Plumber Invoice Template NZ Free, GST-Compliant & Ready to Use
A free plumbing invoice template for NZ sole traders and small plumbing businesses. Covers labour, call-out fees, parts markup, and GST - so you get paid correctly after every job. Or skip the template and use Invio to invoice straight from your phone.
No credit card • GST calculated automatically • Send from your phone
Example INV-0047
- C
Call-out fee
$45.00
Job and line items
- C
Parts
Rheem 180L hot water cylinder, $780.00
Job and line items
- C
Disposal fee
$35.00
Job and line items
The template
A filled-in plumber invoice, shown at A4 widthExample figures, not a real job14 Harbour View Rd
Manukau, Auckland 2104
021 456 789
GST: 112-345-678
TAX INVOICE
BINV-0047
Issue: 27 May 2026
Due: 10 Jun 2026
Sent
Bill To
Mark & Diane Stafford
37 Clematis Close
Papakura, Auckland 2110
| CDescription | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Call-out fee. Standard weekday call-out1 x $45.00 | 1 | $45.00 | $45.00 |
| Labour - HWC replacement. Remove old cylinder, install new Rheem 180L3.5 x $120.00 | 3.5 | $120.00 | $420.00 |
| Rheem 180L hot water cylinder. Parts at cost + 20% margin1 x $780.00 | 1 | $780.00 | $780.00 |
| Copper fittings & sundries. Connectors, tape, flux1 x $36.00 | 1 | $36.00 | $36.00 |
| Disposal fee - old cylinder. Transfer station drop-off1 x $35.00 | 1 | $35.00 | $35.00 |
BPayment Details
Please use the following details to make a payment.
Bank: ANZ
Account: 06-0234-0567890-00
Reference: INV-0047
Notes
Hot water cylinder replacement - Rheem 180L
Thank you for your business!
What this invoice should carry
Sixteen fields, in four groups, keyed to the letters on the sample invoice above. Where a value is shown, it is the one you can read off it.
Your business details
Business name or trading name
On the sample: Thornton Plumbing Ltd
GST number, if you're registered
On the sample: 112-345-678
Phone number
On the sample: 021 456 789
Physical or postal address
On the sample: 14 Harbour View Rd, Manukau, Auckland 2104
Invoice identifiers
Invoice number, sequential for your records
On the sample: INV-0047
Invoice date
On the sample: 27 May 2026
Payment due date
On the sample: 10 Jun 2026
Bank account for payment
On the sample: 06-0234-0567890-00
Job and line items
Description of the work done - specific enough to identify it
On the sample: Labour - HWC replacement
Labour hours x your hourly rate, on its own line
Call-out fee, if you charge one
On the sample: $45.00
Parts at cost plus your markup, listed separately from labour
On the sample: Rheem 180L hot water cylinder, $780.00
Disposal fee, when you remove an old cylinder or fittings
On the sample: $35.00
After-hours or weekend surcharge, when the job is after-hours
GST breakdown
Subtotal, GST at 15%, and the GST-inclusive total, as three separate lines
On the sample: $1,316.00 / $197.40 / $1,513.40
Buyer's name and one identifying detail (address, phone number, email address, trading name, NZBN, or website) - only if the buyer is GST registered, for invoices $1,000+
On the sample: Doesn't apply below - the Staffords aren't GST registered
How to fill out a plumbing invoice
Follow these steps after every job to get paid faster and stay on the right side of IRD.
Fill in your business details
Add your trading name, GST number, address, phone, and email at the top. If you work as Thornton Plumbing Ltd, use that - not your personal name. Your GST number must appear on every invoice if you're GST-registered.
Set the invoice number and dates
Use a sequential number - INV-0047 after INV-0046. The invoice date is today. Set a due date (14 days is standard for most plumbing jobs; 7 days is fine for residential call-outs). Consistent numbering helps if you ever need to prove payment history.
Add the customer details
If the buyer is GST registered, invoices of $1,000 or more need their name plus one identifying detail - address, phone number, email address, trading name, NZBN, or website. Do this for every job anyway - it looks professional and avoids disputes about who the invoice is addressed to.
List every line item separately
Don't lump everything into one line. Split call-out fee, labour hours × rate, each material or part, any disposal costs, and any after-hours surcharge. Example: "Labour - hot water cylinder replacement: 3.5 hrs × $120 = $420". Specific descriptions get paid faster.
Calculate GST and show it clearly
Multiply your subtotal by 0.15 to get the GST amount. Show subtotal, GST, and total as three separate lines. Use the free Invio GST calculator at /gst-calculator-nz if you want a quick check before sending.
Add your bank account details
Include your bank account number and ask the customer to use your invoice number as the payment reference. This saves you matching payments later. "Pay to: Thornton Plumbing Ltd 06-0234-0567890-00, Ref: INV-0047" is all you need.
Send it the same day
Email the invoice before you leave the site or at the end of the day. Customers are most likely to pay quickly when the job is fresh. If you use Invio, you can send it from your phone in the van before driving off - no paperwork to chase at the end of the week.
Common plumbing invoice mistakes
These mistakes slow payment, create disputes, or put you offside with IRD. Easy to fix once you know them.
Wrong or missing GST
e.g. "Total: $1,513" with no GST line
Show subtotal, 15% GST, and GST-inclusive total as three separate lines. Customers need this to claim GST back.
Vague job description
e.g. "Plumbing work - $800"
Describe what you actually did: "Replace burst 15mm copper pipe under kitchen sink - 1.5 hrs labour + parts". Vague descriptions invite disputes.
No bank details
e.g. Invoice sent with no payment instructions
Always include your bank account number and ask for the invoice number as the reference. No bank details = slow or lost payments.
No way to identify the customer on a large job
e.g. $1,400 job addressed only to "Dave Smith"
If the customer is GST registered, IRD wants their name plus one identifying detail - address, phone number, email address, trading name, NZBN, or website - on invoices over $1,000. Worth adding anyway - it protects you in a dispute too.
Parts and labour lumped together
e.g. "Materials and labour: $960"
List parts separately from labour. Many customers want to see exactly what they paid for - and some commercial clients won't pay until it's itemised.
Sending days or weeks later
e.g. Invoice sent 10 days after the job
Send it the same day. Every day you wait, it gets easier for the customer to delay. See our guide on chasing overdue invoices at /chase-overdue-invoices-nz if it's already late.
What goes on the lines, and what it usually costs
The lines a plumbing invoice tends to have, in the three groups they fall into.
Labour and time
Priced per hour, or per call-out
Standard labour rate
Per hour, on site
$110 - $140/hr
Ex GST. Auckland tends to run higher; regional NZ lower.
After-hours or weekend labour
Agree it before you start
$160 - $200/hr
Or standard rate + 50% surcharge. State clearly in your quote, then match the invoice to what was agreed.
Call-out fee
Per visit, covers travel
$45 - $80
Charged per visit to cover travel and mobilisation.
Materials
At cost plus your markup
Materials markup
On top of supplier cost
Cost + 15 - 25%
Covers handling, warranty, and supplier runs. List parts at your sell price - you don't need to show your cost.
Disposal
Old cylinders, pipe, and other job waste
Disposal or skip fee
Per job, when applicable
$30 - $60
For removing old cylinders, corroded pipe sections, and similar job waste.
Indicative GST-exclusive ranges for 2026, to sanity-check a line you have not priced before. GST itself is 15% on top of the subtotal once you are registered - use the free GST calculator to check. They are not a price guide and not advice on what to charge: rates vary by region, by job, and by how easy the pipework is to get to.
Why Invio beats Word and Excel for plumbers
Templates are a fine starting point. But most plumbers move to proper software once they hit 10+ jobs a month.
Invoice from your phone on site
Fill in labour hours and parts before you drive off. No returning to the office, no chasing scraps of paper at the end of the week.
Before you drive off
GST calculated automatically
Invio does the 15% for you on every taxable line item and shows subtotal, GST, and total correctly - no spreadsheet formula to break.
INV-0047Sent
Subtotal$1,316.00
GST (15%)$197.40
Total$1,513.40
15% on each taxable line
Saved clients and rates
Store your repeat customers and standard labour rate. Next job for Mark Stafford? Two taps and the invoice is half-filled already.
Two taps
Payment reminders built in
Invio sends automatic follow-ups on their own when an invoice goes overdue, and stops the moment it is paid - so you are not the one making awkward calls.
Automatic reminders
Overdue: Invoice INV-0047 is outstanding - $1,513.403 days after the due date
Paid. Reminders stop.
Automatic follow-ups
IRD-compliant every time
Every Invio invoice has the right fields: GST number, date, breakdown, customer address when required. You can't accidentally forget a field.
INV-0047Example
HeadingTAX INVOICE
GST112-345-678
Issue27 May 2026
Due10 Jun 2026
Every required field
PDF ready to email or print
Send the invoice by email directly from Invio, or download a clean PDF if the customer prefers paper. It's not a Word doc that looks different on every printer.
Example e-mail
Invoice INV-0047 from Thornton Plumbing Ltd
Here's your invoice from Thornton Plumbing Ltd - a PDF copy is attached, and you can also view it online anytime.
Invoice-INV-0047.pdfOne click
What a plumber's invoice carries that the others do not
Every NZ trade invoice needs the same GST basics. Past that, the paperwork splits by trade - here is what is specific to plumbing work.
PGDB licensed
A licensed trade, the same as electrical work
Electricians carry an EWRB number, and builders and carpenters carry an LBP number for restricted building work. Plumbers are registered with the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board, and restricted work needs a current annual practising licence as well. Plumbers also have the Construction Contracts Act's formal payment-claim process, covered in the FAQ below. Painters and landscapers are the two with no equivalent at all.
$45.00
The call-out fee, on its own line
Charged per visit and listed apart from labour, not folded into the hourly rate where it reads as a markup nobody can see.
3.5 hrs
Labour in hours, to one decimal
Not read as half a day. Hours at a stated rate is the line a customer checks first, on a plumber's invoice or any other trade's.
$35.00
The disposal fee, on its own line
Removing an old cylinder or damaged pipework is a real cost, not something to fold into labour where it reads as a markup nobody can see.
Plumber Invoice FAQs
Common questions from NZ plumbers about invoicing, GST, and getting paid.
Do I need to add GST to my plumber invoice?
What's the minimum information a plumber invoice needs in NZ?
Can I send a plumbing invoice from my phone?
How quickly should I send the invoice after the job?
What if my customer disputes the invoice?
How do I charge for after-hours plumbing work?
Do I need to give a quote before invoicing?
What about the Construction Contracts Act and payment claims?
Do I need my client's address on the invoice?
Invoice every plumbing job correctly, from your phone
Invio is free for sole traders. Set up your plumbing rates once, send GST-compliant invoices from site, and let automatic reminders handle the chase - free on your first 3 invoices, unlimited on Pro.
Free to start • GST calculated automatically • No credit card required