How to send one
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.
Write the text a customer can pay from
A text invoice fails when the message is only “invoice attached” and the attachment is a photo of a notebook. The customer should see the amount before they tap, and the link should open a page that lists the work. Keep card numbers and bank passwords out of the thread. The link is the invoice. The text is the cover note.
Hi Sam, today’s clean is $203, due on receipt. Labour, oven and supplies are on the invoice: https://invoicetxt.com/i/your-link
Name the client and the job
Start the line with the customer, then each task. Hours use an @ rate. A fixed fee is the description plus the price.
Check the total before you send
The preview adds the lines. If the oven clean is missing, fix the line. Do not correct it in a second text.
Put the total in the message
People decide whether to open a link after they see the number. “Invoice ready” with no amount gets ignored.
Send it in the thread you already have
SMS, iMessage or WhatsApp all work. Use the conversation where you booked the job, so the invoice is not a surprise from an unknown number.
What to put on this invoice
- Your business name in the message, not only on the link
- The amount and the due terms
- Labour and materials as separate lines
- A link the customer can open without an account
Questions about this job
Can I text a PDF instead of a link?
You can, but a PDF in a text is easy to lose. A link stays in the thread and the PDF can be downloaded from that page when they want a file.
What if the text is too long?
The SMS should be two or three sentences. The line items live on the invoice page, not in the bubble.
Do I put my bank details in the text?
You can name the payment method in one line. Do not paste a full card number, a password, or a photo of a cheque.
Send the message while the job is still fresh. A text from the driveway gets opened. The same invoice three days later looks like admin.
Related guides
How to create an invoice from a text message
Turn one typed line into an invoice. The line names the client, each price and when it is due. You edit the words, not a table.
Open guide →How to invoice a client by SMS
An SMS is short. Put the total and the link in the first 160 characters and leave the line items on the invoice page.
Open guide →How to send a payment link by text
The link in the text opens the invoice: who you billed, the lines and the total. That is the payment link. Do not text a card number.
Open guide →