Should scaffolding be a separate line on a roofing invoice?

Yes. It arrives with its own invoice made out to you, it is a large share of the total, and folding it into your labour rate makes your day look like it cost the customer four hundred pounds. Shown separately it is a cost you passed on. Hidden, it is a number they will query and you will struggle to defend.

How do I invoice for rotten timber found after the tiles were off?

As its own line, with the date you found it and a note that photographs are available. This is the one trade where the evidence is destroyed by the work itself: the battens are in the skip and the new roof looks the same either way. Photographs taken on the day cost you a minute and settle the conversation before it starts.

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 roofer invoice template

A free invoice template for roofers, visible in full below, downloadable as a PDF, no signup asked. Scaffold sits on its own line rather than inside the labour, because it is a third-party cost with its own invoice made out to you. Lead goes in by the metre, since it is the most expensive thing on the roof and the most commonly assumed to have been included.

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INVOICE

Your Business Name

Phone · Email

Address

Invoice no.

Date

Due date

Description	Qty	Price
Strip existing tiles, battens & felt, 65m²
New breathable membrane & treated battens
Re-tile with reclaimed slates, ridge re-bedded
New lead flashing to chimney & abutments
Scaffold hire & waste removal, 2 skips
Add your own lines…

Subtotal

VAT (if registered)

TOTAL

Payment details & terms

What a roofer'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
Scaffold and waste removal as their own lines, because both are third-party costs invoiced to you and neither is visible in a finished roof

Tips from the trade

Scaffold gets its own line on the invoice, not just the quote. It is a third-party cost with its own invoice made out to you, and burying it inside labour makes your day rate look ridiculous.
Photograph what was under the tiles and say on the invoice that photos are available. Rotten battens are invisible from the ground and invisible again once the roof is finished, and you were the only person who ever saw them.
Bill lead by the metre or by weight rather than writing "flashing". It is the most expensive material up there and the one most often assumed to be included.
Put waste on its own line. A re-roof makes tonnes of rubble, and a customer who has never hired a skip has no idea that is a cost rather than an afterthought.

Common questions

Should scaffolding be a separate line on a roofing invoice?: Yes. It arrives with its own invoice made out to you, it is a large share of the total, and folding it into your labour rate makes your day look like it cost the customer four hundred pounds. Shown separately it is a cost you passed on. Hidden, it is a number they will query and you will struggle to defend.
How do I invoice for rotten timber found after the tiles were off?: As its own line, with the date you found it and a note that photographs are available. This is the one trade where the evidence is destroyed by the work itself: the battens are in the skip and the new roof looks the same either way. Photographs taken on the day cost you a minute and settle the conversation before it starts.
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? Roofer's quote template is the other half of the same paperwork, written for the same trade. Not a roofer? The blank UK invoice template works for any trade, in Word, Excel, PDF or Google Docs.

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