What a plumbing invoice is for
A plumbing invoice is usually handed over the moment the water is back on. It needs to say what was wrong, what you did and what you used, in words the customer can repeat to a spouse or a landlord. Noting what you found, such as roots on the camera or a corroded valve, protects you if the problem returns and gives the customer a reason to call you first.
What to put on a plumbing invoice
- The problem the customer called about.
- What you found, in a sentence.
- The service call or trip fee.
- Each repair or part, with quantities.
- Labor, flat rate or hourly.
- Recommendations for later, such as a camera inspection.
A worked example
A slow kitchen drain that backed up into the dishwasher. You cleared it from the cleanout under the sink and replaced two seized angle stops while you were there, with the customer's okay.
| Line | Qty | Unit | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service call | 1 | each | Your price |
| Clear kitchen drain from sink cleanout | 1 | each | Your price |
| Replace angle stop valves | 2 | each | Your price |
| Supply lines | 2 | each | Your price |
Write in the notes that the line was cleared and that grease buildup is likely to come back without care. If you recommended a camera inspection, say so with the date, so a call next month is a follow-up and not a complaint.
Line items plumbers use
| Line item | Unit | How to write it |
|---|---|---|
| Service call and diagnosis | each | The trip and the first part of the visit, before any repair is agreed. |
| Water heater, tank, installed | each | Gallons, fuel type and the brand, plus whether the venting changes. |
| Expansion tank | each | Often required with a new heater on a closed system; check local code. |
| Drain cleaning, main line | each | Say where you cleaned from: a cleanout, a pulled toilet or the roof vent. |
| Camera inspection of sewer line | each | Say whether the customer gets the video. |
| Replace toilet fill valve and flapper | each | The common running-toilet fix, priced as one repair. |
| Replace faucet, customer supplied | each | Say who supplied the faucet; it changes who stands behind it. |
| Replace shutoff valve | each | Angle stops under sinks and toilets, or the main shutoff. |
| Repipe with PEX | ft | By the foot, or by fixture if that is how you price it. |
| Garbage disposal, installed | each | Horsepower and whether the old one is hauled away. |
| Sump pump, replaced | each | Include the check valve if you replace it too. |
| Wall or ceiling opening and patch | each | Say whether you patch, or leave it open for a drywall finisher. |
| Permit | each | Water heaters and repipes often need one; pass it through at cost or include it. |
| Plumbing labor | hour | Hourly labor for work you cannot price flat. |
Terms and deposit language for plumbing
- Deposit. Most repair calls take no deposit; the customer pays when the leak is fixed. On repipes, remodel rough-ins and sewer work, a deposit at signing covers the material order and the schedule slot. Check your state's rules on deposits.
- Payment. Repairs are due on completion. Larger jobs split into a deposit, a payment at rough-in or inspection, and the balance at final.
- Warranty. Say how long you stand behind your labor, and that parts carry the manufacturer's warranty. If the customer supplied a fixture, say your warranty covers the install only.
- Old pipe can break when you touch it; say what happens if a valve or fitting fails when you open the system.
- Openings in walls or ceilings are cut where needed and patched rough unless the estimate says finished drywall.
- Drain clearing does not fix a broken pipe; if the camera shows one, the repair is quoted separately.
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 plumbing
- Plumbing cost estimator
- Water heater replacement cost calculator
- Plumbing labor rate calculator
- Pipe volume 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, landscaping, lawn care, locksmith, moving, painting, pest control, pool service, pressure washing, remodeling, roofing, septic, snow removal, solar, tree service, waterproofing, window cleaning.
More for plumbers: how plumbers run on Koira.