A landscaping invoice is a bill that you send to your customer which lays out all of the charges associated with a landscaping job you have completed for them. Whether you’re removing shrubbery, tending to lawns, trimming trees or simply sprucing up a patio, you need to invoice your customer for the job that you have done.
Here, we explore how invoicing software can help you get paid for your landscaping work and various tips and tricks you can employ to simplify your invoicing process.
How to invoice for landscaping services
Your invoice needs to clearly state the costs of the landscaping job. This includes explainig the costs for labour, the materials used, services provided, whether it is subject to VAT, and whether any discounts have been applied. Using an invoice template will allow you to break down the different charges and show your customer exactly what work you have done to their property.
Materials and supplies
When invoicing for any landscaping job, you need to be explicit about what materials and supplies you have used. For example, any shrubbery you have planted needs to be broken down and itemised. Make sure you include the name of the plant, the quantity, and the cost per item.
It might also be useful to add a photo of the different items to your invoice. If you’re using Debitoor and haven’t saved this already in the ‘Products’ tab, you can easily add this when creating your invoice. Once you add the name of the product, just click ‘Edit product’ > ‘Upload image’ > ‘Save’. Especially if you are invoicing for a newly planted garden, an image of the different flowers and shrubs you have used will be useful for your customer. For example, adding a small picture of a Geranium next to that line on the invoice will make it easier for them to understand what you're charging them for.
Setting your prices for your landscaping jobs
The size of the job and the type of work you're invoicing for may change how you decide to price your services. There are commonly two ways to price your landscaping work. You can use either an hourly rate or a fixed rate.
Hourly rate
For smaller landscaping jobs, such as mowing lawns and general gardening, you may want to charge your customer per hour. To calculate an appropriate rate, it’s best to see what competitors are offering and consider how much you want to earn per hour. If you own a landscaping company that employees others, you’ll also need to factor in how much you pay your employees.
When you invoice your customers with Debitoor invoicing software, you can select how you want the cost to be calculated. Simply select ‘hour’ from the Unit drop-down menu.
Flat-rate
For larger landscaping jobs, it may be better using a flat-rate billing method. This means that the billing is the same for the job, regardless of how many hours you work. If you choose this method, the flat rate includes both the materials you use and the time it takes. Whilst flat-rate fees are often appropriate for ground maintenance, it’s always important to be clear about what is included in the price. If you don’t, you run the risk of clients asking for additional work which will eat into your profit. Make sure that you always itemise the services you provide or include supporting documentation that lays out your terms and conditions.
Using a timesheet to record your work
When you want to bill your customer for your work, you may charge for your services with a fixed hourly rate. Of course, If you’re charging an hourly rate, then you will have needed to keep track of your hours whilst on the job. You should then provide your customer with a timesheet alongside your invoice so they can see exactly how much work went into the landscaping, and what the invoice covers.
Using a timesheet can be particularly helpful if you’ve already agreed on a set price before doing the work. You may have given a quote for the landscaping, but during the work, additional complications have prevented you from working at your normal speed. Perhaps you uncover tree roots that take time to remove, or there is subsidence on the property that needs fixing before your landscaping can continue. In these instances, you can use a timesheet to show you need to charge additional hours beyond what was initially quoted. The timesheet will then help you justify the higher price.
When should you invoice for your landscaping services?
It’s best to invoice for your landscaping work as soon as the work has been completed. Invoicing immediately after the job makes you appear more organised and professional. Moreover, this is good for cash flow as it means the money is in your account faster and you’re less likely to have to chase up late payments.
As Debitoor invoicing software runs on the cloud, it's always possible to invoice your customer: you can create an invoice on your phone and it will automatically be updated in the system. This allows you to invoice on the go and create your invoices from wherever your landscaping business takes you.
Invoicing regular customers for landscaping services
If you provide lawn care for customers or have a contract with a large company to care for their grounds, you can also set up recurring invoices to make sure that you send them consistently. This will allow your customer to anticipate their next bill and make any necessary arrangements. Once again, it’s more professional.
You can set up recurring invoices with flat-rate billing. Using recurring invoices to charge for these services will save you unnecessary admin and allow you to get on with the job as quickly as possible. To set up recurring invoices in Debitoor, go to the ‘Invoices’ tab and click ‘Recurring’. Simply set the starting date and the frequency, then fill in the rest of the information as you would for any other invoice.
