Free invoice template for handymen

A handyman invoice doesn't need twenty line items. Most jobs come down to three: your time, the materials, and getting there. Here's the structure that covers everything from a tap washer to a full day of odd jobs.

The line items handymen actually bill

• Labour: hours worked times your hourly rate, or a half-day or day rate for bigger jobs. Describe the work plainly: "Repair fence palings and rehang gate, 3 hrs."
• Materials: what you bought for the job. One line with a total is fine for small jobs, itemise the big stuff.
• Call-out: if you charge one, it's its own line, not hidden in the labour.

Multiple small jobs in one visit? List each as its own labour line. "Fix leaking laundry tap" and "Replace hallway light switch" as separate lines shows the customer what they got, and stops the "that seems a lot" phone call.

The fields that make it a valid invoice

Whatever the job, an invoice needs the basics:

• Your business name and ABN.
• The word "Invoice", plus "Tax invoice" only if you're GST-registered.
• Invoice number and date.
• Customer's name.
• Description of the work, the amount, and the GST if any.
• Due date and how to pay.

GST or not, one rule each way

Registered for GST: add 10% and show the GST amount on the invoice, and write "Tax invoice" at the top.

Not registered: no GST line at all, and it's just an invoice. Don't add 10% "for tax". Charging GST you're not registered for is the fastest way to a very awkward conversation.

Get paid off the back of it

The invoice is only half the job. Put the due date where it can't be missed, give them a way to pay that takes seconds, and follow up the day after it falls due. A tidy invoice sent the same day as the work, with a pay link on it, gets paid weeks faster than a scribbled total texted a fortnight later.

This is general information, not tax advice. Check the ATO or your accountant for your situation.