How to write a plumbing invoice
A plumbing invoice has your business block and license number at the top, the customer and the job address, an invoice number and date, a one-line description of the job, parts and labor on separate lines with quantities and unit prices, tax on the lines your state taxes, the total, the due date and how to pay. Below is each part in order, a worked example, and a free plumbing invoice template that fills in the browser and totals it for you.
Step 1: your business and license number
Company name, address, phone and email, then your plumbing license number. Several states require the number on every invoice and bid; California requires every licensed contractor's number on contracts, bids and advertising (Business and Professions Code §7030.5), and state plumbing boards elsewhere have their own rules. Put it on every invoice whether or not your state insists: a customer comparing two bills trusts the one with a license on it.
Step 2: the customer, the job address and the number
Who pays (name or company, billing address, phone or email) and where the work was done when that is a different address, as it is for landlords and property managers. Give the invoice a unique number you never reuse and the date you issued it; the due date counts from that date. Add the date of the work if it was not the same day.
Step 3: the job in one or two sentences
What was wrong, what you did, and what you recommend, in the words the customer used on the phone: "Upstairs toilet leaking at the base. Replaced the wax ring and supply line, reset and tested. Watch the base for a day." That sentence is the part of the invoice the customer reads, keeps, and shows the next plumber.
Step 4: parts and labor on separate lines
Each fixture, valve, length of pipe and fitting on its own line with a quantity and a unit price; labor as hours at your rate, or a flat job price when that is how you quoted it. Trip charges, after-hours surcharges, haul-away and permit fees each get their own line too. Separate lines matter twice: in many states materials are taxable and labor is not, and customers dispute a lump sum far more often than an itemized bill.
| Line | Type | Qty | Unit | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 gal gas water heater (example) | Part | 1 | $1,150.00 | $1,150.00 |
| Flex lines, drip pan and fittings | Part | 1 | $65.00 | $65.00 |
| Labor: remove and install, test | Labor | 3 | $95.00 | $285.00 |
| Haul away old heater | Other | 1 | $50.00 | $50.00 |
The figures are placeholders to show the shape, not rates. Your prices are yours.
Step 5: tax on the taxable lines only
Name the tax (sales tax, VAT, GST), show the rate, and apply it to the lines your state taxes. Many states tax the parts a plumber sells and not the labor to install them; some tax repair labor as well; new construction and commercial work often follow different rules. Mark each line taxable or not rather than taxing the whole bill, and ask your state department of revenue or your accountant which lines apply. Round each line to the cent, add the taxable lines, and round the tax once on that sum, which is how accounting software and the template do it.
Step 6: total, due date and how to pay
Subtotal, tax and total each on their own line, then the due date as a date, not just a term ("Due October 30", not only "Net 14"). List the payment methods you accept and show any deposit already received with the balance due. A due date on the invoice is what lets you chase a late payment, and what late fee you may charge varies by state and by what your signed estimate said.
Wording that gets paid
- Describe, do not label. "Cleared main line from cleanout to street, 75 ft" rather than "Drain service".
- Name the part the way the customer would. "Kitchen faucet, pull-down, brushed nickel" rather than a supply-house SKU.
- Put the recommendation in writing. "Main shutoff is seized; recommend replacement" is a line the customer will call you about in six months.
- Send it the same day. An invoice that arrives before the customer has stopped thinking about the job gets paid first.
Fill in the free plumbing invoice template
The template on vtt.adelyons.com has every field above: business and license block, customer and job, parts and labor typed as such, tax per line, discount, deposit and the balance due. It totals as you type and makes the PDF in your browser, with no signup and nothing uploaded.
Common mistakes on plumbing invoices
- Tax on the whole bill when your state taxes only materials, which overcharges the customer and misreports your sales tax.
- No license number where the state requires one.
- One "labor" lump with no hours or job description.
- No job address on a landlord's or property manager's bill, so it bounces between offices.
- Model and serial numbers left off a water heater or pump replacement, which you will want when the warranty call comes.
Or say the invoice instead of typing it
Voice To Task CRM drafts the same invoice from a short recording after the job: you say the parts, the hours and the customer, and the app writes the lines with your hourly rate and tax rate applied. Check the draft, then send the PDF by text or email from your phone.
Related guides
- What to include on a contractor invoice
- How to write a job estimate for a trade business
- Time and materials vs flat rate pricing
More guides: Work & create · all Adelyons guides