up to the 25th, I have done this much work, worth this much, and you have already paid me this much, so I am owed this." It is cumulative: application 3 shows the total value to date, less applications 1 and 2. The QS checks it against what is actually on site and issues a payment notice for the certified amount. Then one of two things happens, depending on the contract. Either you raise an invoice for the certified figure, or the contractor treats your application as the invoice. Ask on day one: "Do you want an application then an invoice, or does the application stand as the invoice?" Then do it that way every month, in the same format, on the same date. ## CIS on your invoice If you do construction work for a contractor, the Construction Industry Scheme almost certainly applies. The contractor deducts tax from the labour part of what it pays you and sends it to HMRC on your behalf. At the time of writing the rate is 20% if you are registered as a subcontractor, 30% if you are not, and 0% if you have gross payment status. Deductions apply to labour only, never to materials and never to VAT. So your invoice needs: - Labour and materials as separate lines, with materials at what they cost you (keep the receipts; contractors can ask to see them). - Your UTR (Unique Taxpayer Reference) printed on the invoice, so the contractor can verify you with HMRC and apply the right rate. - A deduction line: "Less CIS deduction 20% of £4,800 labour: £960.00". - The amount actually payable after the deduction. The deductions are not lost. They count towards your tax bill, and as a sole trader you reclaim them through Self Assessment at the end of the year. The contractor must give you a deduction statement for each payment; file every one. There is a full walk-through in our CIS invoice example for subcontractors. If you are VAT registered and the contractor is too, the VAT domestic reverse charge will usually apply as well, which changes how VAT appears; see the VAT reverse charge explained. Marcus is under the VAT threshold, so for him it is simply not on the invoice. Check with your accountant or HMRC on your own position. ## Retention, briefly Many subcontracts let the main contractor hold back a percentage of each payment, usually 3% to 5%, as security against defects. Half is normally released at practical completion of the whole project and the other half after the defects period, often 12 months later. It is shown on the application as a separate deduction line, and you need to keep a running total of what is being held, because nobody will remind you to ask for it back. Retention on construction invoices covers tracking and chasing it in detail. ## A worked example: Marcus's first application Marcus is a sole trader, registered for CIS, not VAT registered. His subcontract order says: measured work, applications by the 25th, payment 30 days from valuation, 5% retention, CIS at the verified rate. Here is application number 1 for the first-fix stage. Application for payment no. 1 (INV-0341) from Marcus Bell trading as Bell Electrical, 27 Ashton Drive, Bristol BS3 2NN. UTR 12345 67890 To: Northgate Construction Ltd, Unit 4, Avonside Business Park, Bristol BS2 0XY. For the attention of J. Okafor, Quantity Surveyor Contract: Electrical first fix, 12 flats, 40-44 North Street, Bedminster. Order no. NC-2026-0817 Valuation date: 25 November 2026. Final date for payment: 25 December 2026 | Description | Qty | Rate | Amount | | Labour: first fix wiring, flats 1 to 6, containment, back boxes, cabling to DB positions | 12 days | £400.00 | £4,800.00 | | Materials: twin and earth, singles, back boxes, containment, clips and fixings (supplier receipts available) | 1 | £1,350.00 | £1,350.00 | | Gross value of work this application | £6,150.00 | | Less previously certified | £0.00 | | Less retention 5% of £6,150.00 | -£307.50 | | Less CIS deduction 20% of £4,800.00 labour | -£960.00 | | Amount payable | £4,882.50 | Not VAT registered; no VAT charged. Retention held to date: £307.50. Payment by bank transfer to the account shown. Day sheets signed by the site manager attached. ## Keeping your own paper trail The main contractor has a QS, a commercial manager and a filing system. You have a van. That is fine, as long as you keep the handful of documents that decide every argument about money on a site. From day one of the contract, keep: - The subcontract order and any emails that change it. - Signed day sheets or progress records, countersigned by the site manager, especially for day-rate work. - Written instructions for every variation. An email or a text from the site manager saying "yes, add the extra sockets in flat 4" is enough; a conversation by the mixer is not. Price each variation and add it to the next application as its own line. Variations and extras goes into this. - Delivery notes and receipts for every material you supply, so the materials line can be backed up. - Dated photos of work complete and, especially, of work that is about to be covered up by plasterboard. - Every application, payment notice, pay less notice and CIS deduction statement, filed by month. - A retention running total for each contract, with the expected release dates. Keep all of it for at least five to six years. The CIS statements go to your accountant for Self Assessment; the rest is your evidence if a dispute ever reaches adjudication. ## Getting paid on time, and what to do when you are not Three habits keep subcontract money flowing. Submit on the valuation date, every month, without fail. Address the application to the person named in the order and copy accounts. And agree the figure early: a two-minute call with the QS on the 26th to confirm they accept your valuation saves a surprise pay less notice on the 20th of the following month. If the final date for payment passes and nothing arrives, chase in writing, politely, the next day. A main contractor is a business, so the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 applies: statutory interest at 8% above the Bank of England base rate, plus fixed compensation of £40, £70 or £100 per invoice depending on its size, at the time of writing. A formal reminder that mentions this is usually enough to move your application from "next run" to "this run". The escalation ladder in how to chase an unpaid invoice works for contractors too, with the interest paragraph left in. Two cautions. If the contractor has issued a valid pay less notice, the dispute is about the notice, not about late payment; argue the figure, with your day sheets and photos. And do not walk off site over a late payment without advice: the Construction Act gives you a right to suspend work for non-payment, but only after proper written notice, and getting it wrong can put you in breach. A trade body, your accountant or a construction solicitor can tell you where you stand in an hour, which is cheaper than guessing. ## Do this in SendInvoice Build your monthly application with labour, materials, retention and CIS as clear lines, send it to the QS with accounts in copy, and create the invoice for the certified sum from it in one tap. Free to create and preview; £5 a month to send, remind and get paid. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the difference between an application for payment and an invoice? An application is your statement of what you believe you are owed up to a valuation date, usually cumulative. The contractor checks it and tells you what it will pay in a payment notice. The invoice is then raised for that certified amount, or the application itself is treated as the invoice, depending on the contract. Ask which your contractor wants and follow it to the letter. ### Does the main contractor deduct CIS from my whole invoice? No. Under the Construction Industry Scheme the deduction applies to the labour element only, not to materials you supplied or to VAT. That is why a subcontractor invoice always shows labour and materials as separate lines. At the time of writing the rate is 20% if you are registered, 30% if you are not, and 0% with gross payment status. ### Why has the contractor paid me less than I invoiced? Usually one of three things: the CIS deduction, retention held back, or a pay less notice reducing the amount. Each should be explained in writing: a CIS deduction statement, a retention line on the payment notice, or a pay less notice sent before the final date for payment. If you have had none of those, ask for them before you accept the shortfall. ### Does the Construction Act apply to my subcontract? If it is a construction contract between two businesses and the work lasts more than 45 days, the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 generally applies. It requires staged payments, a payment notice and pay less notice process, and gives you the right to adjudication. It does not apply to contracts with homeowners. Get advice before relying on it. ### Can I charge a main contractor late payment interest? Yes. A main contractor is a business, so the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 applies: statutory interest at 8% above the Bank of England base rate plus fixed compensation of £40, £70 or £100 per invoice depending on its size, at the time of writing. Mention it in a formal reminder; it is often enough to move an application up the pile. ### What records should I keep as a subcontractor? The subcontract order, every application and invoice, each payment and pay less notice, every CIS deduction statement, delivery notes for materials, signed day sheets, written variation instructions, dated photos, and a running retention total per contract. Keep them at least five to six years. They are your evidence if a dispute goes to adjudication and your proof of CIS deductions for Self Assessment. --- # Invoicing From the Van: How to Send the Invoice Before You've Left the Job Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/invoicing-from-your-phone - The Sunday-night problem - Why invoicing the same day gets you paid faster - The two-minute walkthrough, on a phone - Priya's version: the kitchen table, not the van - Small things that matter when you are on a phone - What the invoice still has to say - The habit It is 4.50pm. Dan has just fitted a new mixer tap, the customer is pleased, the van is warm. He could write the invoice up now, in the cab, in two minutes. Or he could do what he always does: tell himself he will do it tonight, do it on Sunday instead, send it on Monday, and get paid in three weeks if he is lucky. This post is about the two minutes. ## The Sunday-night problem Most sole traders do not have a cash-flow problem. They have an invoicing problem that looks like a cash-flow problem. The work gets done. The customer is happy. And then the invoice sits in a notebook, or on a scrap of paper on the dashboard, or in Dan's head, until the weekend. By then there are six of them. The addresses need looking up. One job he cannot quite remember the price for. The laptop needs charging. It takes an hour and a half of a Sunday evening that was supposed to be his, and the invoices go out dated three days after the work, with payment terms that start from the day they are sent, not the day the tap was fitted. Priya cleans houses. Seven regulars a week, two or three one-offs. She used to invoice monthly, which meant her money arrived up to six weeks after the first clean. When one customer paid late, that was a fifth of her month's income. The dread of opening the banking app on the 28th was real. Both of them fixed it the same way: invoice before you leave the job. ## Why invoicing the same day gets you paid faster There are three reasons, and none of them is complicated. - The clock starts sooner. If your terms are 14 days, an invoice sent on Tuesday afternoon is due a week before the same invoice sent the following Monday. Over a year that is dozens of days of money arriving earlier for exactly the same work. - The customer still cares. On the day, the job is fresh, the tap is shiny, and the customer is grateful. An invoice that arrives while they are still admiring the work gets paid. One that arrives ten days later is an unwelcome reminder of money they had mentally spent. - A Pay button beats a sort code. If the email has a button that takes a card, a surprising number of people will pay from the sofa that evening. If it asks them to open their banking app and type an account number and a reference, they will do it "later". Dan's average time-to-paid went from 19 days to 6 after he started invoicing from the van. His customers did not change; he just stopped giving them a week's head start on forgetting. ## The two-minute walkthrough, on a phone Here is exactly what Dan does in the cab. No laptop, no app store, no retyping his own address. ### 1. Open it on your phone Dan opens the browser and goes to app.sendinvoice.net. He has added it to his home screen, so it is one tap and it fills the screen like any other app. Nothing to install, nothing to update, and it works the same on his Android and Priya's iPhone. He taps Create, and the document type is already Invoice. His logo, address, phone number and bank details are already in the From card, because he set them up once in Settings months ago. ### 2. Pick the customer as you type In Bill To he types "Har" and it suggests "Mrs Harding, 22 Beech Close" from the boiler service in February. One tap and the name, address and email drop in. For a brand-new customer he types it once and it is remembered for next time. ### 3. Add the items Dan taps + Saved item. His regular jobs are already there: "Call-out and first hour", "Additional hour", "Mixer tap supply and fit". He picks the tap, changes the quantity if needed, and the price and VAT rate come with it. Something unusual, a part he had to buy on the way, goes in with + Item: description, quantity, price, done. The total updates as he goes. He glances at the preview, and it looks right, because it is the same template and logo as always. ### 4. Send it, with a Pay button He taps Send. The email is addressed to Mrs Harding, with his business name as the sender and a short message he can edit ("Thanks for today, invoice attached, any problems just ring"). The PDF is attached and there is a Pay button in the email. He can copy himself in, or his accountant, with CC or BCC. Send. ### 5. Watch it flip to Paid Mrs Harding opens the email on her phone while the kettle boils, taps Pay, enters her card, done. Dan is on the A34 when it happens. When he next opens My Documents, INV-0118 has a green tick and says Paid. He did not have to check his bank, match a reference or chase anyone. For customers who prefer a bank transfer, the bank details are on the invoice and Dan marks it paid by hand when the money lands. Cash is the same, one tap on Mark as paid. If the customer wants proof, a receipt can be made from the paid invoice in a tap. The whole thing in motion, recorded on a phone in the real app (no sound, about 20 seconds): ## Priya's version: the kitchen table, not the van Priya does not have a van. She has a bike and a bag of microfibre cloths. Her routine is different but the idea is the same. She finishes a clean, locks up, and before she unlocks her bike she opens the invoice on her phone, picks the customer from the suggestions, taps her saved item "Weekly clean, 3 hours", and sends it. Thirty seconds, standing on the doorstep. Her regulars now pay weekly, most of them by card from the email the same evening, and the 28th-of-the-month dread is gone because the money arrives in small amounts all month long. For a one-off deep clean she quotes first, from the phone, standing in the customer's kitchen: a quote with the rooms listed and a price. When it is accepted and done, she turns the quote into the invoice with Create from this, and the details carry over (there is more on that in quote vs estimate vs invoice). What she likes most is not the speed. It is that every invoice looks the same, with her logo and her name spelt right, and customers have started saying "oh, you're very organised". She is. She just was not before. ## Small things that matter when you are on a phone - No app to install. It runs in the browser, on Android and iPhone, tablet and desktop. Nothing to update, nothing to run out of storage for. The same sign-in sees the same documents everywhere, so you can start on site and tidy up on the laptop later. - Dark theme. If you are sending the day's last invoice at 9pm in the cab, a white screen is unkind. Switch to the dark theme and it stays that way. - Your details, once. Business name, address, VAT number if you have one, bank details, logo, signature: set them in Settings and every document carries them. You will never type your own postcode on a phone keyboard again. - Numbering looks after itself. INV-0118, INV-0119, INV-0120. Quotes have their own sequence. No gaps, no duplicates. - Reminders. If an invoice goes overdue, a reminder can go out, friendly first and firmer later, without you composing the awkward email yourself. - It is the same document. The customer gets the same PDF whether you made it on a phone or a 27-inch monitor. Nobody can tell you were sitting in a van. ## What the invoice still has to say Speed does not change the rules. A UK invoice needs a unique number, your name or business name and address, the customer's name and address, the date, a description of the work and the amount. If you are VAT registered it also needs your VAT number, the VAT rate and amount, the tax point and the net total; if you are not, it must not show VAT at all. State your payment terms (the law assumes 30 days if you say nothing) and keep copies for at least 5 to 6 years. On a phone this is easier, not harder: the fields are there and most are already filled in. ## The habit None of this works if you do it sometimes. It works when "finish job, send invoice, start van" is one motion. Give it a fortnight. The first time a payment lands before you have reached the next job, you will not go back to Sunday nights. ## Do this in SendInvoice Open it on your phone, pick the customer as you type, add a saved item and send the invoice with a Pay button before you have left the drive. No app to install; works on Android and iPhone. ## Frequently asked questions ### Do I need to install an app to invoice from my phone? Not with SendInvoice. It runs in the browser on any Android phone or iPhone, so you open app.sendinvoice.net, sign in and start. You can add it to your home screen so it opens like an app, but there is nothing to download from an app store. ### Does the invoice look professional if I make it on a phone? Yes. The PDF the customer receives is the same whether you made it on a phone or a desktop: your logo, your business details, a numbered invoice on one of 100+ templates. The phone screen is just a different window onto the same document. ### How does the customer pay from the email? The email includes the PDF and a Pay button. The customer taps it and pays by card through Stripe. When the payment succeeds the invoice flips to Paid automatically. Customers who prefer bank transfer can use the bank details on the invoice, and you mark it paid by hand. ### Can I send the invoice from my phone but finish it later on a laptop? Yes. Documents are saved online, so you can start one on site, close it, and open it on any other device. The same sign-in sees the same documents. ### What if I have no signal on site? It runs in the browser, so you need a connection to use it. If the job is in a basement with no signal, write the invoice up and send it from the van once you are back on the road; it still takes two minutes and still goes out the same day. ### Can I invoice on the free plan from my phone? You can create, customise, preview, download and print documents on the free preview plan (with a preview watermark). Sending by email, the Pay button and paid/unpaid tracking need the Professional plan at £5 a month, cancel any time. ### Does it charge a percentage of each invoice? The plan is a flat £5 a month. On online card payments there is a 0.2% platform fee plus Stripe's own card fee, at the time of writing. Bank transfers and cash cost nothing extra. --- # Invoicing Landlords and Letting Agents: Works Orders, Property Addresses and Getting Paid in 30 Days Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/invoicing-landlords-and-letting-agents - Why letting agents pay differently from homeowners - What to put on every landlord or agent invoice - Who is actually your customer - A worked example: Dean's invoice to a letting agent - Payment terms: 30 days is normal, so start the clock early - Chasing a letting agent that has not paid - Keeping track of a dozen small invoices a month Dean fits a new fence panel, swaps a kitchen tap and replaces a smoke alarm at a two-bed terrace in Headingley for a letting agent. Three hours, £185 all in. He emails the invoice that night, feels quietly pleased with himself, and is paid eleven weeks later, after four phone calls, because the invoice had no works order number and no property address and sat in the wrong landlord's file. Agents and landlords are some of the best repeat customers a tradesperson can have. They also have their own way of doing things, and if you learn it, you get paid in 30 days instead of eleven weeks. ## Why letting agents pay differently from homeowners A homeowner pays you from their own bank account, usually on the day or the day after, because they have just watched you do the work. A letting agent is a different animal. The person who booked you is a property manager with 150 properties on their list. The person who pays you is in accounts, possibly in another office, and has never heard of you. Between the two sits a works order, a landlord's account and a payment run that happens on set days of the month. Most agents pay contractors out of the rent they hold for each landlord. So your invoice has to be matched to the right property and the right landlord before anyone can release the money. If it cannot be matched, it does not get rejected; it just stops. Nobody emails you. It sits in a tray, physical or digital, until you ring. The fix is not to chase harder. It is to send an invoice that matches itself. ## What to put on every landlord or agent invoice On top of the usual legal basics (your name and address, a unique invoice number, the date, a description and the amount; see how to write an invoice for the full list), an invoice to an agent or landlord needs: - The property address, in full, including the flat number. Put it at the top of the description, not buried in a line item. "Flat 3, 14 Cardigan Road, LS6 1LJ" is the single most important thing on the page. - The works order or purchase order number. Most agents issue one when they book you, by email, text or through a contractor portal. If they did not, ask for one before you start. Put it in its own field or on the first line. - The branch and the person who instructed you. "Instructed by Sam Reed, Hartley Lettings, Headingley branch." Accounts can then find the booking in thirty seconds. - The date of the visit, separate from the invoice date. Agents reconcile against the tenant's reported issue and the day you attended. - Short, specific descriptions. "Replaced kitchen mixer tap (Bristan, supplied), tested, no leaks" tells the landlord what they paid for when they read it three months later. - Your payment terms and bank details, and a Pay button if you can offer one. ## Who is actually your customer This matters more than it sounds. If the agent books you in its own name and pays you from its client account, the agent is your customer, and the invoice is addressed to the agent. If the agent says it is acting only as a go-between and the landlord will pay you direct, then the landlord is your customer, and you want the landlord's name and address on the invoice before you start. Ask the question when you take the booking: "Is this invoiced to you or to the landlord?" The answer tells you whose name goes in Bill To, whose terms apply, and who you chase. Most agents will say "to us, with the property address and the works order number on it", which is exactly what you want. ## A worked example: Dean's invoice to a letting agent Dean is a sole trader handyman in Leeds. He is not VAT registered, so there is no VAT anywhere on the invoice (if that is you too, read invoicing when you are not VAT registered). Here is the same £185 job, invoiced properly. Invoice INV-0218 from Dean Walsh trading as DW Property Maintenance, 9 Moor Lane, Leeds LS7 3AB Bill to: Hartley Lettings Ltd, Headingley branch, 102 Otley Road, Leeds LS6 3PX Property: Flat 3, 14 Cardigan Road, Leeds LS6 1LJ Works order: HL-WO-44871 (instructed by Sam Reed) Date of visit: 3 November 2026. Invoice date: 3 November 2026. Due: 3 December 2026 (30 days) | Description | Qty | Unit price | Amount | | Labour: replace rear garden fence panel, refix post, clear debris | 1.5 hrs | £38.00 | £57.00 | | Labour: replace kitchen mixer tap, test, no leaks | 1 hr | £38.00 | £38.00 | | Labour: replace hallway smoke alarm, test | 0.5 hr | £38.00 | £19.00 | | Materials: 6 ft featheredge fence panel | 1 | £34.00 | £34.00 | | Materials: Bristan kitchen mixer tap | 1 | £29.00 | £29.00 | | Materials: 10-year sealed battery smoke alarm | 1 | £8.00 | £8.00 | | Total due | £185.00 | Not VAT registered; no VAT charged. Payment within 30 days by bank transfer (sort code and account number on this invoice) or by card using the Pay button. Photos of completed work available on request. Everything accounts needs is on one screen: which property, which order, who booked it, what was done, what it cost. Labour and materials are separate lines because landlords like to see them that way, and because some pass the materials cost through their own records. There is more on that split in labour and materials on an invoice. ## Payment terms: 30 days is normal, so start the clock early Homeowners pay in days. Agents and landlord companies pay on terms, and 30 days is the usual expectation. You can put 14 days on your invoice, and some agents will honour it, but most will pay on their next run after 30 days regardless. Rather than fight that, work with it: - Invoice the same day as the job. The 30 days runs from when they receive the invoice, not from when you did the work. An invoice sent a fortnight later is paid a fortnight later. - Ask about their payment run. "Do you pay contractors on a set date?" If it is the 25th, an invoice that arrives on the 26th waits a month. Send it on the 24th. - Get onto the approved contractor list. Most agents keep one, and being on it usually means a smoother route through accounts, plus a steady flow of work. They will want your public liability insurance certificate and sometimes a trade registration. - Put the terms in writing on the invoice and in your quote. "Payment within 30 days of invoice date. Late payments may incur statutory interest and compensation under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998." See payment terms for UK invoices for wording. ## Chasing a letting agent that has not paid When an agent invoice goes past 30 days, the cause is almost always a matching problem, not a refusal. So chase in that order: - Day 31: resend the invoice to accounts, not to the property manager, with the works order number and property address in the subject line: "Overdue: INV-0218, Flat 3 14 Cardigan Road, WO HL-WO-44871". Ask them to confirm it is on the system. - Day 38: ring the property manager who booked you. They have a direct line to accounts and a reason to keep you sweet; you are the person who answers the phone when a tenant has no hot water on a Friday. - Day 45: send a statement. If you have several unpaid invoices with the same agent, one list with numbers, properties, dates and amounts is far easier for accounts to action than six separate reminders. Export your unpaid documents for that customer and attach it. - Day 60: a formal reminder mentioning interest and compensation, then a letter before action if it comes to it. Our guide to chasing an unpaid invoice has the templates. Here is the part that is different from homeowner work. A letting agent is a business, and a landlord's limited company is a business, so the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 applies: statutory interest at 8% above the Bank of England base rate, plus fixed compensation of £40 per invoice under £1,000, £70 from £1,000 to £9,999.99 and £100 at £10,000 or more, at the time of writing. Mentioning this in a reminder tends to get an agent's accounts team moving, because they know it applies. A private individual landlord is a greyer area. Letting property is normally treated as a business activity, so the Act will usually apply, but if you are unsure, lean on the terms you put on the invoice. For a private homeowner, by contrast, the Act does not apply at all: you can only ask a court for interest under the County Courts Act, at its discretion (typically 8%), and you cannot add the £40, £70 or £100 fixed sums. If a homeowner job goes wrong, read what to do when a homeowner will not pay instead. ## Keeping track of a dozen small invoices a month Agent work is lots of small invoices rather than a few big ones, which is where a notebook or a folder of PDFs falls apart. You want to see, at a glance, which of Hartley's invoices are paid, which are unpaid and which are overdue, and to filter by customer when their accounts team asks for a statement. In SendInvoice every invoice sits in My Documents with a Paid, Unpaid or Overdue badge. Filter by customer and status and you have the agent's statement; export it to Excel or a PDF report and attach it to the reminder. Bill To remembers each agent and landlord as you type, so the second and the twentieth invoice to the same branch is a few taps on your phone in the van. If the agent pays by card from the Pay button, the invoice flips to Paid on its own; when a bank transfer lands, you mark it paid by hand. One last habit: keep the photos. Before and after shots of every job, saved against the invoice number, settle nine out of ten landlord queries by return email. "Was the fence panel really replaced?" Yes, here it is, dated, with the old one in the skip. ## Do this in SendInvoice Save the agent once, put the property address and works order on every invoice, and see which of their invoices are paid, unpaid or overdue from your phone. Free to create and preview; £5 a month to send, remind and get paid by card. ## Frequently asked questions ### Do I invoice the letting agent or the landlord? Ask when you take the booking. If the agent instructs you in its own name and pays from its client account, the agent is your customer and goes in Bill To. If the agent says the landlord will pay you direct, get the landlord's name and address before you start. Either way, put the property address and the works order number on the invoice. ### What is a works order number and do I need one? A works order (or purchase order) number is the reference an agent creates when it books a job. Accounts use it to match your invoice to the right property and landlord. Without it, your invoice can sit unmatched for weeks. If the agent has not given you one, ask for it before you start, and put it on the invoice. ### Can I charge a letting agent interest on a late invoice? Yes. A letting agent, or a landlord trading through a company, is a business, so the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 applies: 8% above the Bank of England base rate plus fixed compensation of £40, £70 or £100 per invoice depending on its size, at the time of writing. For a private homeowner none of that applies; only a court can award interest, at its discretion. ### Should I put the property address on every invoice? Always, in full and with the flat number, even if the agent only has one property with you. Agents and landlords file by property, not by tradesperson. Put the address at the top of the description, add the date you attended, and name the person who instructed you so accounts can find the booking in seconds. ### How long do letting agents take to pay tradespeople? Thirty days is typical, and many pay on a fixed run each month. Invoice on the day of the job so the clock starts straight away, ask what date their run is, and get onto their approved contractor list. A well-matched invoice sent on the right day is paid in one cycle; a vague one can take three. ### Can I send one invoice for several properties? You can, but it slows you down. Each property usually belongs to a different landlord, and accounts has to split your invoice between them before anyone can pay. One job, one property, one invoice is the fastest route to the money, and it takes a minute per invoice once the agent is saved as a customer. --- # Invoicing Variations and Extras on a Job: Agree It in Writing, Then Bill It Without an Argument Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/invoicing-variations-and-extras-on-a-job - What counts as a variation - Agree it in writing before you do it - Unforeseen problems are not your risk, but they are your conversation - How to invoice variations - Worked example: Ben's final invoice - When the variation makes the job smaller - Avoiding the "I never agreed to that" argument Ben fits kitchens in Norwich, him and an apprentice, VAT registered since last year. He is three days into a £9,600 fit when the customer, Sarah, appears with a coffee and a "while you're here". Could he box in the boiler pipes with a matching end panel? And move the double socket because the fridge is going there now? Then on day four he lifts the old sink unit and finds the floorboards underneath have been quietly rotting for a decade. Three variations, three different conversations, and by the end of the job £415 plus VAT that was not on the quote. Whether Ben gets paid for it, without a row, depends entirely on what he did in the moment each one came up. ## What counts as a variation A variation is anything that changes the scope, the price or the time of the job you quoted. The obvious kind is the customer asking for more. The less obvious kinds catch people out: - Customer additions. "While you're here" in all its forms. - Customer changes. A different worktop, the sink moved to the window, the colour of the doors changed after they were ordered. - Unforeseen conditions. Rotten floor, pipes where the plan said there were none, a wall that is not square enough to hang a run of units on without packing. - Supplier substitutions. The ordered tap is discontinued and the replacement costs more, or needs a different hole. - Customer-caused delay. The worktop template is booked but the customer has not chosen the sink, so you lose a day. - Omissions. The customer decides not to have the pelmet after all. A variation can cut the price as well as add to it. If it was not in the quote and it costs you time or money, it is a variation, and it needs its own agreement and its own line. ## Agree it in writing before you do it The whole method is one habit: stop, price it, get a yes in writing, then do it. In that order. The yes does not need a form or a signature. A text message does the job, and it is a far better record than a conversation on the stairs that both of you will remember differently in a fortnight. Here is Ben's text for the boiler pipes, sent from the kitchen while Sarah was in the next room: "Hi Sarah, boxing in the boiler pipes with a matching end panel: £140 + VAT (£168), adds about half a day so we'd finish Thursday rather than Wednesday afternoon. OK to go ahead?" "Yes please, that'd be great." That is a contract. It has the scope (box in pipes, matching end panel), the price (with VAT, because she is a consumer and the number she pays is the one that matters to her), the effect on the programme, and a clear yes. Ben screenshots it and files it with the job. A few rules that keep this working: - Put a number on it, every time. "I'll sort that for you" is how £140 becomes free. Even "about £140, I'll confirm tonight" is better than nothing. - Say what it does to the finish date. Customers are often more upset about the extra day than the extra money, if they did not expect it. - Do not start until you have the yes. Half an hour of waiting beats a week of arguing. - For anything bigger than a few hundred pounds, send a short revised quote or a separate quote headed "Variation 1 to QUO-0058", so it sits in the same paper trail as the main job. How to write a trade quote covers what goes on it. - Keep every message with the job. When you invoice, you will reference the date of each one. ## Unforeseen problems are not your risk, but they are your conversation The rotten floor is the hardest kind of variation, because the customer did not ask for it and does not want to pay for it. But it is not in your quote and it is not your fault, and a fixed price for fitting a kitchen is not a promise to repair whatever the last kitchen was hiding. The day rate vs fixed price post explains where that line sits. What you cannot do is fix it quietly and add it to the bill. That is where "I never agreed to that" comes from, and the customer is right. Instead: - Stop and photograph it. Two or three pictures with something for scale. - Show the customer, in person if they are there, by message with the photos if not. - Explain the options and price them. "Replace the three boards under the sink run with new treated timber, £180 + VAT, half a day. Or I can leave it, but I wouldn't put a sink unit on it." - Get the yes, in writing, before you cut a board. Ben's message, with the photos attached: "Found this under the old sink unit. Boards are soft for about a metre. Replacing them with new treated timber is £180 + VAT (£216) and about half a day. I'd strongly recommend doing it before the new units go in. OK?" Sarah replied "Oh no. Yes, do it, thanks for spotting it." That reply is the difference between £216 paid with gratitude and £216 argued over at the end. ## How to invoice variations There are three ways to put variations on paper, and the right one depends on the length of the job and how you are being paid. ### Extra lines on the final invoice Simplest, and right for most domestic jobs of a week or two. The main work is one line referencing the quote; each variation is its own line below it, with the date it was agreed in the description. The customer can match every line to a message on their phone. ### A separate invoice per variation Better for longer jobs, for anything with stage payments, and for variations big enough that you want to be paid for them before the main job finishes. It also keeps the final invoice clean: the final shows the quote price less the deposit and stages, and the extras have already been dealt with. In SendInvoice you can create each variation invoice from the original quote so the customer and job details carry over and it shows "From QUO-0058". ### Added to the next stage invoice If you are on staged payments, add agreed variations as lines on the next stage invoice, under a "Variations" heading in the description. They get paid with the stage, and the final invoice is unchanged. Whichever you choose, each variation needs four things on its line: what it was, when it was agreed and how ("agreed by text 14 Oct"), the price, and VAT if you are registered. Never fold variations into the main line, and never write "extras" with one number and no breakdown. ## Worked example: Ben's final invoice Ben's firm is VAT registered, so VAT at 20% is shown. Sarah paid a 30% deposit (£2,880 including VAT) on acceptance and a stage payment (£3,520 including VAT) after first fix, so the final invoice shows the balance of the quoted price, with those payments deducted at their net amounts, plus the three variations. Invoice INV-0289 from B. Carter Kitchens Ltd, VAT no. shown, to Ms S. Whitmore, 17 Unthank Road, Norwich. Date 23 October 2026. From QUO-0058. Payment due within 7 days. | Description | Amount (net) | | Supply and fit of kitchen as per QUO-0058: strip out, first fix, units, worktops, sink and tap, appliances, plinths, cornice and pelmet, make good. Completed 23 Oct 2026. | £8,000.00 | | Less deposit received 22 Sep (PRO-0044) | -£2,400.00 | | Less stage payment received 10 Oct (INV-0281) | -£2,933.33 | | Variation 1: box in boiler pipes with matching end panel. Agreed by text 14 Oct. | £140.00 | | Variation 2: relocate double socket to fridge position and add one further double socket, including electrician's certificate for the alteration. Agreed by text 16 Oct. | £95.00 | | Variation 3: replace rotten floorboards under sink run with new treated timber (photos sent 17 Oct). Agreed by text 17 Oct. | £180.00 | | Subtotal (net) | £3,081.67 | | VAT at 20% | £616.33 | | Total due | £3,698.00 | Notes: VAT registered; VAT shown at 20% on the whole supply. Deposit and stage payment shown net; VAT on those was invoiced at the time. Workmanship guaranteed 24 months. Pay by card using the link in this email or by bank transfer to the details below. Every line Sarah is paying for beyond the quote has a date next to it, and each date matches a message on her phone that ends with her saying yes. The invoice is not asking her to remember anything; it is reminding her. One point on the VAT: when a VAT-registered business takes deposits and stage payments, each payment normally has its own tax point and its own VAT invoice, which is why the deductions above are shown net and the note says so. It is a detail your accountant will want right, so check it with them rather than copying this blindly. ## When the variation makes the job smaller Customers remove things too: the pelmet they decide looks fussy, the second oven they can no longer afford. Treat an omission exactly like an extra. Confirm it in writing with the reduction: "No pelmet: takes £120 + VAT off the price. The cornice stays. OK?" Then show it as a negative line on the final invoice. If you have already invoiced for it, issue a credit note rather than editing the original invoice. And if the material is already bought and cannot be returned, say so in the same message, so the customer knows the omission saves the labour but not the part. ## Avoiding the "I never agreed to that" argument Almost every dispute over extras has the same shape: the tradesperson remembers a conversation, the customer remembers a different conversation, and there is nothing in writing. You cannot win that one, and you should not try to. You can only stop it happening next time. - Price before you do, every time, by message. It is a 30-second habit that removes the whole category of argument. - Reference the message on the invoice line. "Agreed by text 14 Oct" turns the invoice into an index of the agreements. - Send a short progress message on jobs over a week: "End of day 3: units in, worktop template Thursday. Extras so far: boiler boxing and socket, £235 + VAT." The running total means there is no surprise at the end. - Never bury an extra in the main line. A bigger number on "kitchen fit" with no explanation is the single most common trigger for the argument. - If you did forget to get it in writing, say so, and offer a fair compromise. A customer who sees you being straight about your own slip will usually meet you halfway. A customer who sees you insisting will dig in. If you work for a main contractor rather than a homeowner, the same discipline applies with more paperwork: variations are usually instructed in writing by the contractor and claimed on your next application for payment. Invoicing a main contractor as a subcontractor covers that world. The rest of what goes on a kitchen fitter's invoices, from the deposit proforma to the snag list, is in how to invoice as a kitchen fitter. ## Do this in SendInvoice Quote the job, then create each variation invoice or the final invoice from that quote in one tap, with every extra on its own line and the date it was agreed, and a Pay button in the email. Free to create and preview; £5 a month to send and get paid by card. ## Frequently asked questions ### What counts as a variation on a trade job? Anything that changes the scope, the price or the time of the job you quoted. The customer asking for something extra is the obvious one, but so is something hidden coming to light once you open up, the customer changing their mind on a material, a supplier substituting a product, or the customer causing a delay. If it was not in the quote and it costs you time or money, it is a variation. ### Does a text message count as agreeing a variation? Yes. A text or WhatsApp message in which you describe the extra work and the price, and the customer replies yes, is a written agreement and is far better evidence than a conversation on the stairs. Keep it specific: what, how much, and whether it adds time. Screenshot it and keep it with the job's documents. ### Should I invoice extras separately or add them to the final invoice? Either works, as long as each extra is its own line with its own price and a reference to when it was agreed. Separate lines on the final invoice are simplest for a short domestic job. A separate invoice per variation suits longer jobs, staged payments, or anything where you want to be paid for the extra before the main job finishes. ### What if the customer says they never agreed to the extra work? Show them the message. If there is no message, you are in a weak position, and the honest answer is that you will probably have to negotiate. The lesson for next time is to stop and get the yes in writing before you pick up a tool. If you cannot prove the agreement, a court is unlikely to make the customer pay for work they did not ask for in writing. ### Can I charge for a problem I found that was not my fault? Yes, if you stop, show the customer, price the fix and get their agreement before doing it. Rotten joists, a leaking pipe behind the old units or an unsafe consumer unit are not in your quote and are not your risk. What you cannot do is fix it quietly and add it to the bill; that is the quickest route to the never-agreed argument. ### How do I handle a variation that reduces the job? If the customer removes something from the scope, say what the reduction is in writing just as you would for an extra, and show it as a negative line on the final invoice, or issue a credit note if you have already invoiced for it. Say whether any materials already bought can be returned, and if not, that they will still be charged. --- # Invoicing When You're Not VAT Registered (What to Write and What to Leave Off) Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/invoicing-when-not-vat-registered - The threshold, and why most people are under it - What changes when you register - Exactly how a non-VAT invoice should read - When a customer asks for a VAT invoice - When registering voluntarily can make sense - Non-VAT invoice vs VAT invoice, side by side - The same rule for your other documents Most one-person businesses in the UK are not VAT registered, and that is fine. But the invoice templates floating around the internet mostly assume you are, which is how a cleaner in Leeds ends up with a "VAT 20%" line on an invoice for £85 and a very confused customer. Here is exactly how a non-VAT invoice should read, what to leave off, and what to do when someone asks for a VAT invoice you cannot give them. ## The threshold, and why most people are under it You must register for VAT when your VAT-taxable turnover goes over £90,000 in any rolling 12 months, or when you expect it to in the next 30 days alone. That figure is correct at the time of writing; it moves occasionally, so check gov.uk if you are getting close. Two things trip people up. First, it is rolling, not per tax year: at the end of every month, look back 12 months. Second, it is turnover, not profit. A plumber who bills £95,000 and spends £40,000 on parts is over the line even though they took home far less. For many sole traders this is a bridge they will not cross for years, if ever. A cleaner on £25 an hour, a tutor, a gardener with a small round: all comfortably under. So for now, VAT is simply not part of your invoice, and the rest of this post is about doing "not part of" properly. ## What changes when you register Once registered, you become an unpaid tax collector: you add VAT (usually 20%) to your prices, hand it to HMRC each quarter, and reclaim the VAT you paid on business purchases. Every invoice you issue must then be a proper VAT invoice showing your VAT number, the rate and amount of VAT per line, the net total, the VAT total and the gross total, and the tax point. Until that day, none of those things belong on your invoice. Not a VAT number (you do not have one). Not a VAT rate. Not a VAT amount, not even "£0.00". Not "VAT 0%", which means something specific and different. Not "plus VAT". Your price is your price. ## Exactly how a non-VAT invoice should read A non-VAT invoice carries everything a UK invoice must have, and nothing about VAT. That means: - The word Invoice and a unique, sequential number (INV-0001, INV-0002…). - Your name, trading name if you use one, and address, with email and phone. - The customer's name and address. - The invoice date. - A clear description of what you supplied, with quantity and price per line. - The total due. One number. Not "net" and "gross", because there is no difference. - Payment terms: due date, bank details, card link. And, optionally, one quiet line near the bottom: That sentence is not required, but it saves emails. Business customers see it and stop looking for a VAT number; their bookkeeper codes it correctly first time. "No VAT has been charged on this invoice" works too. What you must not do is dress it up as a VAT line. Example: Bright Mornings Cleaning invoices a letting agent | Invoice | INV-0117 | | Date | 3 November 2026 | | From | Amira Khan trading as Bright Mornings Cleaning5 Mill Lane, Leeds, LS6 2PQ · amira@brightmornings.co.uk | | Bill to | Headingley Lets Ltd, FAO Tom Reid31 Otley Road, Leeds, LS6 3AA | | Description | Qty | Price | Amount | | End-of-tenancy clean, Flat 2, 31 Otley Road (3 hours) | 3 | £25.00 | £75.00 | | Oven deep clean | 1 | £45.00 | £45.00 | | Total due | £120.00 | Terms: Payment due within 14 days. Bank transfer to A Khan, sort code 04-00-04, account 12345678, reference INV-0117, or pay by card via the link in this email. Not VAT registered. One total. The letting agent's bookkeeper reads "Not VAT registered", enters £120 as a cost with no input VAT, and moves on. ## When a customer asks for a VAT invoice This happens, usually from a company whose accounts software has a mandatory "VAT number" box. It can feel like being caught out. You have not been. Here is what is going on and what to say. A VAT-registered customer wants a VAT invoice because they can reclaim the VAT on it. But you have not charged any VAT. There is nothing to reclaim. Your ordinary invoice is the correct document for a purchase from an unregistered supplier, and their bookkeeper records it as a cost with no input VAT. A reply that works: Occasionally a larger business will say they only deal with VAT-registered suppliers. That is a preference, not a rule, and one reason some people register early (next section). Do not, under any circumstances, add a VAT line to keep them happy. Charging VAT when you are not registered is an offence. ## When registering voluntarily can make sense You can register below the threshold if you want to. For a few businesses it is worth it; for most sole traders selling to the public it is not. The arithmetic goes roughly like this. It can make sense when: - Most of your customers are VAT-registered businesses. They reclaim the VAT you add, so your price to them does not really go up, and you get to reclaim VAT on your own purchases. A freelance designer working for agencies, or a subcontractor working for a bigger building firm, often falls here. - You buy a lot of VATable materials or kit. A joiner spending £30,000 a year on timber and tools is paying £5,000 of VAT they cannot reclaim while unregistered. - You are heading over the threshold anyway and would rather do it on a quiet month than mid-chaos. It rarely makes sense when: - Your customers are households. They cannot reclaim VAT, so registering means either putting your prices up 20% or absorbing it. A cleaner, gardener, tutor or wedding photographer serving the public is usually better off staying unregistered until they have to. - You buy very little. Nothing to reclaim, all the admin of quarterly returns. This is genuinely a case-by-case decision, and the Flat Rate Scheme and other wrinkles can change the sums. Check with your accountant or HMRC before registering, and do the arithmetic on your real numbers rather than a hunch. ### The gap between applying and getting your number If you do register, there is usually a wait for your VAT number, and you may owe VAT on sales from your effective date before it arrives. You cannot issue VAT invoices without a number, so the usual approach is to price to include the VAT, note that a VAT invoice will follow, and reissue once the number is in. HMRC publishes guidance on this; follow it rather than improvising. ## Non-VAT invoice vs VAT invoice, side by side The same £120 cleaning job, invoiced by an unregistered business and by a registered one. | Item | Not VAT registered | VAT registered | | Heading | Invoice | Invoice (or VAT invoice / tax invoice) | | Invoice number | INV-0117 | INV-0117 | | Your details | Name, trading name, address | Name, trading name, address, VAT number | | Customer details | Name and address | Name and address | | Date | Invoice date | Invoice date and tax point if different | | Line: clean, 3 hours | £75.00 | £75.00 net, VAT 20% £15.00 | | Line: oven clean | £45.00 | £45.00 net, VAT 20% £9.00 | | Totals | Total due £120.00 | Net £120.00VAT £24.00Total due £144.00 | | VAT note | "Not VAT registered" (optional) | Rate and amount shown per line and in totals | | Customer can reclaim | Nothing (nothing was charged) | £24.00 if they are registered | | Payment terms, bank details, card link | Yes | Yes | The left column is shorter, and that is the point. The only decision you are making as an unregistered business is to leave the right-hand column's extras off, cleanly and completely. ## The same rule for your other documents Everything above applies to every document you send, not only invoices. A quote from an unregistered business quotes one price, with no "plus VAT". A receipt shows the amount paid, full stop. A credit note credits the amount, with no VAT element to reverse. Consistency matters: if your quote said £120 and your invoice says £120, nobody has to ask what happened in between. Keep everything you send for at least 5 to 6 years; digital is fine. A list of every invoice with a running total is also the thing that warns you about the threshold in time, rather than three months too late. ## Do this in SendInvoice Leave tax at zero and your invoice shows a single clean total with no VAT line; add "Not VAT registered" to your default terms once and it appears on every document. When you do register, switch to a Tax invoice and the VAT fields are already there. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can I send an invoice if I am not VAT registered? Yes. Any business can invoice. VAT registration only changes what extra information the invoice must carry. If you are not registered, you simply leave VAT off. ### Do I write "VAT 0%" on my invoice if I am not registered? No. "VAT 0%" means zero-rated VAT, which is a specific thing only registered businesses deal with. Leave the VAT column and VAT line off entirely. If you want to say something, write "Not VAT registered". ### Should I put my VAT number on the invoice if I am not registered? You do not have one, so no. Never put a made-up or pending number on an invoice. If you have applied for registration and are waiting, see the section on registering for what to do in the gap. ### What is the VAT registration threshold? £90,000 of VAT-taxable turnover in any rolling 12-month period, at the time of writing. It is a rolling check, not a tax-year one, so look back over the last 12 months at the end of every month once you get anywhere near it. ### A customer says they need a VAT invoice. What do I send? Explain that you are not VAT registered, so no VAT has been charged and there is nothing for them to reclaim. Your ordinary invoice is the correct document. Most accounts departments are satisfied once they understand there is no VAT in the price. ### Can I register for VAT voluntarily below the threshold? Yes. It can make sense if most of your customers are VAT-registered businesses (they reclaim the VAT so your price is unchanged to them) and you buy a lot of VATable materials you could reclaim. It rarely makes sense if your customers are the public. Check with your accountant. ### What happens to my invoices when I do register? From your effective date of registration every invoice must be a VAT invoice: VAT number, VAT rate and amount per line, net total, VAT total and gross total. Your numbering carries on; only the content changes. Invoices issued before that date stay as they were. ### Does the £90,000 threshold include VAT? There is no VAT in your sales to include, since you are not charging it. The threshold is measured on your VAT-taxable turnover, essentially everything you sell that would be standard, reduced or zero rated if you were registered. Exempt sales do not count. --- # Labour and Materials on an Invoice: Separate Lines, Mark-ups, Receipts and VAT Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/labour-and-materials-on-an-invoice - Why labour and materials belong on separate lines - How to show materials - Marking up materials, and how to explain it - What to do with the merchant receipts - VAT: it applies to the whole supply - Worked example: Aisha's bath replacement - When the customer supplies the materials - A word on the labour line Aisha is a plumber in Leicester, VAT registered, one van and a lad two days a week. She has just finished a bath replacement: new acrylic bath, mixer tap, waste, and a re-route of the hot and cold because the old pipework came up through the wrong side. Her materials bill from the merchant was £487. The customer looks at the invoice and says, "The bath is £380 on here. I saw the same one online for £329." It is a fair question, and the answer lives in how you lay out labour and materials on the invoice. ## Why labour and materials belong on separate lines You could put one line on the invoice: "Bath replacement, £1,302." Some trades do. It is almost always a mistake, for four reasons. - The customer can follow it. A bill that says what the parts were and what the time was reads as honest. A single number reads as a guess. - You can see your own margin. If every invoice is one lump, you have no idea whether the job made money on labour, on materials, or at all. - Tax rules care about the split. If you work for a contractor under the Construction Industry Scheme, the deduction applies to labour only, not materials, so the invoice has to show both. The CIS invoice example shows the layout. - Disputes get smaller. When Aisha's customer queries the bath, they are querying £51 on one line, not the whole £1,302. That is a two-minute conversation, not a stand-off. The habit is simple: labour as its own line (or lines), each significant part as its own line, and small bits bundled as "sundries". ## How to show materials There is a judgement call on how far to itemise. The rule that works: anything the customer could Google gets its own line; anything they would not recognise gets bundled. On Aisha's job that means the bath, the tap and the waste each get a line, because they are the things the customer chose or could have chosen. The 15mm copper, the fittings, the solder, the PTFE and the silicone go on one line as "pipe, fittings and sundries". Nobody wants a 40-line invoice for a bathroom, and nobody is going to argue about 60p of PTFE. Three things to put on each material line: - What it is, specifically enough to identify. "Bath, 1700 x 700 acrylic, reinforced" rather than "bath". If the customer picked a particular model, name it; it shows they got what they asked for. - Quantity and unit price where there is more than one of something: "Isolation valves, 15mm, 4 @ £3.80". - Who supplied it, if it was not you. "Tap supplied by customer" on a line with a nil price makes it clear it is not covered by your guarantee. In SendInvoice each line has a description, quantity, unit price and amount, and you can save the parts you fit every week as saved items so "Isolation valve 15mm" is one tap rather than typing it in the van for the fortieth time. ## Marking up materials, and how to explain it Here is the honest answer to Aisha's customer. The bath cost her £312 at trade. She charged £380. The difference is a mark-up of about 22%, and it is entirely legitimate, because the customer is not buying a bath from a website. They are buying a bath that Aisha chose for the space, collected in the van, carried up the stairs, fitted, and will come back and sort out if it cracks in a year. If they buy it online and it arrives damaged, that is their afternoon on the phone. If Aisha buys it, it is hers. How much is reasonable? Most trades sit between 10% and 25% on trade price. The bigger the item and the more of your time it absorbs (sourcing, collecting, returning the wrong one), the more the mark-up earns its keep. On a £4 fitting it is pennies and nobody minds. On a £2,000 boiler, 25% is £500 and you should be ready to explain it, or charge less mark-up and more labour. Two rules that keep you on the right side of your customers: - Never claim a price was your cost if it was not. You do not have to disclose what you paid. You must not lie about it. - Be consistent. A fixed percentage across every job is easier to defend than a number you make up per customer. Some customers, especially landlords and letting agents, ask for materials "at cost". That is fine as long as you then charge for the time you spend getting them, as a visible line: "Collection and handling of materials, 1 hour, £45". Cost plus nothing is a job you are doing for free. ## What to do with the merchant receipts Your merchant invoices and till receipts are your purchase records. They matter for two people: you, because they are the evidence of your costs when you do your Self Assessment; and HMRC, if they ever ask. They do not belong to the customer, and you are not obliged to hand them over unless you agreed to charge at cost. What does matter is keeping them. Paper receipts from a merchant counter fade to nothing in a hot van within a summer. The habit that saves you at tax time: - Photograph every receipt the day you get it, in the van, before it goes in the door pocket. - File the photo by job or by month. A folder per month on your phone is enough. - Note which customer invoice the materials went on. When you look back in January, "£487 at the merchant on 9 October" means nothing; "£487, Mrs Patel's bath, INV-0231" does. - Keep everything for at least five to six years. From April 2026, Making Tax Digital for Income Tax applies to the self-employed with income over £50,000 (then £30,000 from April 2027, £20,000 from April 2028, at the time of writing), and digital records stop being optional. Photos filed by month are a perfectly good start; you do not need full accounting software to be ready. Check with your accountant on what they want from you. ## VAT: it applies to the whole supply This is the part that catches people who have just registered. When you supply labour and materials together, you are making one supply of "fitting a bath", and VAT applies to the whole of it at the normal rate. It does not matter that the merchant already charged you VAT on the bath; you reclaim that as input tax, and you charge your customer VAT on your price, materials and labour together. Aisha's £380 bath line gets 20% on it, just like her labour. Some specific work qualifies for reduced or zero rates: certain energy-saving materials, some work on new builds, some work for people with disabilities. Do not guess; check HMRC's notices or ask your accountant before putting anything other than 20% on a line, because getting it wrong is your problem, not the customer's. If you are not VAT registered, none of this applies and you must not show VAT on the invoice at all. But note the hidden cost: the VAT the merchant charged you is simply part of what the bath cost, and you cannot reclaim it, so price your materials accordingly. The invoicing when not VAT registered post goes through the layout. ## Worked example: Aisha's bath replacement Aisha is VAT registered, so VAT at 20% appears on every line and in the totals. She charges labour as a day rate (the day rate vs fixed price post explains when that makes sense) and shows the half day as 0.5. Invoice INV-0231 from A. Khan Plumbing, VAT no. shown, to Mrs R. Patel, 22 Cedar Road, Leicester. Date 10 October 2026. Payment due within 7 days. | Description | Qty | Unit | Amount | | Labour: remove old bath, re-route hot and cold supplies to tap end, fit new bath, waste and tap, seal and test | 1.5 days | £320.00 | £480.00 | | Bath, 1700 x 700 acrylic, reinforced, with legs and frame | 1 | £380.00 | £380.00 | | Bath/shower mixer tap, chrome, as chosen by customer | 1 | £145.00 | £145.00 | | Bath waste and overflow, pop-up, chrome | 1 | £38.00 | £38.00 | | Pipe, fittings, isolation valves, silicone and sundries | 1 | £42.00 | £42.00 | | Subtotal (net) | £1,085.00 | | VAT at 20% | £217.00 | | Total due | £1,302.00 | Notes: Old bath removed and disposed of. All parts guaranteed 12 months, workmanship 24 months. Pay by card using the link in this email or by bank transfer to the details below. Aisha's margin on that invoice, for her own eyes only: materials cost her £487 and she billed £605, so £118 on parts, plus her labour. If she had billed one line for £1,302 she would never have known, and neither would the customer. ## When the customer supplies the materials It happens more and more: the customer has bought a tap from a showroom, or a bathroom suite in a sale, and wants you to fit it. Invoice labour only, and put a nil-price line on the invoice that says the item was supplied by the customer. Then protect yourself in three ways, ideally on the quote before you start: - You do not guarantee customer-supplied items, only your fitting of them. - If the item turns out to be wrong, incomplete or faulty, time spent is chargeable, including a return visit. - Many trades add a modest fitting surcharge on customer-supplied items because the risk of a wasted morning is real. If you do, say so up front. Showing it this way means that when the £329 online bath turns up with a cracked rim, the conversation is about the retailer, not about you. ## A word on the labour line Describe what you did, not just how long it took. "Labour, 1.5 days" invites the question "doing what?". "Remove old bath, re-route supplies, fit new bath, waste and tap, seal and test" answers it before it is asked, and reads well if the invoice is ever in front of a third party. If you charge by the hour, show hours and rate; if it was a fixed price, say "as per quote QUO-0198" so the customer can match it. For emergency work, the call-out is its own line too; see call-out fees and emergency work. Everything else about a trade invoice, from numbering to bank details, is in how to invoice as a plumber, and the same layout works whatever your trade. ## Do this in SendInvoice Labour and each part on its own line, VAT per line where you need it, and saved items for the fittings you use every week, all from your phone in the van. Free to create and preview; £5 a month to send with a Pay button and track what is paid. ## Frequently asked questions ### Should labour and materials be on separate lines on an invoice? Yes, almost always. Separate lines make the invoice easier for the customer to follow, make your own margins visible to you, and matter for tax: if you are a CIS subcontractor the deduction applies to labour only, and if a customer queries a figure you can discuss one line rather than the whole bill. Bundle only small sundries, never the main parts. ### Can I mark up materials I buy for a customer? Yes. You are supplying the materials as part of your service, and the mark-up covers your time sourcing and collecting them, your trade account risk, and the fact that you stand behind the part if it fails. A mark-up of 10% to 20% on trade price is typical. You are not obliged to tell the customer what you paid, but never claim a price was your cost when it was not. ### Do I have to give the customer my merchant receipts? Not unless you agreed to charge materials at cost, in which case you should show them. Otherwise the merchant invoice is your purchase record, kept for your own accounts, and your invoice is the customer's record of what they bought from you. If a customer asks, offering to charge at cost plus a visible collection fee is a fair alternative. ### If I am VAT registered, do I charge VAT on materials as well as labour? Yes. When you supply labour and materials together, the whole supply is normally charged at the standard rate, whatever rate the merchant charged you. Some specific work qualifies for reduced or zero rates, for example certain energy-saving measures, so check HMRC's notices or your accountant before applying anything other than 20%. ### What if the customer supplies their own materials? Invoice labour only and say on the invoice that materials were supplied by the customer. Make clear, ideally on the quote, that you cannot guarantee customer-supplied parts, and that if a part turns out to be wrong or faulty the time spent is chargeable. Many trades add a small fee for fitting customer-supplied items because of the risk. ### How long do I keep receipts for materials? Keep merchant invoices, receipts and bank records for at least five to six years. A photo of the receipt taken in the van, filed by job, is enough; paper fades and gets lost. Under Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, which starts in April 2026 for the self-employed with income over £50,000, digital records become a requirement rather than a convenience. --- # Quote vs Estimate vs Invoice: Which to Send, and How to Turn One Into the Next Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/quote-estimate-invoice-difference - Three documents, one job - What is a quote - What is an estimate - What is an invoice - Quote vs estimate vs invoice at a glance - The real-world flow: quote on site, accepted, invoiced, paid - Turning an accepted quote into an invoice in one tap - The deposit step: where a proforma invoice fits - Mistakes that cost real money You have looked at the job, you have a figure in your head, and now the customer asks: "Can you put that in writing?" What you send next matters more than most people think. A quote commits you to a price. An estimate does not. An invoice asks for money. Mix them up and you can end up doing a bigger job for the smaller number, or arguing about a bill the customer never agreed to. Here is the difference, in plain English, and the way the three fit together on a real job. ## Three documents, one job Think of a quote, an estimate and an invoice as the same job seen at three moments. - Before you start, you tell the customer what it will cost. If you are sure, that is a quote. If you are not, that is an estimate. - After you finish, you ask for the money. That is an invoice. Everything else, the numbers, the VAT, the wording, follows from which moment you are in. ## What is a quote A quote is a fixed price for a defined piece of work. When Sam the electrician writes "Replace consumer unit, 12 circuits, including certificate: £640" and the customer says yes, that is the price. If the job turns out fiddlier than expected, that is Sam's problem, not the customer's. Because it is a commitment, a good quote is specific: - exactly what is included (and, often more usefully, what is not); - the price, and whether VAT is included if you are registered; - how long the price is valid for; - when payment is due and whether a deposit is needed; - a reference number and the date. Use a quote when you can see the whole job and are confident of the cost: standard installations, a logo with two rounds of revisions, a hedge cut you have done fifty times. The quote page has a template and the fields SendInvoice fills in for you. ## What is an estimate An estimate is your best guess. It says "roughly this much, but it could change". Sam might estimate a rewire at "£3,200 to £3,800 depending on what we find under the floor", because nobody knows what is under the floor until the boards are up. An estimate is not binding in the way a quote is. The final bill can be higher, as long as the increase is reasonable and you explained the uncertainty up front. The unwritten rule is that a final figure within about 10 to 15 per cent of the estimate is fair; beyond that, customers expect to have been warned before you carried on. An estimate carries the same details as a quote, but the price is a figure or a range, and it should say clearly that it is an estimate and what might change it. Use one when the scope is uncertain: repairs where you cannot see the fault yet, renovation work, anything "while you are here, could you also...". The estimate page has a ready-made layout that makes the "this is an estimate" wording obvious. ## What is an invoice An invoice is a request for payment for work done or goods supplied. It is the only one of the three that is a formal bill, and the only one HMRC has rules about. In the UK an invoice must show a unique number, your name or business name and address, the customer's name and address, the date, a description of what was supplied and the amount due. If you are VAT registered, add your VAT number, the VAT rate and amount, the tax point and the net total. If you are not VAT registered, do not show VAT at all; it is not yours to charge. If no payment terms are agreed, the law assumes 30 days. After that, the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 lets you charge statutory interest at 8% above the Bank of England base rate plus a fixed fee (£40 for debts under £1,000, at the time of writing). It helps to say on the invoice that you can. ## Quote vs estimate vs invoice at a glance | | Quote | Estimate | Invoice | | When sent | Before the work, when the scope is clear | Before the work, when the scope is uncertain | After the work (or at agreed stages) | | Binding? | Yes, once accepted | No, a guide only | Yes, it is a demand for payment | | Needs a number? | Not by law, but strongly recommended | Not by law, but strongly recommended | Yes, unique and sequential | | Shows VAT? | If registered, say whether prices include VAT | If registered, say whether prices include VAT | If registered, VAT number, rate, amount and tax point are required | | Creates a tax point? | No | No | Yes (for VAT-registered businesses) | | Customer action | Accept or decline | Accept the approach, expect a final figure | Pay by the due date | | Typical validity | 30 days | 30 days | Due in 7 to 30 days | ## The real-world flow: quote on site, accepted, invoiced, paid Here is how it goes for Sam on a Tuesday. - 9.40am, on site. Sam counts the circuits on the old fuse board and opens SendInvoice on her phone. She picks Quote, starts typing the customer's name and it suggests "Mrs Okafor, 14 Linden Road" from a job last year. She adds "Replace consumer unit, 12-way, incl. EICR certificate" from her saved items at £640, sets "Valid for 30 days" in the terms, and sends it from the van as QUO-0017. - Thursday. Mrs Okafor replies "Yes please, can you do next week?" The quote is accepted. Nothing changes on the document; Sam just knows the price is now fixed. - Following Wednesday, 3.15pm. Job done, certificate signed. Sam opens QUO-0017 in My Documents, taps Create from this and chooses Invoice. - 3.16pm. A new invoice, INV-0042, appears with the customer, the item, the £640 and the tax already filled in. Sam adds the payment terms, taps Send. The email has the PDF attached and a Pay button. - That evening. Mrs Okafor pays by card from her sofa. INV-0042 flips to Paid with a green tick. Sam did not type her address once. The quote and the invoice are the same facts at two moments, so you should only have to type them once. ## Turning an accepted quote into an invoice in one tap In SendInvoice every document has a Create from this action. On a quote it suggests what normally comes next: Invoice, Proforma invoice and Tax invoice, with the other types underneath. Choose Invoice and three things happen: - the customer, items, quantities, prices, tax rates and currency are copied across; - the new document gets the next number in your invoice sequence (INV-0042, not QUO-0018), because invoices and quotes are numbered separately; - the two stay linked. The invoice shows From QUO-0017, and in My Documents you can see which quote each invoice came from. You can still edit the invoice before sending it. The quote stays untouched, so there is always a record of what was originally agreed. Here it is in motion, recorded in the real app (no sound): ## The deposit step: where a proforma invoice fits Sam does not want to buy a £180 consumer unit on a promise. The document for money up front is a proforma invoice. A proforma is a request for payment that is not yet a real invoice. It looks like one and can carry a Pay button, but it does not create a tax point or go into your invoice sequence as a sale. You issue it for the deposit, the customer pays, and when the job is finished you issue the proper invoice showing the deposit already paid. So the flow becomes: quote accepted; Create from this to a proforma for the deposit; deposit paid; job done; Create from this on the quote again for the final invoice, with a line deducting the deposit. Every document links back to the quote, so when Mrs Okafor asks in March what she paid and when, the answer is one search away. Worked example: the paper trail for one job | Document | Number | Amount | Purpose | | Quote | QUO-0017 | £640.00 | Fixed price, valid 30 days | | Proforma invoice | PRO-0005 (From QUO-0017) | £192.00 | 30% deposit, to order parts | | Invoice | INV-0042 (From QUO-0017) | £448.00 | Balance on completion (£640 less £192 deposit) | ## Mistakes that cost real money - Calling an estimate a quote. If the word "quote" is on the document, the customer will hold you to it. Not sure of the price? Say estimate, and say what might move it. - Sending the quote as an invoice. Now you have an unpaid invoice for work you have not done, and if you are VAT registered you may have triggered a tax point early. Use a quote, then a proforma if you need money up front. - Doing extras without a word in writing. "Happy to add the outside socket, that is an extra £85, OK?" takes ten seconds and saves an argument on the invoice. ## Do this in SendInvoice Send the quote from site, then turn it into the invoice in one tap when the job is done, with the customer, items and prices carried over and a link back to the original quote. Quotes, estimates and proformas are all included. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is a quote legally binding in the UK? Once the customer accepts it, a quote is generally treated as a fixed-price offer that forms part of the contract, so you cannot simply charge more later. An estimate is only a rough figure and is not binding in the same way. If something unexpected comes up on a quoted job, agree any extra in writing before you do the work. ### Can I charge more than my estimate? Usually yes, within reason. An estimate is your best guess, not a promise, and the final bill can go up or down. Customers tend to accept a final figure that is roughly 10 to 15 per cent over an estimate if you explained why; much more than that and you should have warned them before carrying on. ### Does a quote need a number? There is no legal rule that a quote must be numbered, but it is a very good habit. A number such as QUO-0017 makes the quote easy to refer to when the customer accepts it, and lets you link the invoice back to it. ### Should I show VAT on a quote? If you are VAT registered, yes: show whether prices are inclusive or exclusive of VAT and the rate, so there are no surprises on the invoice. If you are not VAT registered, do not mention VAT at all; you cannot charge it. ### What is the difference between a quote and a proforma invoice? A quote is an offer of a price. A proforma invoice is a request for payment before the work or goods are delivered, usually for a deposit. Neither is a VAT invoice, so neither creates a tax point. Once the job is done, you send a proper invoice. ### Can I turn a quote into an invoice without retyping it? Yes. In SendInvoice you open the accepted quote, tap Create from this, choose Invoice, and a new invoice is created with the customer, items, prices and tax carried over. It gets the next invoice number and shows a From QUO-0017 link back to the original quote. ### How long should a quote be valid for? Thirty days is common, but it is your call. Put the validity period on the quote itself, for example "Valid for 30 days from the date above", so that if material prices move you are not held to an old figure. --- # Receipts for Cash Jobs and the Records HMRC Expects From a Tradesperson Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/receipts-for-cash-jobs-and-hmrc-records - Cash jobs are legal; undeclared ones are not - Why you want a receipt even when they do not - What goes on a cash receipt - Worked example: Gavin's cash receipt - Recording it the same day - What to keep for Self Assessment - Making Tax Digital, without the panic - The habit, in practice Gavin services boilers from October to Christmas almost without stopping: six a day, £85 each, and about half of them paid in cash at the door. At the fourth house on a Tuesday the customer hands him four twenties and a five, says "no need for a receipt, love", and closes the door. Gavin has done nothing wrong, and neither has she. Whether anything goes wrong depends entirely on what he does with that £85 before he starts the van. ## Cash jobs are legal; undeclared ones are not Let's clear this up first, because the phrase "cash in hand" has picked up a smell it does not deserve. Being paid in cash is legal. Preferring cash is legal. Your customer handing you notes is not doing anything wrong, and neither are you by taking them. What is not legal is the thing people actually mean when they wink and say "cash job": income that never gets written down and never reaches your tax return. That is tax evasion, and HMRC does not grade it by size. It treats a tradesperson with £8,000 of unrecorded boiler services the same way it treats a bigger fish, with the added disadvantage that if your records are poor HMRC can estimate your income and charge you tax, interest and penalties on its estimate, not yours. The burden then falls on you to prove it was less. So the rule is simple: cash is just another way of being paid. It gets a receipt, it gets recorded, and it gets declared. Do that and there is nothing to worry about, ever. ## Why you want a receipt even when they do not The customer who waves away a receipt is thinking of it as a bit of paper for her. It is at least as much for you. - It proves what was done and paid. If the boiler stops in February and she says "he never serviced it", the dated receipt with the serial number is your answer. - It is her evidence too. Landlords need proof of gas work; buyers' solicitors ask for boiler service history; insurers ask for it after a leak. "No need for a receipt" becomes "can you send me that receipt?" in April with surprising regularity. - It is your record. A numbered receipt in your document list is an entry in your books. Without it, the £85 is a memory, and memories do not survive to the 31 January deadline. - It looks professional. A branded receipt emailed from the doorstep says more about you than the sticker on the van. Default to issuing one every time, and make it easy: "I'll email the receipt over now, what's the best address?" Nobody refuses that. ## What goes on a cash receipt A receipt is proof of payment, where an invoice is a request for it; invoice vs receipt explains the difference. For a cash job where you did not invoice first, the receipt carries the detail an invoice would: - Your name or business name, address and contact details (and your VAT number if registered) - The customer's name and address (the address of the property is useful for gas work) - The date and a receipt number that follows on from the last one - What you did: the appliance, the work, any parts - The amount, and the words Paid in cash with the date - Anything the customer needs to keep: a Gas Safe registration number, a note that the Benchmark record was completed, a serial number If you invoiced first and the customer later paid cash, you have two choices: mark the invoice paid and send that as confirmation, or create a receipt from the invoice so the two documents are linked and the receipt quotes the invoice number. Either is fine; the point is that the money and the document match. ## Worked example: Gavin's cash receipt Gavin is a sole trader and not VAT registered, so no VAT appears. He found a tired thermocouple on the service and replaced it while he was there, which went on as a part and ten minutes of extra labour, agreed at the door. Cash receipt REC-0062 from G. Morgan Heating (Gas Safe reg. shown) to Mrs J Hughes, 7 Mill Street. Dated 4 November. | Description | Qty | Unit price | Amount | | Annual boiler service: Worcester Greenstar 30i, serial no. noted, combustion check, flue test, safety checks | 1 | £85.00 | £85.00 | | Part: replacement thermocouple | 1 | £24.00 | £24.00 | | Labour: fit thermocouple and retest | 1 | £20.00 | £20.00 | | Total paid (no VAT; not VAT registered) | | | £129.00 | Paid in cash, 4 November. Thank you. Service record completed in the boiler's Benchmark log. Next service due November next year. Gavin builds this on his phone in the van in about a minute: the From details are already saved, Mrs Hughes comes up as he starts typing in Bill To because he serviced the same boiler last year, the service is a saved item, and he adds two lines for the part. Email, done, next house. The number REC-0062 follows REC-0061 from the house before, and the sequence is his audit trail. ## Recording it the same day The receipt is half the job. The other half is making sure the cash shows up in your records as income, and the only reliable way is to do it before the next house. - Number every receipt and never skip one. A gap in the sequence is a question you will have to answer later. Invoice numbering explains the habit; receipts follow the same rule. - Keep a cash log. Date, receipt number, customer, amount. It can be a page in a notebook or a column in your exported document list; what matters is that it exists and matches the receipts. - Bank the cash, or at least account for it. Paying cash into your business account with the receipt numbers in the reference makes your bank statement match your receipts, which is the cleanest possible record. If you use some of it for diesel and fittings, those are expenses and need their own receipts; the full £129 is still income. - Mark it paid in your documents. If the job was invoiced and paid in cash, mark the invoice Paid by hand so your list of unpaid work is true. Chasing a customer for an invoice they paid in cash at the door is a bad look. ## What to keep for Self Assessment As a sole trader you report your income and expenses on a Self Assessment return each year, and HMRC expects you to be able to back up every figure. The records that matter for a trade are not complicated: | Record | Why it matters | | Every invoice and receipt you issued | Your sales income, including cash | | Cash log | Ties cash receipts to the money and to your bankings | | Business bank statements | Confirms income received and expenses paid | | Receipts for materials, parts, tools, fuel, insurance, Gas Safe registration, phone | Your allowable expenses | | Mileage log (if you claim mileage) or vehicle costs | Vehicle expenses | | CIS deduction statements, if you subcontract to builders | Tax already deducted, reclaimed through your return | Keep them for at least five years after the 31 January filing deadline of the tax year they belong to; most accountants say six to be safe. Digital copies are fine, so a photo of a merchant's receipt taken in the car park is a valid record, as long as it is readable and you can find it. A folder per tax year, on a service that backs itself up, is enough. Most sole traders use the cash basis for Self Assessment, which means income counts when you receive it, not when you invoice it. A job invoiced in March and paid in cash in April falls into the new tax year under the cash basis. If that matters to you, or you are not sure which basis you are on, check with your accountant or HMRC; tax points like this are exactly where a quick question saves a slow correction. ## Making Tax Digital, without the panic Making Tax Digital for Income Tax is HMRC's move from one annual return to digital records and quarterly updates sent through compatible software. At the time of writing the timetable for sole traders is April 2026 for income over £50,000, April 2027 for over £30,000 and April 2028 for over £20,000. If you are below those thresholds nothing changes yet, but the thresholds are gross income, not profit, and a busy one-van heating business clears £50,000 of turnover sooner than you might think. Cash income is treated exactly like any other income under MTD; it simply has to be in your digital records. The habit described above, a numbered receipt for every cash job and a log that matches, is already most of the way there: an export of your documents to Excel is a digital sales record, and your accountant or MTD software takes it from there. SendInvoice does not file MTD updates itself and is not accounting software, so you will still need something that submits to HMRC when your turn comes, but you will not be starting from a shoebox. The post on going self-employed as a tradesperson covers setting up records from day one. ## The habit, in practice Here is Gavin's version, which takes him under two minutes per cash job and has survived three busy winters: - Service done, cash in hand. Build the receipt on the phone before leaving the drive, email it, and quote the Gas Safe number on it. - Once a week, filter My Documents to Receipts for the week, export to Excel, and paste the cash ones into his cash log with the banking reference. - Friday afternoon, pay the week's cash into the business account with "REC-0058 to REC-0064" in the reference. - Materials receipts photographed on the day and dropped in the tax-year folder. - January: send the folder and the exports to the accountant and go back to work. None of it is clever. All of it is the difference between a cash job and an undeclared one. And the receipt, the thing the customer said she did not need, is where it all starts. One last thought: if you would rather have less cash to log, give customers an easy alternative. A Pay button in an emailed invoice, or a bank transfer done while you are still there, lands in your account with a reference already attached, and you can see which jobs are paid at a glance. Getting paid on the day compares the options. ## Do this in SendInvoice Issue a numbered cash receipt from the doorstep with your Gas Safe number on it, turn an invoice into a linked receipt in one tap, and export the lot to Excel for your cash log and your accountant. Free to create and preview; £5 a month to send, track and take card payments. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is it legal to be paid cash in hand for a job? Yes. Cash is a perfectly legal way to be paid, and a customer paying in notes is not doing anything wrong. What is illegal is not recording the income and not declaring it to HMRC. A cash job that goes on a receipt, into your records and onto your tax return is just a job. One that does not is tax evasion, however small. ### Do I have to give a receipt for cash? There is no general law that forces a sole trader to hand over a receipt, but you should always offer one and your customer may insist on it. A receipt protects you both: it proves what was paid and for what, it is the customer's evidence for a landlord, a house sale or an insurance claim, and it is the record HMRC expects you to have. ### What should a cash receipt include? Your name or business name and address, the customer's name and address, the date, a receipt number, a description of the work, the amount, and the words paid in cash. If you are VAT registered it must also show your VAT number and the VAT. If you invoiced first, quote the invoice number so the two tie together. ### How long do I need to keep records as a sole trader? HMRC expects self-employed people to keep records for at least five years after the 31 January filing deadline of the tax year they relate to; many accountants say keep six to be safe. That covers invoices, receipts, bank statements, a cash log and materials receipts. Digital copies are fine, as long as they are complete and readable. ### What is Making Tax Digital and does it affect cash jobs? Making Tax Digital for Income Tax requires sole traders over an income threshold to keep digital records and send quarterly updates to HMRC through compatible software. At the time of writing it applies from April 2026 for income over £50,000, April 2027 for over £30,000 and April 2028 for over £20,000. Cash income counts the same as any other; it just has to be recorded digitally. ### What if a customer asks for a cash price with no VAT? If you are VAT registered, every sale carries VAT whatever the payment method, and knocking off the VAT for cash is evasion for both of you. If you are not VAT registered there is no VAT to knock off anyway, so the honest answer is that your price is your price. Offer a card link or bank transfer alongside cash and the question usually goes away. --- # Retention on Construction Invoices: How to Show It, Track It and Get It Released Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/retention-on-construction-invoices - What retention is and why it exists - Check the contract before you lay a brick - How to show retention on an invoice - A worked example: a stage invoice with retention - Tracking what you are owed - Chasing release at practical completion and after the defects period - A note on homeowners and small jobs Shona runs a three-person brickwork firm in Nottingham. Two years ago they laid the brick and block on eighteen houses for a main contractor, a £24,000 package, paid monthly, 5% retention. The first half of the retention came back at practical completion. The second half, £600, was due a year later and never arrived, because nobody asked for it. She only found it when her accountant queried an old balance. Six hundred pounds is a week of wages for an apprentice, and it was sitting in someone else's bank account because of a missing diary entry. Retention is not complicated. It is just easy to forget, and that is exactly what some contractors are counting on. ## What retention is and why it exists Retention is a slice of every payment, typically 3% to 5%, that the main contractor keeps back as security. The idea is simple: if you disappear, or your work turns out to have defects, the contractor has money in hand to put it right. In return, you get it back in two halves. The first half is released at practical completion, when the whole project is signed off as finished. The second half is released at the end of the defects period, commonly 12 months later, once any snags have been fixed. Two things retention is not. It is not a discount; the full value of your work is still earned and still owed. And it is not something a contractor can simply decide to do. It has to be in the subcontract order or the terms you agreed. If your order says nothing about retention and the first payment notice has 5% missing, that is a question to ask straight away, politely, in writing. The Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996, the Construction Act, sits in the background here. For construction contracts between businesses lasting more than 45 days it requires staged payments and a payment notice and pay less notice process, and it gives you the right to adjudication if a dispute cannot be settled. It does not apply to contracts with homeowners, which is one reason retention has no place on domestic jobs. ## Check the contract before you lay a brick Before you start, find these five things in the order or terms and write them on the inside cover of the job file: - The percentage. 3% and 5% are the usual figures. Anything higher is worth pushing back on. - The trigger for the first release. Practical completion of the whole project, or of your section of it? On a housing scheme that can be the difference between next spring and the one after. - The length of the defects period. Usually 12 months; sometimes 6, occasionally 24. - Whether release is tied to the main contract. Some orders say your retention is released when the contractor's own retention is released by its client. Clauses that make your payment depend on the contractor being paid are generally not enforceable under the Construction Act (with a narrow insolvency exception), but it is better to have the date clear from the start than to argue about it later. - Any cap. Some contracts stop deducting once retention reaches a set sum. ## How to show retention on an invoice The principle is: show what you have earned, then show what is being held, then show what is payable. Never just invoice the net figure. If the gross value is not on the document, the retention disappears from everyone's records, including yours. A clean layout, from the top: - The lines for the work itself: labour and materials separately (a main contractor will want them split for CIS anyway). - Gross value this period, and on cumulative applications the gross value to date less amounts previously certified. - "Less retention 5% of £[gross]" as its own line with a minus figure. - Any CIS deduction on the labour element. - The amount payable. - A note: "Retention held to date on this contract: £[running total]". That last note is the one most small firms leave off, and it is the one that would have saved Shona £600. It makes the contractor's accounts team see the growing balance every month, and it means your own documents carry the total without a separate spreadsheet. For the CIS and reverse charge lines that sit alongside retention, see our CIS invoice example and the VAT reverse charge explained. ## A worked example: a stage invoice with retention Shona's firm is VAT registered and has gross payment status under CIS, so no CIS tax is deducted. The main contractor is VAT registered and not an end user, so the VAT domestic reverse charge applies: she charges no VAT and the contractor accounts for it. Here is stage 2 of the brickwork package. Invoice INV-0472, application no. 2 from SM Brickwork Ltd, 15 Carlton Road, Nottingham NG3 2DJ. VAT no. GB 123 4567 89. UTR 98765 43210 To: Trentside Homes Ltd, Riverside House, Nottingham NG2 1AA. For the attention of the Quantity Surveyor Contract: Brick and block package, Meadow Lane development, plots 1 to 18. Order TH-0455. Contract value £24,000.00 Valuation date: 25 November 2026. Final date for payment: 25 December 2026 | Description | Qty | Rate | Amount | | Labour: blockwork to DPC and brickwork to first lift, plots 7 to 12 | 14 days | £400.00 | £5,600.00 | | Materials: facing bricks, blocks, mortar, wall ties, DPC (delivery notes attached) | 1 | £2,400.00 | £2,400.00 | | Gross value this application | £8,000.00 | | Gross value to date £14,000.00, less previously certified £6,000.00 | £8,000.00 | | Less retention 5% of £8,000.00 | -£400.00 | | CIS: gross payment status, no deduction | £0.00 | | VAT at 20%: reverse charge applies, customer to pay the VAT to HMRC | £0.00 | | Amount payable | £7,600.00 | Retention held to date on this contract: £700.00 (£300.00 from application 1, £400.00 from application 2). Reverse charge: customer to pay the VAT to HMRC. Payment by bank transfer to the account shown. Everything a QS needs is there, and so is everything Shona needs in two years' time: the running retention figure, the contract reference and the dates. If she were not VAT registered, the VAT line would simply not appear; if she were VAT registered but working for a homeowner or a non-VAT-registered customer, she would charge VAT normally and the reverse charge note would go. Check with your accountant or HMRC if you are unsure which applies to you. ## Tracking what you are owed Retention is money you have earned that sits off your radar for a year or more. Across three or four contracts a small firm can easily have £2,000 to £5,000 out in retention at any time. You need one place that answers two questions: how much is held on each contract, and when is each half due? A simple ledger does it, one row per contract: contractor, order number, retention percentage, retention held to date, practical completion date (expected, then actual), defects period end date, first release invoiced and paid, second release invoiced and paid. Update it every time you send an application. Put the two release dates in your phone calendar the day you learn them, with a reminder a week before each. Your invoices carry half the ledger for you if you add the "retention held to date" note each month. In SendInvoice, every application and invoice for the contract is in My Documents with its amount and Paid or Unpaid status; filter by customer and the whole contract is on one screen, and the running retention figure is in the notes of the latest one. When a release falls due you raise a separate invoice for it, so it shows as Unpaid in red until the money lands, rather than hiding inside an old balance. ## Chasing release at practical completion and after the defects period Nobody will offer you your retention. You apply for it, like any other payment, and you do it on the day it becomes due. First half, at practical completion. Find out the PC date. Ask the site manager or QS as the project nears the end; it is often certified by the client's architect or contract administrator, and the contractor knows the date. On that date, or as soon as you know it, send a retention release invoice: Invoice INV-0519 from SM Brickwork Ltd to Trentside Homes Ltd Contract: Brick and block package, Meadow Lane, order TH-0455 | Description | Amount | | Release of first half of retention following practical completion on 14 March 2028. Total retention held £1,200.00; this release 50% | £600.00 | | VAT at 20%: reverse charge applies, customer to pay the VAT to HMRC | £0.00 | | Amount payable | £600.00 | Retention remaining after this release: £600.00, due at the end of the defects period on 14 March 2029. Second half, after the defects period. Twelve months is long enough for everyone to move on. Your calendar reminder fires, you check that any snags raised against your work were attended to (keep the emails), and you send the second release invoice the same way, quoting the end-of-defects date. If you have never been told of any defects, say so on the invoice. If either release is not paid within the contract's payment period, chase as you would any business invoice. A main contractor is a business, so the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 applies: statutory interest at 8% above the Bank of England base rate plus fixed compensation of £40, £70 or £100 per invoice depending on its size, at the time of writing. A formal reminder quoting the contract clause, the PC date and the Act tends to work; the escalation ladder in how to chase an unpaid invoice is the template. If the contractor says it is waiting on its own client, ask for the expected date in writing and take advice if it keeps slipping; adjudication under the Construction Act is designed for exactly this kind of dispute. If the contractor has gone bust, register as a creditor straight away, because retention is often what gets lost in an insolvency. ## A note on homeowners and small jobs Retention is an industry convention between businesses. It does not belong on a kitchen extension for a private homeowner, and the Construction Act's machinery does not apply to residential occupiers anyway. If a homeowner asks to "keep a bit back until we are happy", the better answer is a short snagging visit before the final invoice and a written guarantee on the invoice itself. For how to structure deposits, stages and the final invoice on domestic work, see deposits and staged payments for tradespeople; and for the wider picture of working for contractors, invoicing a main contractor as a subcontractor. ## Do this in SendInvoice Show retention as a clear line on every application, carry the running total in the notes, and raise the release invoices as their own documents so they sit in red until they are paid. Free to create and preview; £5 a month to send, remind and get paid. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is retention on a construction contract? A percentage of each payment, typically 3% to 5%, that the main contractor holds back as security against defects. Half is usually released at practical completion of the project and the other half after the defects period, often 12 months later. It must be in the contract; if your order does not mention retention, the contractor should not be deducting it. ### How do I show retention on an invoice? Show the gross value of the work first, then a separate line, for example "Less retention 5% of £8,000.00: -£400.00", then the amount payable. Add a note with the retention held to date on this contract. Keep the gross figure visible so both sides can see what has been earned and what is being held. ### Do I charge VAT on the retention? If you are VAT registered, VAT on a retained amount is generally accounted for when the retention is released and invoiced, not when it is first held, so the release invoice carries its own VAT treatment. Under the construction reverse charge no VAT is charged either way. Check the current HMRC guidance or ask your accountant for your own situation. ### Can a contractor refuse to release retention because its own client has not paid? On contracts covered by the Construction Act, clauses that make your payment depend on the contractor being paid are generally not enforceable, with a narrow exception for insolvency further up the chain. If a contractor says it is waiting for its client, ask for the release date in writing and take advice if it keeps slipping. ### What if retention is still outstanding years later? It is still owed. Find the contract, your invoices showing retention held, and any evidence of practical completion and the end of the defects period. Send a retention release invoice with a short covering letter, then chase as you would any business debt, with statutory interest under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 if it comes to that. ### Should I accept retention from a homeowner? Usually not. Retention is a construction industry habit between businesses; the Construction Act does not cover contracts with homeowners and there is no custom of holding money back on domestic work. If a homeowner wants comfort about defects, offer a written guarantee and a short snagging period before the final invoice instead. --- # Small Claims Court for Unpaid Trade Invoices: Letter Before Action to Enforcement Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/small-claims-court-for-unpaid-trade-invoices - Step one: decide whether it is worth it - Step two: the letter before action - Step three: Money Claim Online - Worked example: the invoice and the claim sum - Step four: the evidence that wins a small claim - Step five: when you win and they still do not pay - Making sure you rarely need any of this Hannah rewired two flats above a shop for a small property company in March: new consumer units, full rewire, testing, certificates issued, £3,240 on 30-day terms. In June the director stopped answering. In July the office said the invoice was "with accounts". It is now November. Hannah has never been inside a court and would rather not start, but £3,240 is seven weeks of mortgage, and she has run out of polite messages. This is what the road from here looks like, step by step, and roughly what it costs. ## Step one: decide whether it is worth it Before any paperwork, three honest questions. - Can they pay? A judgment against a company with no money is an expensive certificate. For a limited company, look it up on Companies House: is it still active, are its accounts filed, has it been struck off or put into liquidation? For a private customer, do they own the house, and are they employed? A county court judgment (CCJ) sits on their credit record for six years, which is a powerful incentive to pay, but only for someone with something to protect. - Is the amount worth your time? A small claim takes a few hours of evenings over a few months. For £3,240 that is an easy yes. For £180 it may still be, because the fee is small and many people pay the moment the claim form arrives. - Is there a genuine dispute? If the customer has a real complaint about the work, the court will want to see that you dealt with it. Answer it in writing, offer to look, fix what is yours to fix, and claim for the rest. Hannah's customer is an active company with property on its books and three years of filed accounts. Worth it. ## Step two: the letter before action Courts in England and Wales expect you to have tried to settle before you claim, and the letter before action is how you prove it. Everything you have sent so far, which for Hannah is the four-step ladder from how to chase an unpaid invoice, is useful background; this letter is the formal one. The rules differ by who you are claiming from, so be careful here: - Private individual (a homeowner): the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims applies when a business claims a debt from an individual. At the time of writing it requires your letter to state the amount and how it arose, how to pay, how to dispute it, and to enclose an information sheet and reply form, and it gives the customer 30 days to respond. Follow it to the letter; a judge can penalise you on costs for skipping it. The current version is on the Ministry of Justice website. - Business (a company, a landlord's company, a letting agent, a main contractor): the debt protocol does not apply, but the general pre-action rules still expect a clear letter and a reasonable time to reply. Fourteen days is common practice. Hannah's customer is a company, so her letter looks like this. LETTER BEFORE ACTIONSent by post and email, 4 November Dear Sirs, Re: invoice INV-0231, £3,240.00, electrical rewiring at Flats 1 and 2, 48 Station Parade The above invoice, dated 28 March and due on 27 April under the 30-day terms on my accepted quote QUO-0198, remains unpaid. I have sent reminders on 28 April, 12 May, 2 June and 30 July and have received no payment and no dispute about the work, which was completed on 26 March and certified. Under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 I am entitled to statutory interest at 8% above the Bank of England base rate from 28 April, together with fixed compensation of £70. As at today's date the interest is £[amount], making a total of £[amount]. Unless I receive payment in full within 14 days of the date of this letter I will issue a claim in the county court without further notice, and will ask for the court fee and continuing interest to be added. Payment can be made by card using the link in the invoice email or by bank transfer to the account details on the invoice. Yours faithfully,Hannah Reid, HR Electrical Enclosed: copy invoice, copy quote, copy reminders ## Step three: Money Claim Online If the 14 days pass with nothing, you claim. In England and Wales, a money claim up to £10,000 is usually allocated to the small claims track, and you can start it from your phone or laptop through Money Claim Online (MCOL) on GOV.UK. The process, at the time of writing: - Register for a Government Gateway account if you do not have one. - Fill in the claim: your details, the defendant's exact legal name and address (for a company, the registered name and office from Companies House, not the trading name on the van), the amount, and a short statement of what you did and what is owed. Plain English, dates, invoice numbers. - Add interest if you are entitled to it, and the fixed compensation sum for a business debt. - Pay the court fee. It is a sliding scale by claim value, from around £35 for the smallest claims at the time of writing, and it is added to your claim, so the defendant pays it if you win. - The defendant has 14 days from service to respond: pay, admit, defend, or ask for more time. If they do nothing, you can request judgment in default, which is a win without a hearing. - If they defend, you are both offered the free small claims mediation service, which settles a lot of these by phone. If not, the court sets a date; small claims hearings are short, informal, and you can represent yourself. On the small claims track each side normally pays their own costs, so if you lose you are usually out the fee and your time, not the other side's solicitor's bill. Fees, limits and the exact online process change; read the current GOV.UK pages before you press submit. Scotland and Northern Ireland are separate. In Scotland, Simple Procedure covers claims up to £5,000 through the sheriff court, with its own forms and online service. In Northern Ireland the small claims process has a lower limit; nidirect has the details. The principles are the same: a clear letter first, then a simple claim, then enforcement. ## Worked example: the invoice and the claim sum Hannah is VAT registered, so her invoice shows VAT. The flats are for a landlord company, not a CIS contractor, and the customer is the end user, so the reverse charge does not apply and VAT is charged normally. (The invoice also notes the certificates issued; the app shows these as ordinary notes, it does not produce them.) Invoice INV-0231 from HR Electrical Ltd (VAT no. shown) to Parade Properties Ltd. Created from QUO-0198. Dated 28 March, due 27 April (30 days). | Description | Qty | Unit price | Amount | | Labour: full rewire, two flats, first and second fix, testing (9 days) | 9 | £220.00 | £1,980.00 | | Materials: 2 x 10-way consumer units, cable, back boxes, accessories, trunking | 1 | £620.00 | £620.00 | | Electrical installation certificates (2) and Part P notification | 2 | £50.00 | £100.00 | | Subtotal | | | £2,700.00 | | VAT at 20% | | | £540.00 | | Total due | | | £3,240.00 | Certificates EIC-4471 and EIC-4472 issued 26 March. Payment terms: 30 days. Late payment: statutory interest and compensation will be claimed under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998. The sum Hannah claims is the invoice plus interest plus compensation plus the court fee. With a base rate of (say) 4%, statutory interest is 12% a year on £3,240, which is about £1.07 a day. From 28 April to 18 November is 204 days, roughly £217. Add the £70 fixed sum for a debt between £1,000 and £9,999.99, and the court fee for a claim of that size, and the claim is the invoice plus a little under £300 plus the fee. Interest keeps running until they pay, which you say in the claim. ## Step four: the evidence that wins a small claim A district judge in a small claims hearing is not looking for a legal argument. They want a clear, dated story that the paperwork backs up. For a trade job, gather: - The accepted quote and the message that said go ahead. If the customer accepted by text, screenshot it with the date visible. See how to write a trade quote for why the scope on the quote matters so much here. - The invoice and proof it was sent: the email with its date, or a record of the send. - Every reminder, with dates. A pattern of calm, spaced reminders and no reply tells the judge everything about who has behaved reasonably. - Photos of the finished work, ideally taken before you left site. Hannah has photos of both consumer units and the test results. - Any messages about extras or complaints, and your replies. - Certificates, delivery notes or sign-off sheets if your trade produces them. A signed delivery note or completion note is excellent evidence. - A one-page timeline: date, what happened, which document. Judges love these. If your invoices live in one place with the sends and reminders dated, assembling this is twenty minutes, not a weekend. From My Documents you can pull a PDF report or an Excel export of a customer's documents to attach to the claim. ## Step five: when you win and they still do not pay A judgment is an order to pay, not a payment. Most defendants pay at this point because of the CCJ. If they do not, you apply to enforce, and each route has its own fee that is added to the debt: - Warrant of control: county court bailiffs attend to collect payment or seize goods. The usual first step for a business debtor with premises or vehicles. - Attachment of earnings: for an employed individual, deductions from their wages through their employer. - Third-party debt order: freezes and takes money from the debtor's bank account, if you know where it is. - Charging order: secures the debt against property they own; it is paid when the property is sold, which can take years, but it does not go away. Pick the route that matches what you know about them. This is where the "can they pay?" question from step one comes home. ## Making sure you rarely need any of this Hannah's company, in hindsight, should have been invoiced in two stages, first fix and completion, so that the exposure at any point was half the job. Working for landlords and agents has its own habits, covered in invoicing landlords and letting agents: purchase order numbers, the property address on every invoice, and 30-day terms that you actually chase on day 31. Beyond that, the things that stop invoices reaching this page are dull and effective: a Pay button in the invoice email, reminders that go out on their own, and a red Overdue badge on your phone each morning so a late invoice gets a nudge at seven days rather than a letter at seven months. Hannah's claim form went in on a Tuesday evening from her kitchen table. Parade Properties paid in full, with interest and the fee, nine days after it was served. That is the usual ending: most people pay when they realise you know the route and are prepared to walk it. ## Do this in SendInvoice Keep every quote, invoice, send and reminder dated in one place, pull a PDF report of a customer's documents for your evidence bundle, and put a Pay button on every invoice so most of them never get near a court. Free to create and preview; £5 a month to send, remind and get paid by card. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the small claims limit in the UK? In England and Wales, claims up to £10,000 are usually allocated to the small claims track, which is designed for people without a solicitor. Scotland uses Simple Procedure for claims up to £5,000, and Northern Ireland has its own small claims process with a lower limit. Limits change, so check GOV.UK, the Scottish Courts website or nidirect before you start. ### How much does it cost to take someone to small claims court? There is a court fee that depends on the amount you are claiming, from around £35 for the smallest claims at the time of writing, rising in steps with the claim value. You add the fee to the claim, so if you win the customer pays it. If the case goes to a hearing there may be a further hearing fee. Check the current fee table on GOV.UK. ### Do I need a letter before action first? Yes. The court expects you to have tried to settle the debt before claiming, and a letter before action is how you show it. If your customer is a private individual, the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims sets out what the letter must contain and gives them 30 days to reply. For a business customer, a clear letter giving 14 days is common practice. ### Can I claim interest on top of the invoice? If the customer is a business, yes: statutory interest at 8% above the Bank of England base rate under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, plus a fixed sum of £40, £70 or £100 depending on the debt size, at the time of writing. If the customer is a private homeowner, you can ask the court for interest under the County Courts Act, typically 8%, at the judge's discretion, and the fixed sums do not apply. ### What evidence do I need for a small claim? The quote the customer accepted, any message saying go ahead, the invoice, proof it was sent, every reminder with its date, photos of the finished work, and any messages about extras or complaints. A simple timeline of dates helps the judge. You do not need a mountain; you need a clear, dated story that matches your invoice. ### What happens if I win but they still do not pay? A judgment is an order, not a payment. If the customer ignores it you apply to enforce it, usually by sending county court bailiffs with a warrant of control, or by an attachment of earnings order, a third-party debt order against their bank account, or a charging order on property. Each has a fee, and none works on someone with nothing, so check they can pay before you start. --- # Your First Invoice as a Sole Trader: a Calm, Step-by-Step Guide Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/sole-trader-first-invoice - The awkward part, named - What to put on it - What not to do - Set your payment terms once - Send it the same day, from your phone - What happens when they pay - Keep a copy, every time - Your first-invoice checklist The job is done. The borders are edged, the lawn is cut, the customer said "that looks lovely" and went inside. Now comes the bit nobody warned you about when you went self-employed: asking for the money. This guide walks you through your first invoice slowly, so the asking feels less like a favour and more like what it is, which is the normal end of a job well done. ## The awkward part, named Almost every sole trader remembers their first invoice. Not the amount, the feeling: hovering over "send", rereading it four times, wondering whether £320 was too much or too little, whether to add "no rush" (do not add "no rush"). Here is the thing that helps. An invoice is not a request for a favour. It is a document that says what you did and what was agreed. The customer expects it. If anything, a prompt, tidy invoice makes you look more professional than the job alone did. So let us make it tidy. ## What to put on it UK law keeps the list short for sole traders. Your invoice needs: - The word "Invoice" at the top. - A unique number. Start at INV-0001. The next one is INV-0002. That is the whole system. - Your name and address. If you trade under a name, both: "Jo Patel trading as Patel Garden Care, 8 Elm Close, Shrewsbury, SY3 7AB". Add your email and mobile. - The customer's name and address. - The date. - What you did, in words a stranger could follow. "Autumn garden tidy: hedge cut, borders cleared and mulched, lawn cut and edged, green waste removed" rather than "gardening". - The amounts per line and the total due. - How and when to pay. A due date, your bank details, and a card link if you have one. That is it. No company number, because you are not a company. No VAT number, because you are not VAT registered (more on that in a moment). If you want the full detail, including what changes for limited companies and VAT-registered businesses, read how to write an invoice in the UK. ### A small example | Description | Qty | Price | Amount | | Autumn garden tidy: hedges, borders, lawn, waste removed | 1 | £260.00 | £260.00 | | Bulbs supplied and planted (tulip and daffodil, 60 mixed) | 1 | £60.00 | £60.00 | | Total due | £320.00 | Terms: Payment due within 7 days. Bank transfer to J Patel, sort code 04-00-04, account 12345678, reference INV-0001, or pay by card using the link in this email. Thank you. No VAT line. No "plus VAT". The total is the total. ## What not to do A few habits that creep in on first invoices and are hard to shake later. - Do not add VAT unless you are registered. You only register for VAT once your turnover passes the threshold (£90,000 in any rolling 12 months, at the time of writing) or you choose to register voluntarily. Until then, VAT does not appear anywhere on your invoice. Charging it when unregistered is an offence, not a rounding error. We have a dedicated post on invoicing when you are not VAT registered. - Do not give 60 days by default. Big companies ask for long terms because they can. You are a one-person business with a van to fuel. 7 or 14 days is normal; for domestic customers "due on receipt" is perfectly polite. If you write nothing, the law assumes 30 days for business customers, which is a long time to wait for money you have already earned. - Do not apologise in the invoice. "Sorry to send this" and "whenever you get a chance" teach the customer that paying you is optional. Say thank you, state the date, done. - Do not leave the payment details off. If the customer has to email you to ask for your sort code, you have added a week. - Do not reuse or skip numbers. If you mess one up, issue a credit note and a fresh invoice. Your sequence stays clean and HMRC never has to ask about the gap. - Do not wait until Sunday night to do the week's invoices. More on this below, because it is the single biggest thing that changes how fast you get paid. ## Set your payment terms once You do not want to decide your terms afresh every time, in the van, with the customer's dog watching. Decide now and write them down somewhere your invoices pull from automatically. A good set of starting terms for a sole trader: - Due date: 7 days for domestic customers, 14 for businesses. - How to pay: bank transfer (account name, sort code, account number, and "please use the invoice number as the reference") plus a card link. - For business customers: one calm sentence noting that late payments may attract statutory interest and compensation under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998. That is 8% plus the Bank of England base rate, and a fixed £40 on debts under £1,000 (at the time of writing). You will rarely use it; having it there changes how your invoice is treated. - A thank you. It costs nothing. In SendInvoice, you type your business details, bank details and default terms into Settings once. Every invoice after that fills them in for you, and your numbering runs on from INV-0001 without you touching it. The first invoice takes ten minutes. The second takes two. ## Send it the same day, from your phone Here is the quiet truth about getting paid: the gap between finishing the work and sending the invoice is the gap you control, and most people waste it. The job finishes at 3pm on a Tuesday. If you invoice on Sunday night, the customer sees it Monday morning, the memory of you has faded a little, and the 7 days now ends the Monday after that. If you invoice from the driveway at 3.10pm, they see it while they are still admiring the hedge. Which invoice do you think gets paid first? So send it before you drive off. On a phone, that looks like: open the app, tap New, pick Invoice, type the customer's name (if you have invoiced them before, it suggests them as you type), add two or three lines, check the total, tap Send. The email goes out with your business name on it, the PDF attached and a Pay button at the top. Your From details, logo and bank details are already filled in, so you only type what is different about this job. And the card link means a domestic customer can pay while they are still standing in the kitchen with their phone, and a surprising number do. And here is a first invoice being made on a phone, recorded in the real app (no sound): ## What happens when they pay This is the part that makes the dread worth it. If they pay by card through the link, the invoice flips to Paid on its own. You get a notification; a green tick appears beside it in My Documents; there is nothing to reconcile. If they pay by bank transfer, you will see it land in your account and mark the invoice paid with one tap. Either way, the next time you open the list you can see at a glance who has paid, who has not, and who is overdue, which is the beginning of a cash-flow habit that will serve you for years. And if they do not pay by the due date? The app sends a friendly reminder, then a firmer one. Most late payments are forgetfulness, not refusal, and a nudge sorts it. You do not have to compose the awkward email yourself. And once a customer has paid you once, their details are saved for next time, and if they want a receipt you can create one from the invoice in a tap. ## Keep a copy, every time HMRC can ask to see your invoices, so keep them all for at least 5 to 6 years. A PDF stored in your invoicing app is fine; you do not need a filing cabinet. At the end of the tax year, exporting the list to a spreadsheet gives your Self Assessment (or your accountant) most of what it needs. If your income grows past £50,000, Making Tax Digital for Income Tax applies from April 2026 (at the time of writing), and having every invoice already digital is most of the preparation. Check the current rules with your accountant or HMRC when you get there. ## Your first-invoice checklist - Says "Invoice" and is numbered INV-0001 - Your name, trading name, address, email, phone - Customer's name and address - Dated today - Plain-English description, one line per thing - Amounts and a clear total; no VAT unless registered - Due date (7 or 14 days), bank details, card link - One line of thanks, no apology - Sent the same day, from wherever you are - Copy saved Ten ticks. Then put the phone in your pocket, and let the next job be the thing you think about. ## Do this in SendInvoice Set up your details, bank details and payment terms once, then create and send your first invoice from your phone in a few minutes, with a Pay button in the email and Paid / Unpaid tracking from day one. ## Frequently asked questions ### Do I need a business bank account to invoice as a sole trader? No. You can be paid into a personal account. Many sole traders open a separate account anyway, simply to keep business money apart from the weekly shop. If you take card payments through your invoicing app, the money is paid out to whichever account you connect. ### Should I put my UTR on my invoice? You do not need to. Your Unique Taxpayer Reference is for HMRC, not customers. Some sole traders add it to look established; it is harmless but not required, and there is no need to share it widely. ### Can a sole trader invoice without a company name? Yes. Your own name is fine: "Jo Patel" is a perfectly valid business name. If you trade under a name, show both, for example "Jo Patel trading as Patel Garden Care". ### Do I charge VAT as a new sole trader? Only if you are VAT registered, and most people starting out are not. Until your turnover reaches the registration threshold (£90,000 in a rolling 12 months at the time of writing) you must not charge VAT or show it on invoices. ### What payment terms should a sole trader use? Shorter than you think. 7 or 14 days is normal for one-person businesses, and "due on receipt" is fine for domestic customers. If you say nothing, the law assumes 30 days for business customers, which is a long time to wait for money you have already earned. ### What if my first customer does not pay? Send a friendly reminder on the day after the due date, a firmer one a week later, then a phone call. Business customers can be charged statutory interest and a fixed fee under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998. Most late payments are forgetfulness, not refusal. ### Do I need to keep a copy of every invoice? Yes. Keep every invoice you send for at least 5 to 6 years, as HMRC can ask to see them. A PDF saved in your invoicing app counts. --- # Simple Terms and Conditions for Tradespeople (Payment, Deposits, Cancellation and Guarantees) Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/terms-and-conditions-for-tradespeople - Why a page of terms beats a handshake - The eight terms that matter on a trade job - The 14-day cooling-off period, explained carefully - Worked example: Dean's quote with terms attached - Writing terms people will actually read - When the terms get tested Dean has been plastering for eleven years and has never had a page of terms. He quoted £1,150 to skim a living room and hallway, collected no deposit, and turned up on Monday with the boards and bags already paid for. On Tuesday morning the customer's husband said they were dropping the hallway because his brother-in-law would do it. By Friday there was a row about who was taking the old artex to the tip. None of it needed to happen. A few plain sentences on the quote would have settled all three. ## Why a page of terms beats a handshake You already have a contract with every customer. The moment they say "go ahead" to a price, the deal exists. The only question is whether the details are written down or left to memory, and memory is on the customer's side the moment money is involved. Terms are not about being heavy. They are a quiet list of what you both expect, written once and attached to every quote and invoice. They do the arguing for you, before the argument starts. Most of the disputes that cost sole traders money are not about the quality of the work; they are about payment dates, deposits, cancellations, extras and waste. Every one of those can be covered in a sentence. Nothing here is legal advice. Trading Standards publishes free guidance for small businesses through its Business Companion site, and a solicitor can check a set of terms for a modest fee if you want belt and braces. What follows is the practical shape of terms that work for a one-van trade. ## The eight terms that matter on a trade job Keep the list short. A customer will read eight lines; they will not read eight pages, and a term nobody read is a term you will struggle to rely on. ### 1. When and how you get paid Say exactly when payment is due and how. "Payment due on completion, by card or bank transfer" is clearer than "payment on receipt of invoice", which means different things to different people. For jobs that run more than a few days, say that you invoice in stages. Our guide to invoice payment terms covers the options; for trades, short is best. If the job is for a homeowner, the law gives you no automatic late fee, so if you want one you must state it here, keep it reasonable, and accept that a court may still decide what is fair. For business customers the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 applies whether or not you mention it. ### 2. The deposit and what it covers State the amount or percentage, when it is due, and what it buys: usually materials and a booked slot. Nothing in law sets a maximum for consumer jobs; 10 to 30%, or the cost of materials, is normal. Say whether it is refundable, and in what circumstances, remembering that a deposit held inside the cooling-off period (below) will usually have to go back. Invoice it on a proforma invoice rather than a full invoice. See deposits and staged payments for the mechanics. ### 3. Cancellation and the 14-day cooling-off right This is the term tradespeople most often get wrong, and the one that caught Dean. It gets its own section below. ### 4. Changes and extras "Any work not described in this quote will be priced separately and agreed in writing before it is carried out. A text message counts." One line, and the "I never asked for that" conversation becomes "you did, on the 14th, here is the message". There is a whole post on invoicing variations and extras. ### 5. Access, parking and the state of the site You need to get in, park, use water and electricity, and work in a room that has been cleared. Say so. "The customer will provide clear access to the work area, with furniture removed or covered, and reasonable use of water and power. Time lost because the area is not ready may be charged at my day rate." Parking permits and congestion charges go here too if you work in a city. ### 6. Materials and waste Who buys materials, whether you mark them up (you may), what happens to leftovers, and who removes waste. Taking rubble and old plaster away costs you tip fees and a van load; either include it as a line or say the customer is responsible. If you carry waste for a customer you need a waste carrier registration; mention the disposal in the terms so nobody is surprised. ### 7. Your guarantee A workmanship guarantee of 12 months is common and reassuring. Spell out what it covers (your labour and workmanship), what it does not (manufacturer faults, movement or damp in the building, damage by others, normal wear), and that it is in addition to the customer's statutory rights. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 already requires services to be carried out with reasonable care and skill, and you cannot write that away; your guarantee sits on top of it. ### 8. What is not included Decorating after plastering. Making good after an electrician. Moving a boiler flue. Scaffolding. Skip hire. Removing asbestos. Whatever your trade's classic "I assumed that was included" is, name it. A short exclusions list on the quote is the cheapest insurance you will ever buy. ## The 14-day cooling-off period, explained carefully When you agree a job with a private customer somewhere other than your own premises, which for a tradesperson is almost always their home, the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 treat it as an "off-premises" contract. For contracts worth more than £42, the customer usually has 14 days from the day the contract is made to cancel without giving a reason. The rules do not apply to business customers, and there are some exemptions for urgent repairs the customer specifically asked for, but do not rely on an exemption without checking. Two things follow for a busy trade: - Tell the customer about the right. You are expected to give the customer information about the cancellation right, including a cancellation form or equivalent, in a durable form (an email or a PDF is fine). If you do not, the cancellation period can be extended by up to a year, which is a long time to be unsure whether a job is cancellable. - If they want you to start inside the 14 days, get that in writing. You can start sooner if the customer expressly asks you to. If they then cancel, you can charge a reasonable amount for the work done up to that point, but only if you had that request. A sentence in your acceptance email ("I confirm I have asked you to start work on 10 November, within my 14-day cancellation period") does the job. In Dean's case, the customer accepted the quote on a Wednesday in their kitchen and he started the following Monday, inside the 14 days, with nothing in writing. When they dropped the hallway he had no clear basis to charge for the extra boards or the lost day. Had his acceptance email carried the start-early sentence, he could have charged fairly for materials bought and work done. ## Worked example: Dean's quote with terms attached Here is the quote Dean sends now. He is a sole trader and not VAT registered, so no VAT appears. The terms sit under the figures in the terms box of the document, short enough to read on a phone. Quote QUO-0038 from Dean Walsh Plastering to Mr and Mrs Okafor, 14 Lime Grove. Valid for 30 days. | Description | Qty | Unit price | Amount | | Living room: overboard ceiling, skim walls and ceiling | 1 | £720.00 | £720.00 | | Hallway: skim walls and ceiling | 1 | £310.00 | £310.00 | | Materials: plasterboard, multi-finish, beads, scrim, PVA | 1 | £120.00 | £120.00 | | Total (no VAT; not VAT registered) | | | £1,150.00 | Terms Payment: deposit of £250 on acceptance to cover materials and secure the dates (proforma invoice to follow). Balance due on completion, by card link or bank transfer, same day. Cancellation: you have 14 days from accepting this quote to cancel. If you ask me to start inside that period and later cancel, I will charge for work done and materials bought to that point. Changes: work not listed above will be priced and agreed in writing (a text is fine) before I do it. Access: rooms cleared or furniture moved to the centre and covered, with water and power available. Lost time charged at £220 per day. Waste: removal of old artex, dust sheets and offcuts included and taken away under my waste carrier registration. Skip hire not included. Not included: decorating, electrical work, making good to woodwork. Guarantee: 12 months on my workmanship, excluding cracking from building movement, damp or damage by others. This does not affect your legal rights. When the Okafors accept, Dean creates the proforma for the deposit from the quote, then the final invoice from the same quote when the work is done. The details carry over each time, the numbers follow on, and the documents stay linked, so the terms the customer agreed to are the ones on the invoice. The post on writing a trade quote goes deeper on the quote itself. ## Writing terms people will actually read A few rules of thumb that keep terms useful rather than ornamental: - Plain English, first person. "I will" and "you will" read as fair; "the Contractor shall" reads as borrowed. The Consumer Rights Act expects consumer terms to be transparent and prominent, and plain wording is the easiest way to pass that test. - Short lines, bold labels. One line per topic, as in Dean's example. The terms box on every SendInvoice document supports formatting, so the labels stay bold on the PDF and in the email. - Same terms every time. Consistency is what makes them credible. If a customer wants something different, agree it in writing on that quote, and leave the standard terms alone. - Nothing unfair. A term that lets you keep a large deposit no matter what, or that excludes all liability, is likely to be unenforceable against a consumer and makes you look bad. Fair terms that are clearly stated protect you better than fierce ones. - Keep a fuller version somewhere. If your trade needs more (insurance work, specific scheme requirements, long jobs), keep a one-page PDF and send it with the quote. The short version on the document points to it. ## When the terms get tested Good terms earn their keep on the bad days. A homeowner who will not pay the balance is a different conversation when the quote they accepted says "balance due on completion, same day": the post on what to do when a homeowner won't pay walks through the ladder from a reminder to a letter before action. A customer who cancels on day three, having asked you to start early in writing, owes you for the work done. A customer who adds "just the porch ceiling while you're here" has agreed, by text, to pay for it. And on the good days, which are most of them, the terms simply sit there, read once, making you look like someone who has done this before. Which you have. ## Do this in SendInvoice Put your terms in the terms box with bold labels, send the quote from the customer's kitchen, and create the proforma and final invoice from it so the terms they agreed are the terms on the invoice. Free to create and preview; £5 a month to send, remind and take card payments. ## Frequently asked questions ### Do I really need terms and conditions as a sole trader? You already have a contract with every customer; the question is whether it is written down. A short page of terms on your quote and invoice settles the arguments that cost tradespeople money: when payment is due, what the deposit covers, what happens if the job is cancelled, and who clears the waste. It does not need a solicitor to be useful. ### What is the 14-day cooling-off period for tradespeople? Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, when you agree a job with a consumer away from your own premises, typically in their home, and it is worth more than £42, they usually have 14 days to cancel. If they want you to start inside those 14 days, get that request in writing so you can charge for work done if they then cancel. Check current guidance if unsure. ### Can I keep a deposit if the customer cancels? It depends on when they cancel and what your terms say. Inside the 14-day cooling-off period a consumer can normally cancel and get the deposit back, less a fair charge for any work done at their written request. Outside it, a reasonable deposit that covers materials you have bought or time you have lost is far easier to keep if your terms said so up front. ### Can I add late payment interest to a homeowner's invoice? Only if your terms set out a reasonable charge and the customer agreed to them before the work. The statutory 8% plus base rate and the fixed £40, £70 and £100 sums under the Late Payment Act apply to business customers only. If a consumer debt ends up in court, the judge may award interest, usually around 8%, at their discretion. ### Should I offer a guarantee on my work? A short workmanship guarantee, say 12 months on your labour, reassures customers and costs little if you do good work. Keep it specific: what it covers, what it does not (manufacturer faults, wear, damage by others), and that it is on top of the customer's legal rights, which you cannot take away. Materials are usually covered by the manufacturer instead. ### Where should my terms appear? On the quote, because that is the document the customer accepts, and again on the invoice. Put the short version in the terms box of each document and keep a fuller version on your website or as a PDF you can send with the quote. In SendInvoice the terms box takes formatting, so a few bold headings and short lines stay readable on a phone. --- # The VAT Reverse Charge for Construction, Explained for Small Subcontractors (With Invoice Wording and Example) Source: https://www.sendinvoice.net/blog/vat-reverse-charge-construction-invoices - What the reverse charge is - Does it apply to this invoice? Four questions - What to put on the invoice - The worked example: six flats for Ashcombe - The cash-flow change nobody mentions - Mixed invoices and the edge cases - Getting paid, and the records to keep Lena runs LK Plastering, a VAT-registered two-person firm in Manchester. She has just finished skimming six flats for Ashcombe Developments, a VAT-registered main contractor: £3,500 of labour and £700 of plaster, beads and scrim. For a homeowner the invoice would say £4,200 plus £840 VAT. For Ashcombe it says £4,200, no VAT charged, and a sentence that makes it legal. That sentence is the domestic reverse charge, and if you are a VAT-registered subcontractor it is on most of the invoices you send. Here is what it is, when it applies and exactly what to write. ## What the reverse charge is Since 1 March 2021, for most construction work supplied by one VAT-registered business to another, the customer accounts for the VAT to HMRC instead of the supplier. You, the subcontractor, do not add VAT to your invoice and do not receive it. The contractor declares the VAT on their own return and, usually, reclaims it on the same return. HMRC introduced it to stop "missing trader" fraud, where a subcontractor collected VAT from a contractor and vanished before paying it over. For a small firm like Lena's the practical effects are: - Invoices to contractors show no VAT charged, with specific wording. - Invoices to homeowners and other non-VAT-registered customers are unchanged: VAT as normal. - The VAT you used to collect from contractors and hold until the return no longer comes in, which changes your cash flow. If you are not VAT registered, none of this applies to you at all. You do not charge VAT, show VAT or use any reverse charge wording. See invoicing when you are not VAT registered, and keep an eye on the threshold (£90,000 turnover at the time of writing), because crossing it brings this post into play immediately. ## Does it apply to this invoice? Four questions Run every construction invoice through this list. The reverse charge applies only when the answer to all four is yes. | Question | If no | | 1. Am I VAT registered? | Stop. No VAT, no reverse charge, nothing to do. | | 2. Is the customer VAT registered? | Charge VAT normally. This covers every homeowner and every small business below the threshold. | | 3. Is the work a CIS-reportable construction service? (Building, alteration, repair, demolition, groundworks, plastering, decorating, electrical and plumbing installation and similar; the CIS definition is the test.) | Charge VAT normally. Some services are excluded, for example architects' fees and the manufacture of components off site; check HMRC's list. | | 4. Is the customer going to sell the work on, rather than being the "end user" (or an intermediary connected to one)? | Charge VAT normally. An end user is a VAT-registered business that will not supply the construction work onward, such as a shop having its own premises refitted. End users should tell you in writing that they are one. | Lena's job passes all four: LK Plastering is registered, Ashcombe is registered, plastering is a CIS-reportable construction operation, and Ashcombe is a contractor selling the finished flats, not an end user. Reverse charge applies. Her next job, skimming a hallway for Mr and Mrs Doyle, fails at question 2. She charges them 20% VAT on an ordinary VAT invoice and the reverse charge never comes into it. ## What to put on the invoice A reverse charge invoice is a full VAT invoice with the VAT removed from the total and a statement added. It must still carry everything a VAT invoice needs: a unique number, your name, address and VAT number, the customer's name and address, the date and tax point, a description of the work, and the net amount. Then: - State that the reverse charge applies. HMRC accepts several wordings; the one most subcontractors use is "Reverse charge: customer to pay the VAT to HMRC." Others include "VAT Act 1994 Section 55A applies" and "Reverse charge: VAT Act 1994 Section 55A applies". Pick one and use it every time. - Show the VAT rate that applies (20% for most work) and the amount of VAT the customer must account for. You can show it as a note ("VAT at 20%: £840.00 to be accounted for by the customer") rather than as a line that adds to the total. - Do not add VAT to the total. The amount payable is the net figure. - Show the customer's VAT number. Not strictly compulsory, but it is the evidence that question 2 was answered yes. In SendInvoice, the practical way is to set the VAT on each line to 0% so nothing is added to the total, then put the reverse charge statement, the rate and the VAT amount the customer must account for in the notes or terms. Your own VAT number sits in your saved business details and the customer's VAT number goes in their address block. The app does not work out whether the reverse charge applies; that is your four questions above. ## The worked example: six flats for Ashcombe Lena's firm is VAT registered and registered under CIS at 20%. Ashcombe is a VAT-registered contractor and not an end user. LK Plastering Ltd · VAT No. GB 123 4567 89 · UTR 98765 43210 · Invoice INV-0412 · Date 6 November 2026 · Tax point 6 November 2026 · Due 30 days Bill to: Ashcombe Developments Ltd, 2 Canal Street, Manchester · Customer VAT No. GB 987 6543 21 · Site: Flats 1-6, Weir Mill, Stockport · Order no.: AD-0875 | Description | Qty | Unit price | VAT | Amount | | Labour: two-coat skim to walls and ceilings, flats 1-6, including beads and preparation | 1 | £3,500.00 | Reverse charge | £3,500.00 | | Materials: multi-finish plaster, bonding, angle beads, scrim and PVA | 1 | £700.00 | Reverse charge | £700.00 | | Net total | £4,200.00 | | VAT charged | £0.00 | | Total | £4,200.00 | | Less CIS deduction, 20% of £3,500.00 labour | -£700.00 | | Amount payable | £3,500.00 | Reverse charge: customer to pay the VAT to HMRC. VAT at 20% on £4,200.00, being £840.00, to be accounted for by the customer. CIS deduction applies to labour only. Please issue a payment and deduction statement. Bank details below. Walk through it once. The net is £4,200. No VAT is added, but the invoice says what the rate is and what Ashcombe must account for: £840. Then CIS: 20% of the labour (£3,500), which is £700. Because there is no VAT in the total, there is no way for the contractor to accidentally deduct CIS from VAT, which was a real problem on old-style invoices. The amount that should land in Lena's account is £3,500. For comparison, the same job for a homeowner would show £4,200 net, £840 VAT, £5,040 total, no reverse charge statement and no CIS line. Same work, two very different pieces of paper. The CIS side on its own is covered in our CIS invoice example. ## The cash-flow change nobody mentions Under normal VAT, Lena would have invoiced Ashcombe £5,040, received it (eventually), and held the £840 until her quarterly return. For a firm doing £15,000 of contractor work a month, that was several thousand pounds sitting in the account between returns. Under the reverse charge, it never arrives. Meanwhile she still pays VAT on her van, fuel, tools and plaster, and reclaims it. Many subcontractors find that, with little or no output VAT on their sales, they are now regularly owed money by HMRC rather than owing it. Two things to raise with your accountant, at the time of writing: - Monthly VAT returns. If you are usually in a repayment position, monthly returns bring the refunds in faster than quarterly ones. - The Flat Rate Scheme. Reverse charge sales are treated differently under the flat rate scheme, and for many subcontractors it stops being worthwhile. Do not assume it still works for you. And budget for it. The VAT you used to hold was never yours, but it was useful. The reverse charge removes the float, so the deposit and staged payment habits in invoicing a main contractor as a subcontractor matter more, not less. ## Mixed invoices and the edge cases A few situations that catch people out. Keep these cautious and check HMRC's guidance or your accountant for your own case. - Reverse charge and standard-rated work on one invoice. If any of the services on an invoice fall under the reverse charge, HMRC's guidance is that the whole supply is treated as reverse charge (there is a small "5% disregard" for minor reverse charge elements). The easy route is to invoice reverse charge work separately. - Materials only. If you only supply materials with no construction service, the reverse charge does not apply. If you supply and fit, it applies to the whole supply, materials included, as in Lena's example. - Reduced-rate work. Some construction work is at 5% (for example certain conversions and some energy-saving installations). The reverse charge still applies between registered businesses; you state the 5% rate instead. Check HMRC's notices for what qualifies. - Labour agencies and employment businesses. Supplying staff rather than construction services is outside the reverse charge. If you sometimes "lend" a plasterer to a contractor, ask how the contract is framed. - Customer not CIS registered but VAT registered. The test is whether the supply is CIS-reportable and the customer is VAT registered and not an end user. If in doubt, ask the customer in writing and keep the reply. ## Getting paid, and the records to keep Contractors pay by BACS on a run, not by card button, so the job on your side is making the invoice easy to approve: their order number, the site, labour and materials separate, the reverse charge statement, the CIS line and the amount payable. Thirty-day terms are normal; "end of month following" is common and worth negotiating. You are a business invoicing a business, so the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 applies if they pay late, and construction contracts between businesses sit under the Construction Act's payment notice rules too. When the BACS arrives, mark the invoice paid and check the amount against the "amount payable" line; a shortfall of exactly 10% of labour means they have applied 30% CIS and you need re-verifying. Keep each invoice with any end-user statement you received, the contractor's payment and deduction statement, and the bank entry, for at least five to six years. Your accountant will need the reverse charge sales shown separately on the VAT return (they go in the net sales box but not the output VAT box, at the time of writing), so keeping contractor and homeowner invoices clearly distinguishable, with the statement on every reverse charge one, saves a lot of sorting at quarter end. Lena's invoice to Ashcombe took five minutes in the van: two lines, VAT at zero, one sentence in the notes, the CIS deduction, and £3,500 as the number to expect. The sentence is what makes it right. Get it on every contractor invoice and the reverse charge becomes the least interesting thing about your paperwork, which is exactly what it should be. ## Do this in SendInvoice Keep your VAT number and UTR in your saved business details, set VAT per line, put the reverse charge statement in your notes once, and send contractor invoices from the site with labour, materials and the CIS line laid out clearly. Free to create and preview; £5 a month to send, track payment and export for your VAT return. ## Frequently asked questions ### I am not VAT registered. Does the reverse charge affect me? No. The domestic reverse charge only applies to supplies between VAT-registered businesses. If you are not VAT registered you do not charge VAT, do not show VAT and do not need any reverse charge wording, whoever your customer is. The only thing to watch is your turnover against the registration threshold; if you cross it, this post becomes relevant overnight. ### Does the reverse charge apply when I work for a homeowner? Never. A private homeowner is not VAT registered and is not a CIS contractor, so you charge VAT in the normal way on an ordinary VAT invoice. The reverse charge is only for construction services supplied to a VAT-registered business that is itself going to sell the work on, such as a main contractor or developer. ### What exactly do I write on a reverse charge invoice? Everything a normal VAT invoice needs, plus a clear statement that the reverse charge applies, such as 'Reverse charge: customer to pay the VAT to HMRC', the VAT rate that applies (usually 20%) and the amount of VAT the customer must account for, with no VAT added to the total. Showing the customer's VAT number is good practice. Check HMRC's current guidance for the accepted wordings. ### How does the reverse charge interact with CIS? The reverse charge decides who accounts for the VAT; CIS decides what tax the contractor deducts from your labour. On one invoice you show labour and materials, no VAT charged with the reverse charge statement, then the CIS deduction on the labour element only. Because no VAT was charged, there is no risk of the contractor deducting CIS from VAT. ### What is an end user and why does it matter? An end user is a VAT-registered business that will not sell the construction work on, such as a retailer having its own shop refitted. End users are excluded from the reverse charge, so you charge them VAT normally, but they are supposed to tell you in writing that they are an end user. If a VAT-registered business customer has not said so, and the work is CIS-reportable, the reverse charge applies. ### Will the reverse charge hurt my cash flow? It can, in a quiet way. Before, you collected 20% VAT with each invoice and held it until the return was due, which was useful working capital. Under the reverse charge that money never arrives. Many subcontractors find they regularly reclaim more VAT than they pay and move to monthly returns to get repayments faster; ask your accountant whether that suits you.