How to send one
How to invoice a customer after finishing the job
Send the invoice before you leave the property. The work is still visible, and the customer can ask about a line while you are there.
Bill it while you can still point at the work
The best moment is the minute after you finish, not the evening you remember. The customer can see the oven, the beds, the socket. A question about a line is a one-sentence answer in person and a three-day delay by text later. Write the invoice in the doorway. If they pay then, mark it paid. If they need until Friday, the due date says so and the link is already in their phone.
All done at Willow House Cleaning. Deep clean, oven and supplies come to $203, due today. Here’s the invoice: https://invoicetxt.com/i/your-link
List what you actually did
Include the add-on they agreed at the door. Leaving the oven off the invoice because you are in a hurry creates a second bill.
Separate labour and materials
A single round number is harder to trust than hours plus the parts they saw you use.
Hand them the phone or the text
Ask them to open it before you go. A broken link is obvious when you are still there.
Note the due date out loud
“Due today” and “due in 14 days” are different jobs. Say which one you put on the invoice.
What to put on this invoice
- Every task you want paid for, including the add-on
- Materials or a call-out if you charged one
- A due date you are willing to enforce
- Your name, so the text is not a bare link
Questions about this job
What if they are not home when I finish?
Text the link anyway, and say you finished. Do not wait for them to ask. Waiting is how the job becomes a memory.
Should I discount because I am in a rush?
No. Rushing the typing is fine. Rushing the price teaches the customer that the first number is optional.
Can I add a forgotten item later?
Yes, but send a clear correction. Silent changes to a link they already opened feel like a different bill.
Leave with the invoice sent. The drive home is a bad place to reconstruct the job.
Related guides
How to get paid faster with text invoices
Faster payment comes from a clear total, a due date of today when that was the deal, and a follow-up in the same thread.
Open guide →How to send a professional invoice via WhatsApp
WhatsApp can carry the note and the link. The invoice page carries the layout. A photo of handwriting is not a professional bill.
Open guide →How to send an invoice by text message
Put the amount and a link in the same text. The customer opens the invoice on their phone. You do not ask them to install anything.
Open guide →