landscaper rolling green grass for which he'll send a landscaping invoice

Landscaping Invoice Template: How to Make an Invoice with Examples

male landscaper performing gardening work for which he'll use a a landscaping invoice template to bill

When you started your landscaping business, you had a dream—to transform outdoor spaces with your plant and design expertise. Some of the business details behind the scenes, such as taxes, invoicing, billing, contracting, and paying vendors, take away from the time you get to spend on what you do best. Sure, writing landscaping invoices may not have been part of your dream, but receiving payments is arguably the most important thing your landscape business will need to do if it wants to succeed long-term.

In this article, we discuss everything you need to know about landscaping invoices. What landscaping invoices are, how to use them, what to include, and much, much more. Now, let’s get you paid!

Free Landscaping Invoice Template Download

By reading this article, you’ll learn all about landscaping invoices: how to make them, what to include on them, and why they’re so important. But to make it nice and simple for you, we’ve also included a FREE landscaping invoice template download below. Enjoy!

What Are Landscaping and Lawn Care Invoices Used For?

Just like any other business, you need to bill your clients once the work is complete. Your work transforming outdoor spaces deserves adoration, but also payment. A landscaping invoice is a tool that gets you paid. It is an official bill of work. Though not necessarily a bill per se, you use invoices to bill for the costs of the services provided, the materials you used, additional labor, and more.

Types of Invoices for Landscaping Businesses

Every home, office, or outdoor space you transform is unique. Similarly, your invoice structure will vary depending on your business. A landscaping invoice example may include things like:

  • Design and planning
  • Materials 
  • Labor and building
  • Gardening and maintenance
  • Individual tasks like snow removal, lawn care, hedge trimming, etc.

There are a few different types of invoices. You can choose which works best for you. In regards to landscaping invoices, here are some examples of different template types you can consider:

  • Spreadsheet Template. A Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets template that you customize for each client. You may then export it as a PDF to print or email the invoice to your customer.
  • Document Template. A Microsoft Word or a Google Doc template that you customize for each client. You may then export it as a PDF to print or email to your customer.
  • Automated Template. A template connected to your point-of-sale system that auto-generates invoices based on billable hours or projects.
  • Accounting Template. A template connected to your accounting system that can match inventory automatically.

How to Make an Invoice for Landscaping

landscaper who uses a landscaping invoice example holding landscaping tools

No matter what style invoice you choose, there are some standard elements you want to be sure to include. The inclusion of these standard elements in invoice templates helps you to:

  • Stay on top of customer payments, helping to prevent balances from becoming overdue.
  • Keep clients and their details organized, especially if you have different rates for different services or clients of which to keep track.
  • Bill your clients quickly so you can stay focused on the landscaping work.
  • Manage income and expenses to make tax season a little easier.

What to include:

When writing an invoice template, you want to include:

  • Your branding. Add personal touches like your business logo, brand colors, etc.
  • Your contact and business details. Include your company legal name, a business contact name, your phone number or email address, etc.
  • Any mandatory tax or other identification numbers. Some clients may want you to disclose your tax identification information on your invoices.[1]
  • Invoice details. Include a P.O. number, unique identification number for the invoice, the date the invoice was issued, etc.
  • Your client’s information. Add your client’s business details and contact information.
  • An itemized list of services provided. Include a description and price for each service as well.
  • An itemized list of materials used. Include a description and price for each item as well.
  • Terms and payment method. Your payment terms specificy the types of payments you accept, due date, and how clients are expected to pay. You should also add details of any terms they agreed to, such as late fees and penalties.
  • Sales tax information. If you charge sales tax for any of your products or services, detail the taxable revenue, applicable tax rate, and the amount of the tax.[2]
  • Summary of the amount owed. At the end of the document, offer a total amount owed less any discounts and/or prepayments.

Landscaping Invoice Examples

If you’re looking for examples of invoices, a great place to start is with any invoices you’ve received from vendors. See which ones are clearest, easiest to use, easiest to pay, as well as which ones left you with questions, frustrated you, etc. Taking a look at what other businesses’ invoices look like can be a great source for landscaping invoice inspiration.

sample of a landscaping invoice

You can download a FREE blank PDF template as a guide, or use the template as is:

Invoicing Tips for Landscapers and Lawn Service Professionals

Here are some tips to help you get paid quickly and reduce outstanding invoices:

  • Accept various methods of payment. One of the best ways to make your invoice payable is by adding several methods of payment. Today, your customers probably prefer to pay using a credit card or eCheck instead of a physical check or cash. 
  • Send invoices quickly. It’s important to send out an invoice soon after you have completed the services. This ensures that you can quickly handle any disputes and that your cash flow won’t run into problems.
  • Follow up. Follow up on any invoices that remain unpaid. Sometimes our customers just forget to pay, so the reminder (if necessary) can be helpful.
  • Get acceptance. Before you start working on a job, ensure you have mutually agreed on the terms of the job and its subsequent payment. Have your client sign your quote, estimate, or another document to verify they agreed to the services and pricing.

Make Invoicing Simple and Automatic with paysley

While you may have read this article feeling that invoicing sounds cumbersome, rest assured that it doesn’t need to be difficult. You can simplify invoicing with paysley’s online invoicing software, freeing you to focus on what you love to do—landscaping, not invoice processing.

Sources:

  1. Chron. “Do I Need to Put My EIN on an Invoice?“. Accessed February 17, 2022.
  2. Avalara. “Find Your Sales Tax Rate“. Accessed February 17, 2022.

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