How do I bill bench time the customer never saw?

As its own line, described as what it was: design, making, a day at the bench. Work done off site is the work most likely to be questioned, precisely because nobody watched it happen, which is exactly why it should not be hidden inside a total.

How should I bill timber I bought before prices moved?

Bill what you paid, and if the merchant price jumped between quoting and buying, that is a conversation to have before you cut rather than a surprise on the invoice. Timber moves faster than most trades' materials. A quote with a short validity and a line saying the timber price holds for that long protects you without needing an awkward phone call later.

Do my invoice numbers have to be sequential?

They should be unique and consistent. 001, 002, 003 is the easy convention, and it's what makes 'invoice 032' unambiguous on the phone and at tax time. Don't reuse or duplicate numbers; gaps are fine.

When should I send the invoice?

The day the job finishes, from the van ideally. An invoice sent three weeks late quietly tells the customer that paying it late is fine too, and it's the single most fixable cause of slow payment.

Free carpenter invoice template

A free invoice template for carpenters, visible in full below, downloadable as a PDF, no signup asked. It splits the timber from the bench hours, names the ironmongery instead of calling it fittings, and leaves a line for the workshop time the customer never watched you do. Good oak and a day at the bench are not one number.

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INVOICE

Your Business Name

Phone · Email

Address

Invoice no.

Date

Due date

Description	Qty	Price
Hang internal doors ×4 (supplied & fitted)
Labour: bench hours, bespoke shelving
Materials: oak, ironmongery, fixings
Fit skirting & architrave, ground floor
Second fix: handles, latches, hinges
Add your own lines…

Subtotal

VAT (if registered)

TOTAL

Payment details & terms

What a carpenter's invoice must include

Your business name and contact details (and logo, if you have one)
A unique invoice number, where sequential is fine, gaps are fine, duplicates are not
Invoice date and payment due date
The client's name and the job address
Itemised lines: each piece of work and each material, with its price
The total, and whether VAT (or your local sales tax) is included
How to pay: bank details or a payment link
Payment terms, because "due within 7 days" is a term; silence is a suggestion
Bench or workshop hours as their own line, separate from the timber

Tips from the trade

Split the timber from the bench hours. Good oak and a day at the bench are not one number, and itemising is what stops the haggling.
Name the ironmongery. "Hinges & latches, brushed steel" reads as checkable; "fittings" reads as padding.
Write the "while you're here" jobs down the day you do them. Eased windows and a planed gate are real hours, and they're the hours most likely to be forgotten by invoice day.
Bill the bench time you did off site. A day in the workshop is not a day the customer watched you work, which is exactly why it needs its own line.

Common questions

How do I bill bench time the customer never saw?: As its own line, described as what it was: design, making, a day at the bench. Work done off site is the work most likely to be questioned, precisely because nobody watched it happen, which is exactly why it should not be hidden inside a total.
How should I bill timber I bought before prices moved?: Bill what you paid, and if the merchant price jumped between quoting and buying, that is a conversation to have before you cut rather than a surprise on the invoice. Timber moves faster than most trades' materials. A quote with a short validity and a line saying the timber price holds for that long protects you without needing an awkward phone call later.
Do my invoice numbers have to be sequential?: They should be unique and consistent. 001, 002, 003 is the easy convention, and it's what makes 'invoice 032' unambiguous on the phone and at tax time. Don't reuse or duplicate numbers; gaps are fine.
When should I send the invoice?: The day the job finishes, from the van ideally. An invoice sent three weeks late quietly tells the customer that paying it late is fine too, and it's the single most fixable cause of slow payment.

Quoting the job before you bill it? Carpenter's quote template is the other half of the same paperwork, written for the same trade. Not a carpenter? The blank UK invoice template works for any trade, in Word, Excel, PDF or Google Docs.

The same invoice for other trades

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