How to Write an Invoice as a Tradesperson
The 8 things every invoice needs, the mistakes that delay payment, and a free template you can use today.
You finish a job. The customer is happy. Then the invoice sits unpaid for three weeks because it was missing one detail, or you "didn't get around to sending it." For a tradesperson, invoicing isn't paperwork — it's the difference between getting paid this month and chasing money for 60 days.
The 8 things a legal invoice must have
Miss any of these and a picky customer — or a tax authority — can legally delay or reject payment:
- Your name and full address (and your business/VAT number if you have one).
- Customer's name and address.
- A unique, sequential invoice number. Never reuse numbers — that's a red flag for auditors.
- Invoice date and service date (the day you did the work).
- A clear description of the work — not "labour," but "replace 4 light fixtures, 2nd floor, incl. materials."
- Line items with quantities and rates, plus the total.
- The correct VAT rate and the VAT amount shown separately.
- Payment terms — a due date and how they can pay (bank details).
The mistakes that actually delay payment
It's rarely the big things. It's these:
- Sending the invoice late. The longer after the job, the colder the customer is. Send it the same day you finish, while you're still on their mind.
- No due date. "Pay when you can" means "pay last." Put a specific date on it.
- Vague descriptions. A vague line item gives the customer a reason to question the whole bill.
- One invoice, one email, then silence. Set a follow-up cadence: day 7 reminder, day 14 call, day 30 formal notice.
If you work in Germany or Austria: ZUGFeRD
Germany has been rolling out mandatory e-invoicing (E-Rechnung). A ZUGFeRD / Factur-X PDF is a normal-looking PDF that also contains machine-readable invoice data — it's what many German businesses and public clients now require. If your invoice tool can't produce one, you'll be re-doing invoices by hand soon.
Start today — free
Use the free invoice template generator to create a clean, correct invoice in seconds — no signup, works offline. When you're ready to do it from your phone with ZUGFeRD e-invoices and DATEV export, try InvoYX.
