What a landscaping receipt is for
Hardscape and planting jobs are paid in stages over days or weeks. Each payment should get a receipt with the running balance, so nobody loses track over a job that can stretch across several weeks of weather. Homeowners keep landscape receipts for resale and sometimes for HOA approvals, so the address and the work described plainly matter.
What to put on a landscaping receipt
- Amount, date and payment method.
- The job and stage this payment covers.
- Running balance.
- Address for the homeowner's records.
A worked example
The deposit on a paver patio and short retaining wall, paid by check at signing. Enter the check in Amount received and the rest shows as owed.
| Line | Qty | Unit | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paver patio with base and edge restraint | 320 | sq ft | Your price |
| Retaining wall block, with drainage stone | 60 | sq ft | Your price |
| Excavation and soil haul-away | 1 | each | Your price |
The balance shows on the receipt. Write the next payment stage, base complete, in the notes so the customer knows when it comes.
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
- Fill in who paid and which job or invoice the payment is for.
- Check the lines; they show what the payment covers.
- Pick how they paid and add the check or reference number.
- Type the amount received, or leave it blank when it pays the whole total.
- Print it, download it, or hand it over as a PDF.
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 receipt 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.