How to send an invoice
An invoice that sits on your phone does not get paid. Here are the usual ways to get it to the customer, what to say with it and when.
Three ways to send it
- Hand it over on site. Show the invoice on your phone or leave a printed copy before you go. The customer can ask questions while you are still there.
- Email the PDF. Attach the PDF and put the total and the due date in the body of the email, so the customer does not have to open the file to know what is owed.
- Text a link. Most people read a text within minutes. A link to the invoice is easier to open on a phone than an attachment.
With the free invoice maker you can download the PDF with no account and attach it to your own email. Sending it to your customer by text or email from OnsiteBoard needs an OnsiteBoard account with a confirmed email.
What to write
Keep it short: who you are, what the invoice is for, the amount and when it is due.
Hi Lena, this is Bright Handyman Co. Here is the invoice for the drywall and gate repair: $414.15, due on receipt. Thank you for having us.
The names and the amount above are made up. Use the customer's first name and name the job, so the message does not read like a mass mailing.
When to send it
- For a visit of a few hours: before you leave, or the same evening.
- For a longer job: on the day the work is finished and walked through.
- For regular visits: after each visit, or once a month with every visit listed and dated.
The longer the gap between the work and the invoice, the more questions come back.
If it is not paid
Most late payments are forgetfulness. A short, polite reminder a few days after the due date settles most of them.
Hi Lena, a quick reminder that invoice 1001 for $414.15 is still open. Here it is again. Thank you.
Send the invoice again with the reminder, so the customer does not have to look for it. If you charge anything for late payment, it should be something the customer was told before the work.
Before you send: a last look
- The customer's name is spelled right.
- Every line can be understood by someone who was not there.
- A deposit already paid is shown.
- The total is right.
- The due date and the ways to pay are on it.
New to invoices? Start with how to make an invoice, or look at an invoice example. For a filled-in sample to check yours against, open the service invoice template.
This is general information, not tax or legal advice.
Samples by trade: HVAC invoice template, handyman invoice template, house cleaning invoice template. All invoice templates and all estimate templates.
More guides: how to make an invoice, invoice example, estimate vs invoice. All guides.
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Sending by text or email needs an OnsiteBoard account with a confirmed email.