Everything you need to launch your trade business.
Everything you need to launch your trade business.
Fill in your line items, add tax, and print a clean branded invoice or estimate in about a minute. No signup, no watermark.
Tip: in the print dialog choose “Save as PDF” to email it.
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Use this free invoice and estimate generator to build the document, but make sure these five things are always on it: your business name and contact info, a unique invoice number, the date and payment terms, itemized line items with quantities and rates, and the total with tax broken out. That’s what gets you paid without follow-up calls, and it’s what your bookkeeper (and the IRS) want to see at tax time.
Itemize more than feels necessary. “Plumbing work: $850” invites questions. “Replace 40-gal gas water heater: $650, haul away old unit: $75, new supply lines and pan: $125” gets paid same-day. Itemized invoices also protect your pricing when a customer compares you to the cheap guy, because they can see what they got.
An estimate is a priced offer: it says what you’ll do and what it will cost, and it should have an expiration (“valid for 30 days”) because material prices move. An invoice is a bill for work performed, with payment terms and a due date. Send the estimate before the job, get a yes in writing, then invoice against it. When an accepted estimate has scope, price, and signatures, it starts acting like a contract, so pair it with real terms; our landscaping contract template guide shows exactly what those terms should say.
Pick a numbering scheme on day one and never repeat a number. INV-1001 and up works fine (starting at 1001 instead of 1 makes you look established, and nobody has to know). Keep estimates on their own prefix, EST-1001, so your books stay clean.
On terms: residential service work should be due on receipt, collected on site if possible. Net 30 is for commercial clients who require it, not a favor to hand homeowners. Add a late fee to your terms (1.5% per month is standard), take cards even though the fee stings, and invoice the day the job finishes. Every day between “done” and “billed” costs you money. If you’re not sure the rate on the line item is right in the first place, run it through our free pricing calculator before it goes on the page.
Is a printed PDF invoice professional enough? Completely. Clients care that it’s clear, itemized, and correct, not what software made it. This generator prints a clean branded document with your business name on it.
Do I charge sales tax on labor? Depends on your state. Many states tax materials but not labor; some tax both. Check your state’s department of revenue before you set the tax field, and when in doubt ask your accountant.
Should an estimate show my hourly rate? Usually no. Price the job, not the hour: flat line items (“Camera inspection: $250”) protect your margin and avoid the “you charge WHAT per hour” conversation.
Where does my data go? Nowhere. Everything you type stays in your browser; nothing is saved or sent to us.
The Trade Starter Kits include invoice and estimate templates, contracts, pricing worksheets, and every checklist you need before opening day. One download, no monthly fees.
