How to Invoice as a Carpenter in Australia
By Dan Reeve — Working handyman and founder of SMASH Invoices. Built SMASH after losing $1,200 in uninvoiced jobs in a single year. He still takes on handyman work and uses SMASH on every job. About Dan →
To invoice as a carpenter in Australia, your tax invoice needs your ABN, business name, a task-by-task description of work performed, all materials itemised with quantities and pricing, labour hours, and GST if registered. The most common and costly carpentry invoicing mistake is the miscellaneous line, grouping all consumables under "Misc — $20" when the actual cost is $60–$100. At five jobs per week, that habit costs $6,500 a year.
Thirty years of Miscellaneous $20
My dad has been a carpenter for thirty years. He's good. He's reliable. Customers love him.
On every single invoice, at the very bottom, he writes one line: Miscellaneous — $20.
I asked him once what it covers. He said "just random stuff."
The random stuff: drill bits. Saw blades. Sandpaper. Screws by the handful. Wood filler. PVA glue. Grinder discs. Sanding pads. Masking tape. Tack cloths. Brush cleaner. All the things you don't think about because they're just part of the job.
I sat down with him and worked it out. An average carpentry job uses $60–$80 in consumables by a realistic count. His miscellaneous line recovers $20. He loses $40–$60 per job. At five jobs a week, fifty weeks a year: $10,000–$15,000 per year in materials he bought, used, and forgot to charge for.
He didn't know. He genuinely had no idea.
This is the most expensive sentence in carpentry: "Miscellaneous — $20."
"Dad said to me after I showed him the numbers: 'I thought I was covering it.' He'd been saying that for thirty years. The $20 covered maybe a quarter of what he actually spent." — Dan Reeve, Handyman and Founder, SMASH Invoices
What a carpenter's invoice must include
- Business name and ABN
- Invoice number and date
- Property address and customer details
- Work description: task by task — "Install hardwood decking — 14m²", not "decking job"
- Timber: species, dimensions, linear metres, cost per metre
- Hardware: specific products with quantities (stainless screws 100-pack, joist hangers ×12)
- Consumables: sandpaper, blades, adhesive, fillers — each itemised
- Labour: hours × hourly rate or quoted flat
- GST if registered
- Payment terms
Timber is the biggest variable and the most commonly underpriced. A carpenter quoting "hardwood decking" without specifying the species, grade, and linear metres invites price renegotiation at payment. Quote the timber precisely — Merbau 90×19 dressed, 48 linear metres at $8.20/m. Now there's nothing to dispute.
What carpenters forget to charge for
| Consumable | Job cost | Typically invoiced |
|---|---|---|
| Drill bits (one job allocation) | $8–$16 | Rarely |
| Saw blades (allocation per job) | $10–$20 | Rarely |
| Sandpaper — various grits | $15–$28 | Sometimes |
| Screws, nails, fixings | $6–$20 | Sometimes |
| PVA / construction adhesive | $12–$22 | Sometimes |
| Wood filler | $10–$18 | Often not |
| Timber stain/sealer (partial tin) | $15–$40 | Often undercharged |
| Masking tape | $5–$10 | Rarely |
| Total typical job | $81–$174 | $20 misc |
A properly invoiced carpentry job
| Item | Qty | Unit | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labour — hardwood deck install | 8 hrs | $90/hr | $720.00 |
| Merbau 90×19 DAR | 48m | $8.20/m | $393.60 |
| Stainless decking screws 100pk | 2 | $24.00 | $48.00 |
| Joist hanger | 8 | $4.50 | $36.00 |
| Cabot's Decking Oil 1L | 1 | $42.00 | $42.00 |
| Sandpaper assorted | 1 pack | $22.00 | $22.00 |
| Masking tape | 1 | $8.00 | $8.00 |
| Wood filler | 1 | $14.00 | $14.00 |
| Subtotal | $1,283.60 | ||
| GST | $128.36 | ||
| Total | $1,411.96 |
Previous invoice: "Labour and materials — $800." Properly itemised: $1,411.96. The timber was always going to be on there. The $114 in hardware, stain, and consumables was not.
How to invoice a carpentry job on-site
You've cleaned up the site. Speak:
"Hardwood deck install. Eight hours labour. 48 metres Merbau 90 by 19 dressed, two packs stainless decking screws, eight joist hangers, one litre Cabot's decking oil, sandpaper, masking tape, wood filler."
Invoice built. Timber priced. Hardware priced. Labour applied. Sent. Customer approves on their phone while you're loading the ute.
Frequently asked questions
What should a carpenter include on an invoice in Australia? A carpenter's invoice should include ABN, business name, invoice number, date, a task-by-task work description, timber species and dimensions, all hardware itemised, all consumables itemised, labour hours at hourly rate or quoted flat, and GST if registered. Vague descriptions like "carpentry work" increase dispute risk on larger jobs.
Do carpenters need a licence to invoice in Australia? A general ABN is required for invoicing. Structural carpentry in some states requires a builder's licence or contractor licence. Finish carpentry, furniture, decking, and cabinet installation typically don't require a specific trade licence beyond ABN. Check your state's licensing authority, the requirements vary.
How should carpenters charge for timber in Australia? Timber is best charged at current supplier cost plus 15–20% markup. Quote the specific species, grade, and dimensions — "Merbau 90×19 DAR, 48LM at $8.20/m" — not a flat materials estimate. This prevents timber price disputes and allows you to recoup actual cost regardless of species selection changes.
What is the best invoicing app for carpenters in Australia? SMASH Invoices handles multi-line invoicing by voice, you describe the job and materials, the app prices everything from its 2,250-item Australian materials catalogue. For carpenters doing varied work with complex materials lists, voice description is faster and more accurate than manually entering line items after a long day on the tools.
How do I fix the "Miscellaneous" habit on carpentry invoices? Replace the miscellaneous line with itemised consumables. Before leaving a job, speak the description of what you used, blades, sandpaper, screws, filler, adhesive. Each item appears as its own line with a real price. Voice invoicing apps do this in under 60 seconds. The Misc $20 line is a $6,500-per-year habit worth breaking.
Thirty years of Miscellaneous $20. Let's fix that. Start Free →
Internal links: What is miscellaneous actually costing you? · How to price materials automatically in a quote · Why I built an invoicing app for people who don't type