How to Write an Invoice: Tips for Cleaning Business Owners

Download a Sample Invoice Template for Your Cleaning Business

Figuring out how to write an invoice can be time-consuming and a hassle at times. Taskbird has a free invoice template for you to use as a reference when creating your own.

Step-by-Step Guide to Writing an Invoice

An invoice is a tool for your business to use as an outlined record of the services that have been provided.

With this in mind, it’s important to include the following seven key components.

1. Company Name and Logo

The first thing clients should see on an invoice is your company name and logo in the top left corner. This will allow them to recognize who is billing them right from the start.

2. Clear Header

Along with your company name and logo, the word “invoice” should be clear and bold so your clients feel more inclined to pay the bill right away rather than setting it aside for later to figure out what they are paying and for whom.

Underneath the word “invoice,” you should include the identification number that is specific to that particular bill. This will help you to better manage your bookkeeping.

3. Dates

Including the date the service was provided and the date on which you’re sending out the invoice will also help you manage your records.

4. Recipient Information

Identifying to whom the invoice is addressed will eliminate confusion for both the client and yourself in terms of record-keeping and paying the bill on time.

5. Description of Tasks or Services Performed

This step is the most important because it allows you to give a comprehensive, yet brief, description of the tasks and services that were performed.

It is recommended to also include the month under the description to ensure that the recipient knows for what and when you’re billing them.

6. Clear Payment Terms

It is best to be concise on payment terms. While you may have agreed to payment terms prior to the task or service being completed, it’s always advantageous to include the agreed terms in the final invoice. This lets both parties know how many times the task or service was completed and at what cost.

7. Clear Final Amount

To ensure your client is aware of the final amount, make sure to have the final total bolded.

5 Invoicing Tips for Cleaning Business Owners

Managing your cleaners and clients can be a difficult task, and figuring out how to write an invoice that is universal and unique to your business can seem overwhelming and unattainable.

For this reason, we have compiled a list of five helpful tips when considering how to write an invoice.

1. Use an Invoicing Checklist

Before sending the invoice, there are a few things you should make sure you’ve covered:

• Who your customer is
• The invoice number
• The invoice date
• Payment terms clearly identified
• Use of a professional template
• Details about what service is being billed for

The benefit of utilizing this simple checklist is to guarantee that your invoice includes the fundamental components.

2. Send Digital Invoices

The most convenient way of distributing your invoice is through emails. Through email, you can attach the invoice as a PDF so it can be downloaded to your client’s computer and stored effectively.

To make sure your clients are aware they are being emailed the invoice, it is good practice to include your company name, invoice number, and the date on which it was sent in the subject line.

Once the invoice is emailed, call the client directly to make sure they have received the emailed invoice.

3. Keep Your Own Records

As a small cleaning business, it is always good practice to manage your own records in case of a payment dispute, missed payment, or if you need to prepare accurate financial statements.

4. Communicate and Be Professional

For any business, establishing and maintaining good relationships with your clients through customer service could mean the difference between high or low returns on investments.

A simple and effective way of remaining polite when reminding clients that you’ve sent them an invoice is to make sure any written communication is phrased in a way that is good-natured and is in the form of a request.

For example, you could start your email memo with “could you please…” or “would you please…” to make it known to your client that they still have to follow through with the agreed payment terms in a subtle way.

Moreover, the same applies to any verbal communication, but make sure if you leave a voicemail that your inflection does not make it seem like you are irritated or annoyed. This could push potential loyal clients away.

5. Automate Your Invoicing

While you do have the option of creating and sending out invoices, TurnoverBnB allows you to eliminate the need for invoices with auto payment through the app.

Hosts are able to pay cleaners through the Turno app that automatically sends an alert to the recipient.

Cleaning Business Invoices Made Easier

Taskbird can help you automate your invoicing process, eliminating the hassle of having to use multiple channels of communication to produce and send invoices to your clients. With the app, you can easily track when payments are incomplete, being processed, or past due.

Download the Taskbird app to help make invoicing easier.