What a landscaping invoice is for
Landscape jobs often change on site: a plant is substituted, an extra yard of mulch is needed, the customer adds a bed. The invoice should match what went in the ground and show any signed changes. Including the watering instructions with the invoice also protects the plant guarantee.
What to put on a landscaping invoice
- Plants actually installed, by variety and size.
- Materials used, such as mulch, soil and edging.
- Change orders and substitutions.
- Deposit received and the balance.
- Watering instructions for the guarantee.
A worked example
The front bed job is done. One shrub variety was substituted with the customer's okay. The deposit was paid at signing.
| Line | Qty | Unit | Price | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Remove overgrown shrubs and haul away | 8 | each | Your price | |
| Shrubs, 3 gallon (one variety substituted) | 10 | each | Your price | |
| Perennials, 1 gallon | 18 | each | Your price | |
| Steel bed edging | 90 | ft | Your price | |
| Hardwood mulch, delivered and spread (cu yd) * | 2.8 | each | $161.11 | $451.11 |
Put the watering schedule in the notes. If a plant fails and the customer did not water, the instructions on the invoice are what you point to.
* Typical price from our free lawn care cost calculator, which lists its sources. Your own costs and market come first.
Line items landscapers use
| Line item | Unit | How to write it |
|---|---|---|
| Remove existing plants and turf | sq ft | Say whether debris is hauled away. |
| Bed edging, steel or stone | ft | Material and height of the edge. |
| Shrubs, installed | each | Container size and variety, with a guarantee period if you give one. |
| Trees, installed | each | Caliper or container size, staking, and who waters. |
| Perennials and groundcover | each | Flat or pot size. |
| Soil amendment or compost | cu yd | Tilled in before planting. |
| Mulch, delivered and spread | cu yd | Type and depth. |
| Sod, installed | sq ft | Grass type, plus grading and starter fertilizer. |
| Paver patio | sq ft | Paver style, base depth and edge restraint. |
| Retaining wall block | sq ft | Face area, with drainage stone and fabric behind it. |
| Drainage, French drain or dry creek | ft | Pipe, stone and fabric; where it discharges. |
| Landscape lighting fixtures | each | Fixture type and transformer. |
| Grading and soil | hour | Machine or hand grading. |
| Utility locate | each | Call before you dig; say that it is done before work starts. |
Terms and deposit language for landscaping
- Deposit. Install and hardscape jobs take a deposit at signing to order plants, stone and block and hold the crew. Some states limit deposits on landscape and home improvement contracts, so look yours up.
- Payment. Progress payments on larger hardscape jobs at set stages, with the balance due when the work is complete and walked with the customer.
- Warranty. Plant guarantees usually depend on proper watering, so say who waters and for how long. Hardscape workmanship is covered separately, for a stated period.
- Underground utilities are located before digging; private lines such as irrigation or lighting the locate service does not mark are not your responsibility unless the customer flags them.
- Plant substitutions of equal size and value may be made if a variety is unavailable, with the customer told first.
- Equipment access may mark the lawn; say how ruts are repaired.
How to fill it in
- Your business details carry over from any template you used before.
- Fill in who you are billing and the job.
- Check the lines against what you actually did, and add your prices.
- Put any deposit in Already paid, so the balance is right.
- Print, download or send it from Koira with a pay-by-card link.
Free tools for landscaping
- Lawn care cost calculator
- Lawn square footage calculator
- Artificial turf cost calculator
- French drain cost calculator
- Land clearing cost calculator
The same invoice for other trades: appliance repair, auto detailing, carpet cleaning, chimney, house cleaning, commercial cleaning, concrete, drywall, electrical, fence, flooring, garage door, general contractor, gutter, handyman, hvac, irrigation, junk removal, lawn care, locksmith, moving, painting, pest control, plumbing, pool service, pressure washing, remodeling, roofing, septic, snow removal, solar, tree service, waterproofing, window cleaning.
More for landscapers: how landscapers run on Koira.